Advance into enterprise software engineering through architecture, full-stack development, advanced test automation, cloud and DevOps, secure design, AI-assisted engineering and consulting skills.
Extend software construction into enterprise delivery and quality engineering. This 24 to 26-week advanced programme combines architecture, test automation, cloud tooling and stakeholder communication.
What you will develop
- Develop architecture thinking through microservices, APIs and containerisation, alongside React, Node.js and SQL/NoSQL components.
- Explore advanced automation, performance and load testing with JMeter and k6.
- Work with Kubernetes, Terraform and advanced CI/CD concepts in cloud and DevOps workflows.
- Apply threat modelling, secure design patterns and controlled AI-assisted development, testing and operational support.
- Develop delivery documentation, consulting skills and stakeholder communication.
Practical work
Build and present an enterprise-style application supported by an automated test suite. Explain its architecture, performance evidence, security choices, deployment approach and limitations.
Career directions
Build evidence for progression towards full-stack engineering, test automation and DevOps work. Architecture, consulting and engineering leadership positions require relevant professional delivery and leadership experience.
UK salary and contract-rate guide
Evidence reviewed: 6 October 2026. These examples describe named-role markets for career planning.
Robert Half annual figures are gross permanent starting-salary projections at the 25th to 75th percentiles in its 2026 UK national guide. IT Jobs Watch figures are advertised UK salaries or daily rates at the 25th to 75th percentiles over the specified six-month period. The sources and employment types differ and do not represent directly comparable pay packages or guaranteed post-course earnings.
Full-stack Developer
Permanent salary: £43,500 to £77,250 a year. Contract rate: £425 to £575 a day.
Permanent Full-stack Developer source: related-position table; Contract-rate source: Full-stack Developer
The contract sample contains 277 daily rates over six months to 6 October 2026. This is not a junior-only distribution.
Test Automation Engineer
Permanent advertised salary: £40,750 to £70,000 a year. Contract rate: £352 to £538 a day.
Permanent salary source: Test Automation Engineer; Contract-rate source: Test Automation Engineer
Both IT Jobs Watch samples cover six months to 6 October 2026: 57 annual salaries and 55 daily rates. These are separate vacancy samples, not a matched pay package or a manual-tester salary range.
DevOps Engineer
Permanent salary: £58,250 to £83,250 a year. Contract rate: £460 to £613 a day.
Permanent salary source: DevOps Engineer; Contract-rate source: DevOps Engineer
The contract sample contains 861 daily rates over six months to 5 October 2026. Operational and delivery experience matters; this is progression context, not an immediate beginner outcome.
Contract income depends on billable days, engagement terms, tax treatment including IR35, expenses and gaps between assignments.
Salary and contract-rate figures are indicative UK market ranges based on publicly available evidence reviewed at the stated date. Actual earnings vary according to experience, location, employer, sector, qualifications, responsibilities and employment type. Course completion does not guarantee employment, promotion or a particular level of earnings.
Mentoring and career support
Mentoring connects technical learning with practical development and professional evidence. Your programme includes six months of job-search support and three months of in-role support. Discuss the arrangements and starting dates with our team, including CV, LinkedIn and interview preparation. Employment is not guaranteed.
Certification and assessment information
Agree the appropriate ISTQB Advanced or specialist route for your testing focus. One option is Certified Tester Advanced Level Test Automation Engineering; its eligibility includes Foundation Level certification and relevant practical experience. The source’s AWS/Azure associate, advanced DevOps and secure-coding labels also require an exact credential and provider. AWS Certified Developer - Associate is a possible development-focused option to discuss, rather than an assumed included award.
Check official ISTQB Test Automation Engineering requirements; Explore AWS Certified Developer - Associate
Programme completion is separate from passing a vendor examination. Confirm current preparation scope, eligibility, examination access, additional costs, subscriptions and renewal arrangements before enrolment. No awarding-body accreditation, examination pass or vendor award is implied by attending RDE.
Your next step
Register your interest to discuss your experience, starting point, current delivery arrangements, tools and software access, assessment, certification options, fees and any available funding. Confirm the current intake and support arrangements before making a commitment.
Further specialist career benchmarks
UK market evidence checked on 7 October 2026. These are career progression examples across experience levels, not starting salaries promised by this programme. Architect and leadership roles normally require substantial relevant experience.
IT Jobs Watch ranges below are the 25th to 75th percentiles of quoted figures, covering the middle half of the sample. They are not minimum-to-maximum pay bands. Each dataset covers six months ending on the date shown.
Permanent annual salaryRoleUK rangeQuoted figuresPeriod endingDevOps Engineer£60,000 to £90,000 per year10407 October 2026Site Reliability Engineer£66,250 to £81,250 per year1317 October 2026Software Architect£80,000 to £100,000 per year885 October 2026Contract daily rateRoleUK rangeQuoted figuresPeriod endingDevOps Engineer£462 to £613 per day8777 October 2026Site Reliability Engineer£430 to £600 per day816 October 2026Software Architect£525 to £619 per day186 October 2026Small samples, particularly Data Governance Analyst contract rates (15 quotes) and Software Architect contract rates (18 quotes), warrant caution. Actual earnings depend on experience, location, employer, sector, responsibilities and employment type. Contract rates are not take-home pay or annual salaries; paid days, expenses and tax arrangements vary. Completing this programme does not guarantee employment, promotion, contract work or income.
DevOps Engineer permanent salary source
DevOps Engineer contract-rate source
Site Reliability Engineer permanent salary source
Site Reliability Engineer contract-rate source