One in 20 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, the government has announced.
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 to be made up of 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.
The government said it forms part of the concerted shift of their focus and resources to Britain’s ‘forgotten’ communities throughout the 2020s.
An advertising campaign and the promise to harness new initiatives, such as T Level work placements will also help ensure at least 39% of apprenticeships are taken up by people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
This is the Social Mobility Commission’s benchmark, ensuring that the opportunity to work in government is open to everyone.
Commenting, Cabinet Office Parliamentary Secretary, Heather 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.”
The new strategy is just one of several steps the government has taken to grow the number of apprenticeship opportunities offered in the UK.
It includes offering cash incentives to support employers to create new apprenticeship opportunities and creating the new Flexi-Job Apprenticeships scheme.
