Highest-paying apprenticeships in the UK
What the employers we've researched actually pay their apprentices, highest first. These are the starting salaries they publish on their own websites, so you can see the real numbers before you apply.
The short answer
Of the employers we've researched, the highest published starting pay is £28,500 for the IT Degree Apprenticeship at Lidl GB. Every apprentice is legally entitled to at least £8.00 an hour from April 2026, and these employers pay well above that.
| Employer | Programme | Level | Published pay | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lidl GB Retail and logistics | IT Degree Apprenticeship IT consulting, software engineering or network engineering | Levels 6–7 | £28,500 | 41 months |
| Lidl GB Retail and logistics | Retail Leadership Degree Apprenticeship Store management | Levels 6–7 | £27,040 rising to £37,333 | 4 years |
| Sky Media and creative | Digital Marketing Apprenticeship Business | Level 3 | £27,010 | 2 years |
| Sky Media and creative | Sky News Journalism Apprenticeship Content | Levels 4–5 | £27,010 | 2 years |
| Sky Media and creative | Finance Apprenticeship Finance | Levels 4–7 | £27,010 | 5 years |
| Sky Media and creative | Customer Sales Apprenticeship Customer | Level 2 | £26,428–£29,060 | 15 months |
| Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Engineering and manufacturing | Level 6 Digital and Technology Solutions Degree Apprenticeship Software Engineering or Data Analytics | Levels 6–7 | £26,092 | 4 years |
| Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Engineering and manufacturing | Level 6 Applied Professional Engineering Programme (APEP) Degree Apprenticeship Engineering | Levels 6–7 | £26,092 | 4 years |
| Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Engineering and manufacturing | Level 6 Supply Chain and Procurement Degree Apprenticeship Supply chain and procurement | Levels 6–7 | £26,092 | 4 years |
| Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Engineering and manufacturing | Level 7 Finance Apprenticeship Finance | Levels 6–7 | £26,092 | 4 years |
| KPMG UK Finance and professional services | Audit Apprenticeship Audit | Levels 3–7 | £25,500–£28,000 | 5 years |
| Barclays Finance and professional services | Level 3 and 4 apprenticeships Technology analyst, cyber and security, customer care, business banking, UK corporate banking | Levels 3–5 | £25,200 | Up to 2 years |
| Barclays Finance and professional services | Higher and degree apprenticeships Developer, technology analyst, operations, risk, compliance, business and corporate banking, global transaction banking, private banking and wealth management | Levels 4–7 | £25,200 | Up to 3–4 years |
| BBC Media and creative | Level 2 (Foundation Apprenticeships) | Level 2 | £24,650–£26,000 | Up to 12 months |
| BBC Media and creative | Level 3 (Advanced) and Level 4 (Higher) apprenticeships | Levels 3–5 | £24,650–£26,000 | Up to 25 months |
| BBC Media and creative | Level 5 (Higher) apprenticeships | Levels 4–5 | £24,650–£26,000 | Up to 24 months |
| BBC Media and creative | Level 6 (Degree and degree-level) apprenticeships | Levels 6–7 | £24,650–£26,000 | Up to 36 months |
| Rolls-Royce Engineering and manufacturing | Degree Apprenticeships Engineering (aerospace and submarines) and business | Levels 6–7 | £23,933 rising to £34,832 | Not published |
| KPMG UK Finance and professional services | Technology Apprenticeship Technology and engineering | Levels 6–7 | £23,000–£25,000 | 4 years |
| Rolls-Royce Engineering and manufacturing | Higher Apprenticeships Engineering and business | Levels 4–5 | £21,512 rising to £32,083 | Not published |
| Rolls-Royce Engineering and manufacturing | Advanced / Modern Apprenticeships Technician roles | Level 3 | £18,316 rising to £27,317 | 4 years |
| Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Engineering and manufacturing | Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship | Level 3 | Around £17,393 | 4 years |