The new strategy will drive up quality and set new targets to
diversify the pipeline of talent into government and spread Civil
Service jobs across the country.
One in twenty civil servants will be an apprentice by 2025, under
new plans that will diversify the pipeline of talent into
government and spread Civil Service jobs across the country to
level up opportunity.
More than 35,000 apprentices have been recruited since 2015,
exceeding the government’s manifesto commitment and establishing
the Civil Service as a leading provider of apprenticeships. The
new strategy will build on this by committing to 5% of the UK
Home Civil Service being apprentices by 2025.
The schemes offer people across the UK a route into employment,
with a programme of industry-leading training and opportunities
for secondment in the private sector equipping apprentices with
highly-recruitable skills.
New targets will also bring government closer to the communities
it serves than ever before, capitalising on the creation of local
hubs to ensure the number of apprenticeship roles in every region
reflects local Civil Service workforce numbers. This forms part
of the concerted shift of government focus and resources to
Britain’s forgotten communities throughout the 2020s. .
An advertising campaign blitz and the promise to harness new
initiatives like T-Level work placements will also help ensure at
least 39% of apprenticeships are taken up by people from lower
socio-economic backgrounds, the Social Mobility Commission
benchmark, ensuring the opportunity to work in government is open
to everyone.
Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office, Minister
Wheeler said:
With more than 35,000 apprenticeship starts in the Civil Service
since 2015, it’s clear that the door is well and truly open for
anyone to get in and get on in government.
The new apprenticeship strategy contains a relentless focus on
driving up standards in government, building a pipeline of
highly-skilled public servants from across the UK to deliver on
the people’s priorities.
Not only will this improve the quality of public service in the
long term, it is also putting young people at the forefront of
the government’s work to level up the country.
Leon Soyinka Sinden, a current apprentice who has worked
across a range of communications teams in the Cabinet Office,
said a Civil Service apprenticeship had set him up for
success:
Going straight from school to the heart of government is daunting
at first, but it’s given me so much confidence in myself.
After only 4 months, I’ve had so many incredible experiences and
opportunities - working on large scale national projects at this
stage in my career is a privilege. I know I’ll leave this
apprenticeship with the skills needed to have an amazing career.
The new strategy is just one of several steps the government has
taken to grow the number of apprenticeship opportunities offered
in the UK, including offering cash incentives to support
employers to create new apprenticeship opportunities and creating
the new Flexi-Job Apprenticeship scheme.
Notes to editors
Read the Civil Service
Apprenticeships Strategy 2022 to 2025.
