About Apprentice Wizard
Hi, I'm Yusuf Arfan Ismail.
I built Apprentice Wizard because I lived the problem. I was the student with twenty browser tabs, a chaotic spreadsheet, and no single place to find, let alone track, every degree apprenticeship I was applying to.
So I built the tool I wished had existed.
100+
Students helped
10,000+
Live roles aggregated
134k
Mod downloads
2026
Founded
The story
From Minecraft mods to 100+ students
First shipped software
Built Minecraft mods that reached 134,000 downloads. Learned that real users break everything, and come back if you fix it.
The problem hit
A levels: Maths, CS, Economics, Psychology. Tracking 20+ degree apprenticeship applications across spreadsheets, email, and a dozen employer portals. The admin was eating the preparation.
Built the thing
Started Apprentice Wizard. Not from a pitch deck, from frustration. Led everything: Spring Boot backend, Docker infra, Linux server, CI/CD, and the product itself.
Degree Apprenticeship secured
Infrastructure Engineer Degree Apprentice, rotating across networking, compute, and platform engineering, while studying for a BSc in Digital & Technology Solutions at the University of Exeter.
Apprentice Wizard keeps growing
100+ students use the platform. Roles from GOV.UK, UCAS, Higherin, and curated repos, all in one place. Free, always.
The mission
“Not every student has a careers advisor who knows what a degree apprenticeship is. Apprentice Wizard exists to close that gap, free, practical, and honest.”
Free for students, forever. No friction between a student and an opportunity.
Only build AI features where they measurably improve outcomes.
The platform exists to close the information gap, not to monetise students.
Ready to find your role?
Free tools, live roles, and support when you need it.