NVQ Level 3 Job Trends
National Vocational Qualification Level 3 (NVQ Level 3)
UK
The table below provides summary statistics for permanent job vacancies citing NVQ Level 3 qualifications. It includes a benchmarking guide to the salaries offered over the 6 months leading up to 24 October 2026, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.
| 6 months to 24 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 340 | 589 | 585 |
| Rank change year-on-year | +249 | -4 | +134 |
| Permanent jobs citing NVQ Level 3 | 641 | 83 | 176 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in the UK | 0.53% | 0.17% | 0.26% |
| As % of the Qualifications category | 3.12% | 0.50% | 0.90% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 332 | 66 | 11 |
| 10th Percentile | £38,050 | £34,000 | - |
| 25th Percentile | £42,484 | £38,500 | £36,250 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £48,000 | £47,000 | £38,250 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +2.13% | +22.88% | +38.29% |
| 75th Percentile | £53,750 | £54,000 | £39,875 |
| 90th Percentile | £57,750 | £60,000 | - |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £48,158 | £45,608 | £38,250 |
| % change year-on-year | +5.59% | +19.24% | +38.29% |
All Academic and Professional Certifications
UK
NVQ Level 3 falls under the Academic Qualifications and Professional Certifications category. For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent job vacancies citing academic qualifications or professional certifications.
| 6 months to 24 Oct 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permanent vacancies citing academic qualifications or professional certifications | 20,568 | 16,753 | 19,643 |
| As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the UK | 17.01% | 33.89% | 28.51% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 11,968 | 7,432 | 8,254 |
| 10th Percentile | £32,500 | £28,750 | £32,500 |
| 25th Percentile | £43,750 | £36,250 | £43,750 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £60,000 | £55,000 | £57,513 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +9.09% | -4.37% | +0.02% |
| 75th Percentile | £80,000 | £75,000 | £75,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £97,500 | £90,000 | £90,000 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £55,500 | £47,500 | £55,000 |
| % change year-on-year | +16.84% | -13.64% | +4.76% |
NVQ Level 3 Job Vacancy Trend
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings citing NVQ Level 3 relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised.
NVQ Level 3 Salary Trend
Salary distribution trend for jobs in the UK citing NVQ Level 3.
NVQ Level 3 Salary Histogram
Salary distribution for jobs citing NVQ Level 3 over the 6 months to 24 October 2026.
NVQ Level 3 Top 16 Job Locations
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing NVQ Level 3 within the UK over the 6 months to 24 October 2026. The 'Rank Change' column provides an indication of the change in demand within each location based on the same 6 month period last year.
| Location | Rank Change on Same Period Last Year |
Job Ads Past 6 Months |
Median Salary Past 6 Months |
Median Salary % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | +225 | 572 | £48,500 | -2.51% | 176 |
| UK excluding London | +229 | 566 | £48,158 | +5.59% | 161 |
| Midlands | +87 | 168 | £50,353 | +67.84% | 45 |
| North of England | +55 | 124 | £49,100 | +29.21% | 44 |
| East Midlands | +62 | 118 | £50,353 | +67.84% | 18 |
| South East | +12 | 108 | £45,000 | -1.33% | 25 |
| East of England | +39 | 92 | £47,500 | +1.06% | 20 |
| Yorkshire | - | 55 | £47,904 | - | 16 |
| West Midlands | +3 | 50 | £50,500 | -12.17% | 27 |
| London | -52 | 48 | £53,400 | -1.11% | 10 |
| North West | +6 | 44 | £52,500 | +38.16% | 21 |
| South West | -58 | 35 | £49,129 | -7.30% | 15 |
| North East | - | 27 | £47,500 | - | 8 |
| Scotland | +23 | 22 | £44,368 | - | 3 |
| Wales | - | 20 | £52,000 | - | 6 |
| Work from Home | -65 | 14 | £39,000 | -2.50% | 16 |
NVQ Level 3 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities by Category
The table below expands on the one above by listing co-occurrences one category at a time. It covers the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences in each category.
Qualifications
| Rank | Skill | Share | Job Ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City & Guilds | 43.8% | 281 |
| 2 | Degree | 25.9% | 166 |
| 3 | HNC | 17.2% | 110 |
| 4 | HND | 8.0% | 51 |
| 5 | Security Cleared | 3.0% | 19 |
| 6 | NVQ Level 4 | 2.5% | 16 |
| 7 | DBS Check | 1.9% | 12 |
| 8 | SC Cleared | 1.2% | 8 |
| 9 | CTC Cleared | 0.8% | 5 |
| 10 | DV Cleared | 0.5% | 3 |
| 11 | A+ Certification | 0.2% | 1 |
| 11 | BPSS Clearance | 0.2% | 1 |
| 11 | Microsoft Certification | 0.2% | 1 |
| 11 | Network+ Certification | 0.2% | 1 |