Develop professional engineering capability across advanced programming, databases, software architecture, APIs, test automation, CI/CD, containers, cloud platforms and secure development.
Connect development with automated quality controls. This 20 to 22-week professional programme combines programming, APIs, architecture and deployment practices around a multi-tier application.
What you will develop
- Develop Python object-oriented programming, Java basics and modern frameworks such as React and Node.js.
- Integrate SQL queries, joins and schema design with modular software architecture and REST APIs.
- Create automated tests using Selenium, Cypress, JUnit and PyTest examples.
- Use Docker and CI/CD pipelines with Jenkins or GitHub Actions; explore AWS/Azure engineering fundamentals.
- Apply OWASP awareness and introductory DevSecOps practices to software delivery.
Practical work
Develop a multi-tier web application and automate its testing. Explain the architecture, database, APIs, test coverage, defects and delivery pipeline through documented project evidence.
Career directions
Explore application development and test-automation opportunities, with later progression towards full-stack and delivery-engineering work. Specialised cloud and DevOps roles require evidence beyond introductory platform awareness.
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.
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
Discuss preparation for ISTQB Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL). Python advanced and DevOps essentials labels need a specific awarding body and assessment. If an ICAgile route is selected, agree the exact credential and accredited course; the source’s generic Agile Practitioner wording does not identify a single award.
Check official ISTQB Foundation Level certification; Explore ICAgile Agile Fundamentals certification
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 2026Contract daily rateRoleUK rangeQuoted figuresPeriod endingDevOps Engineer£462 to £613 per day8777 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.