Graduate Apprentice (Cyber Security) (Temporary) - REQ06290

INTERNAL APPLICANTS MUST APPLY VIA MYSELF

NLC 2 - £25,698 - £25,971

NLC 5 - £27,937 - £29,666

Would you like the opportunity to combine your educational studies to achieve a degree in cyber security with work-based learning and development? We have an exciting opportunity to work alongside our Information Risk and Assurance Team earning as you learn.

Why join us? North Lanarkshire is Scotland’s fourth largest authority by population and is perfectly situated in the heart of Scotland’s central belt with great transport links making this the perfect place to live and work! We have a detailed plan setting the direction to deliver an ambitious growth and development programme, making North Lanarkshire the place to live, learn, work and invest. Information, and by extension information security, is crucial to bringing our plans to fruition.

Working in local government means your work has a direct impact on people’s lives—from protecting citizen data to ensuring uninterrupted delivery of essential services. This is your chance to build a meaningful career while serving your community.

Joining our team you will have the opportunity to build a career with an employer who offers a generous package of terms and conditions and promotes work-life balance and wellbeing amongst its employees. With a generous annual leave entitlement and access to a variety of flexible working options and initiatives, North Lanarkshire Council could be the place for you.

Working with us you will share our ambition for our communities and join us in delivering a service which supports these ambitions and the priorities of the Council.

Our Trainee (Graduate Apprenticeship) in Cyber Security is designed for highly motivated individuals who want to pursue a career in cyber security. As a Trainee you will receive formal training in addition to on-the-job training to enable you to gain the skills and qualifications needed to drive our ambition forward. You will be part of our Information Risk and Assurance Team within the Legal, Democratic and Strategy dealing with a broad range of information security assurance functions and be provided the opportunity to spend time in various specialist areas to develop your knowledge and skills.

Throughout your training you will support the work of the Information Risk and Assurance Team. This includes:

• Developing plans to respond to cyber security incidents
• Supporting vulnerability assessments and risk management activities
• Help implement and maintain security controls aligned to best practice (e.g. Cyber Essentials, NIST Cyber Resiliency Framework)
• Contribute to awareness campaigns to improve staff cyber resilience
• Support audits, compliance activities, and reporting
• Work with IT teams to implement system and network security controls

You will study at university on a day release basis, for 4 years, to attain a BA(Hons) in Cyber Security. You will be provided with time off to attend university, study time and you will also be supported by a work-based mentor. This is a great opportunity to earn a salary immediately whilst you are studying and there is no cost to you for the training you will receive.

You will be joining a service which strives for excellence in service delivery. Your excellent communication skills, teamwork and client focused approach will ensure you provide a professional service.

This post represents an exciting and challenging opportunity for a highly motivated individual, aged 16 years and over with a minimum of 4 Highers (with at least two graded B or higher). Applicants will also require English and Mathematics at National 5 level. *Applicants who are awaiting awards for Highers in August 2026 are invited to apply however any offer will be subject to the achievement and award at the required grade.

Please refer to the attached job description for further information regarding entry requirements.

The Graduate Apprentice programme combining both work and study will require applicants to have excellent time management skills and requires a high degree of commitment from the candidate to complete the four-year programme. It would be advantageous to your application to give examples of what makes you the best candidate for this opportunity, with reference to the attached employee specification.

We operate a hybrid model of office based, home based and site-based working, with our main office in Civic Centre, Motherwell. You will be predominantly office based, always allowing you access to support.

You will commence your employment on NLC2 £25,698 - £25,971. You will progress to NLC5, £27,937 - £29,666, for years 3 & 4 of your employment, on demonstration that you have acquired workplace skills, knowledge and experience combined with successful completion of years 1 and 2 of university.

This post is fixed term for a period of up to 4 years with a start date of August 2026.

For further information, please contact Rob Leitch; leitchro@northlan.gov.uk

Working here at North Lanarkshire Council

If you’re considering a career with us, you’ll be keen to know what’s in it for you. We have a great package of benefits available, from health and wellbeing to finances and family. This includes 27 days annual leave and 6 public holidays*, and a wide range of benefits available to you, find out more at work well NL. We also have a full package of learning and development through our learning academy LearnNL to help you reach your full potential and further your career.

For more information on local authority careers visit the myjobscotland career hub

North Lanarkshire Council are Happy to Talk Flexible Working, we operate a Smarter Working Policy.

Click here to see our Recruitment Charter.

*For all casual/sessional roles, you will receive 12.1% of your hourly rate for every hour worked in total recompense for annual leave, including public holidays. These rates will be indicated separately on your payslip. You will only be paid for the hours that you work.

North Lanarkshire Council has reached its current allocation of Certificates of Sponsorship and, as a result, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship at this time.

We are a Disability Confident Leader and offer a guaranteed interview to applicants who consider themselves to be disabled, as long as they meet the essential criteria of the person specification/job description.

We have also adopted the Armed Forces Community Covenant to show our support for service personnel, veterans and their families. We offer a guaranteed interview for service leavers, spouses, reservists and veterans, as long as they meet the essential criteria of the person specification/job description.

North Lanarkshire Council is committed to #KeepingThePromise. This means that if you have ever been in care (looked after at home with a social worker, lived with a relative other than your parents, experienced foster, residential or secure care) you are entitled to a guaranteed interview for this post, as long as you meet the essential criteria of the person specification/job description. This is one way North Lanarkshire is demonstrating our commitment to supporting Care-Experienced People.

The Plan for North Lanarkshire is to be the place to live, learn, work, invest and visit. The Council recognises that work is an important part of adult life and is critical to our wellbeing and shaping how we live. The Fair Work Convention’s Framework defines Fair Work as work that offers effective voice, fulfilment, opportunity, respect and security. We believe Fair Work can boost creativity, realise untapped potential and increase productivity. To find out more click on the link.

Alternative Application Packs can be requested in other formats for example, Large Print, Braille, and Audio. To request an alternative Application Pack please phone 01698 403151.

The following link contains our Easy Read documents which will help explain the process and what happens during the selection process: Easy Read – My NL

***PLEASE NOTE WE DO NOT ACCEPT CVS IN PLACE OF THE APPLICATION FORM. TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS VACANCY YOU MUST ENSURE AN APPLICATION FORM IS SUBMITTED. ANY CV SUBMISSIONS WILL BE DISREGARDED.***