Did you know… 95% of UK and US businesses struggle with data?
It’s perhaps not that surprising when you consider the volume of data we produce, as well as how quickly that volume is increasing. According to Statista, last year, 149 zettabytes of data was created worldwide. If you imagine data to be sand, that’s enough to bury the Earth two feet deep. By 2028, data creation is projected to hit 394 zettabytes, which is like every grain of sand holding 57 HD movies!
To help organisations keep on top of their data, the role of Data Engineer has risen in prominence. They’ve even been called, “the unsung heroes of the data ecosystem”, because a Data Engineer’s job is to build and maintain data architecture, which ensures the creation of good quality data that can be used by the rest of the organisation.
Data Engineers play a crucial role because they empower businesses to be able to use their data for competitive gain. However, holding such an important role means Data Engineers are in high-demand. Projections by Randstad show that by 2030, there will be 10.5 million unfulfilled vacancies for Data Engineers.
So, how can you place your career on a trajectory to ensure you’re always in high demand?
Apprenticeships Give you Hands-on Expertise…
During the last academic year, under-19s accounted for a quarter of all learners enrolled on apprenticeship programmes, indicating this training pathway is fit for those looking to upskill, as well as those just entering the workforce.
When you enrol on a data & AI apprenticeship, you gain in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience. At Cambridge Spark, we set the gold standard because our apprenticeship programmes are designed and led by expert lecturers, tutors, and guest speakers who have genuinely 'been there, done that’.
Upon completing our Data Engineer Apprenticeship (L5), you will:
- Understand the data engineering lifecycle and data modelling
- Create and maintain data analytics pipelines to deliver valuable insights
- Maximise the value of business data
- Build the core technical and leadership skills that support the data-driven transformation of your organisation
…And Futureproof Your Career
Whether you're just starting out or looking to upskill, data engineering skills set you up for a prosperous career.
Many sectors, like finance and e-commerce, need real-time data processing to remain operational and competitive. For example, it enables banks to spot potentially fraudulent transactions ‘in the moment’, and retailers to increase basket sizes at the point of purchase.
Practices like DataOps and MLOps foster close cross-team collaboration with data scientists and IT functions to improve data quality, streamline data pipelines, and implement continuous feedback loops. For example, within cybersecurity, you’ll be closing down vulnerabilities before bad actors get a chance to spot them.
The digital era has encouraged the shift towards cloud-native architectures, which enable organisations to rapidly scale and adapt in line with demand. For startups and challenger brands, it’s the foundation of their competitive advantage, because they’re not locked up in legacy, and are therefore free to solve old problems in new, innovative ways.
As AI and ML continue to be embedded in everyday activities, you can help your organisation to extract deeper, actionable insights that support tasks, like predictive maintenance for transport and logistics, recommendation engines for media, and intelligent forecasting for manufacturing.
Similarly, the rise of IoT devices – from smart cities to healthcare monitors – is increasing data volumes further. But you’ll know how to manage and analyse this data efficiently, so it becomes meaningful and actionable in a timely manner.
Establish your career as a Data Engineer and you’re guaranteed to open your future to diverse job opportunities, so you can grow your career in any direction you wish.
Data Engineer Career Progression
Most Data Engineers come from a scientific or mathematics background, and have an interest in business-related activities, like a Data Analyst. It’s the type of role that lends itself towards a linear career path – from Data Engineer to Data Scientist to Chief Data Officer (CDO) – which attracts more opportunity, responsibility, and reward as you climb the career ladder.
As a Data Engineer (salary expectation: £70,000* p.a.), your job is to handle large, complex, and disparate data sets. You are responsible for maintaining data quality and are tasked with building data products that support Data Scientists in their role.
Progressing to Data Scientist (salary expectation: £85,000* p.a.), your job is to distill data into actionable insights, which help the organisation to solve problems and/or take advantage of new trends and opportunities.
Moving to the role of CDO (salary expectation: £120,000* p.a.), you are the voice of data in the boardroom. You are accountable for the organisation’s data strategy, as well as data governance and compliance. You also have responsibility to promote data literacy across departments, identify new revenue streams, and break down barriers that prevent other teams being successful, such as data silos.
Of course, as with all professions, there is nuance with different types of engineers. For example:
- Big Data Engineer (salary expectation: £65,000* p.a.): builds processing systems for large and complex data sets.
- Data Warehousing Engineer (salary expectation: £65,000* p.a.) develops and manages data warehouse systems.
- Software Engineer (salary expectation: £67,500* p.a.) designs and develops computer systems and applications.
- Cloud Engineer (salary expectation: £70,000* p.a.) designs and implements scalable, cloud-based systems.
- Machine Learning Engineer (salary expectation: £95,000* p.a.) designs and builds AI algorithms and programmes.
But what if you don’t want to climb the corporate ladder? What if your preference is for domain mastery?
With your foundational knowledge as a Data Engineer, you pave the way for yourself to become a specialist in the field.
As a Cloud Solutions Architect (salary expectation: £90,500* p.a.), your expertise is essential to design and build cloud-based infrastructure that enables the business to reach its goals and take advantage of all the benefits cloud has to offer.
While as a Data Architect (salary expectation: £94,637* p.a.), your role is more strategic and requires you to oversee the entire data lifecycle, as well as the policies and procedures associated with data handling.
Advance Your Data Career With the Data Engineer Apprenticeship (L5)
If you’re ready to level up your career, Cambridge Spark is here for you. We have:
When you enrol on the Data Engineer Apprenticeship (L5), you’ll be taught via a blend of live lectures, workshops, and self-paced e-learning, as well as have access to our online learning platform, EDUKATE.AI, so you can practice your new skills from day one. At all times, you are supported by our expert lecturers, technical mentors and professionally trained coaches. And you’ll be invited to join our community of 4,000+ learners and alumni to network, share knowledge, and discover new opportunities.
* Please note: all salaries quoted are sourced from IT Jobs Watch and are correct as of April 2025.