Government Skills
Apprenticeships are a great way to recruit and develop staff so they gain skills that the business needs and get recognised qualifications. In central government, we have been working with employers to increase the numbers of apprentices.
Apprenticeship training is a work-based programme of learning and development. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland it consists of:
Information about apprenticeships in England
Information about apprenticeships in Scotland
Following the successful Civil Service apprenticeship pathfinder programme which ran in 2008-09, Government Skills worked with central government employers, partners and providers to increase the number of apprenticeships offered in the Civil Service in 2009-10.
The programmes offered apprenticeship frameworks which already exist in areas such as business administration, customer service, first line management, team leadership and accountancy. A new development has been a pilot programme for PAs in central government, based on the apprenticeship model. This is being delivered in partnership with Westminster Kingsway College and will be evaluated in early 2011.
Key partners in delivery are the National Apprenticeship Service and the Civil Service in the English Regions project teams.
Drawn up by Government Skills, the Cabinet Office and the Council of Civil Service Unions, this agreement builds on the successful pathfinder programme and seeks to ensure that apprentices are employed on standard civil service terms and conditions and get high quality training and support.
The Public Services Apprenticeship/Foundation Modern Apprenticeship – Armed Services Pathway has been developed for delivery in the Armed Services. The framework sets out the qualifications for the apprenticeship, definitions of job roles and progression routes. It also details how the framework meets the workforce development needs of employers.
