Policy Officer Apprentice – Level 4

Kick start your career by joining the Department for Transport as a Policy Officer Apprentice!

Apprenticeship: Level 4 Policy Officer Apprenticeship

Locations: Birmingham & Leeds

Salary: National – £32,603

Would you like the opportunity to gain a nationally recognised qualification whilst undertaking an exciting and stretching role, so you can earn whilst you learn?

Do you have the drive and ambition to apply that learning in a real business context so you can continue to develop and work towards your career goals?

If so, a Policy Officer apprenticeship is for you! This apprenticeship will provide you with effective drafting skills to allow you to support Parliamentary business, brief Ministers and undertake analysis to think creatively and deliver policy solutions.

If successful you will be part of an apprentice community which will provide you with the opportunity to support, network and share knowledge and experiences as a cohort, as you embark on your apprenticeship journey together.

The Department for Transport is a vibrant and multidimensional organisation at the very heart of key infrastructure projects including HS2, Crossrail, Thameslink and technological advances such as driver-less cars and drones. Transport keeps Britain on the move whether that be the daily commute to work or supplying businesses up and down the country, without it, business sectors cannot function efficiently.

The Department for Transport is made up of the central Department (DfTc) and four Executive Agencies – the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA); the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA); the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA); and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). We work with our agencies and partners to support the transport network that helps the UK’s businesses and gets people and good travelling around the country, keeping the UK on the move. 

DfT is working on some of the largest and most complex infrastructure projects this country has ever seen. Our policies do and will continue to affect the shape, prosperity and connectivity of British citizens, companies and industries.     

This role sits within the Shareholding, Appointments, and Inquiry (SAI) response Directorate. It is responsible for working with DfT’s portfolio of Government Owned Companies and public corporations; building capability and excellence in shareholding, sponsorship, and public appointments across the Department; and coordinating the DfT response to the COVID-19 Inquiry.

To do all of this, and continuously build and improve on our achievements, we need policy professionals who are looking for exciting and challenging roles. As a Policy apprentice at DfT, you will be making a direct contribution to the ways people and goods can get to where they need to go. If you would like to develop policy, provide high-quality advice and guidance on important issues whilst developing your career in the policy profession, this apprenticeship at DfT is for you!

The Apprenticeship

An apprenticeship is an exciting opportunity to ‘earn whilst you learn’ by combining theoretical learning with practical ‘on-the-job’ experience; allowing you to work towards a nationally recognised qualification, whilst building skills in your daily role and earning a salary. An apprenticeship also allows you to secure a qualification with no tuition / student fees as the programme is fully funded by the department.

You will spend 6 hours of your contracted working hours per week dedicated to your apprenticeship and will be surrounded by a supportive network. You will be allocated an apprentice buddy, a mentor and will have regular development conversations with a dedicated learning coach and the DfT Apprenticeship Team to ensure your learning needs are met and you are on track to successfully complete your apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship will provide you with new skills to apply to your job role, ensuring you are continuously learning, in a stretching but supportive environment.

Further information on the Policy Officer Apprenticeship is available here.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Supporting the business by drafting written policy advice and recommendations to Ministerial briefings, Parliamentary business, freedom of information requests and correspondence.
• Supporting in delivery of the strategic overview of policy matters impacting the policy area you are working within.
• Gathering information, including engaging Arm’s lengths Bodies, and bringing it together to support policy decision-making or to provide oral and written briefing / correspondence.
• Developing and maintaining positive working relationships with internal, external and across-Government stakeholders to support the development of policy.
• Providing general policy support across the team including working with a range of stakeholders to contribute to the development and introduction of new policies.

 For further information, please see the attached Role Profile.

About you:

We would love to hear from you if you are:

• Able to produce written work to a high-standard and to tight deadlines, drawing out key evidence to inform decision making.
• An effective communicator who can deliver key messages in a way which reflects the needs of different audiences.
• Adaptable, flexible and thrive on managing a varied workload.
• Highly organised with good time management skills.
• Confident in using Microsoft Office packages, including Word, Excel and Outlook.
• Interested in policy development and keen to learn more about delivering policy solutions.
• Passionate about personal development and are committed to working towards completion of a Level 4 Policy Officer Apprenticeship.

Additional Information:

A minimum of 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace, although requirements to attend other locations for official business, or carry out detached duty in another DfT workplace, will also count towards this level of attendance. 

Occasional travel to other DfT offices may be required. Travel to other DfT offices will be subsidised by the department.

To be eligible for this programme, you will need to:

• Be at least 16-years old.
• Have the right to work in the UK.
• Have been a resident in the UK/EA/EEA continuously for 3-years before starting the apprenticeship.
• Have left full-time education when the apprenticeship starts.
• Not be in receipt of funding for other learning programmes (including another apprenticeship)
• You do not need any existing qualifications to apply for this role. Please note that possession of certain qualifications may impact your eligibility for this opportunity – please see additional note below for further information on this.

Individuals who hold or who are working towards a similar qualification of the same level or higher i.e. Policy Officer Apprentice Level 4 will also not be eligible to apply. Candidates who possess unrelated qualifications will be considered. In order to be eligible for the apprenticeship, any qualifications previously held or currently being worked towards must differ in content so that this apprenticeship provides substantial new skills. If you apply and are found to possess any of the above, your application will not be considered and any offer of employment will be withdrawn and your contract terminated. If you are unsure on whether you will be eligible for this apprenticeship, please do contact the recruitment manager outlined on this job advert for advice.

As part of your apprenticeship you will need to achieve qualifications in Maths and English (if you do not already have them) but you do not need to hold these qualifications to apply for this role. These are known as Functional Skills and are the ‘industry transferable skills’ equivalent to holding the relevant GCSE levels. If you have completed these qualifications before, you’ll be exempt so long as they meet the necessary requirements. If you don’t have the required level, you will be supported to achieve these during your apprenticeship.

Qualifications

By confirming ‘yes’ you are confirming that you do not hold a qualification of the same level or higher than the role you are applying for. (Policy Officer Apprentice Level 4)

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture

We’ll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Policy profession standards – 1. Strategy 1.1. Policy Context and Purpose Level 1: Developing

  Define the sought impacts and outcomes of a policy.

• Policy profession standards – 2. Democracy 2.1. Working with Ministers Level 1: Developing

  Deliver effective internal communication. Write for different audiences and purposes, including scrutiny.

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits. We offer generous annual leave, attractive pension options, flexible working, inclusive working environments and much more to support a healthy work/life balance.

Find out more about what it’s like working at the Department for Transport

Job contact :

• Name : Jemma Addison
• Email : jemma.addison@dft.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk