Matt Hancock opens Civil Service Fast Track apprenticeships scheme

8 Mar 2016 04:44 PM

200,000 apprenticeships will be created in the public sector by 2020, of which over 30,000 will be in the Civil Service.

Matthew Hancock has yesterday busted the myth that you need to be posh, have a degree and live in London to work in the Civil Service by encouraging young people from all walks of life to apply for a Civil Service apprenticeship.

The Civil Service Fast Track programme gives people the chance to earn a competitive salary while they work towards a Level 4 Apprenticeship, gaining the skills and experience that they’ll need for a successful career in the Civil Service. Apprentices will be able to apply for roles in business, commercial, digital, finance, project delivery and communications.

The Civil Service has taken great strides to improve its diversity and reaching out to underrepresented groups is a top priority for all of its youth recruitment activity this year. Respecting and valuing differences will help to ensure that Civil Service policies and services reflect the needs and experiences of the people it serves.

The apprenticeship scheme is open to everyone aged 16 or over. There’s no upper age limit and it doesn’t matter when you gained your qualifications. It’s your skills, attitude and outlook that matter in the selection process. For most of the roles you just need 5 GCSEs, grades A* to C, including English language and maths.

This work on apprenticeships follows on from an announcement in February where Minister for the Cabinet Office, Matthew Hancock outlined plans to end inequality across the public sector following the release of the Bridge Report – commissioned by the Civil Service – examining why only 4.4% of successful applicants to the Civil Service graduate programme are from the poorest backgrounds and pledged to create over 200,000 apprenticeships in the public sector by 2020, of which over 30,000 will be in the Civil Service.

Matthew Hancock said:

I am not prepared to accept unequal access and unequal progress in Britain’s top institutions. I want to see a Britain where nobody is defined by the circumstances of their birth, which is why I want to encourage as many people as possible to apply for our fantastic apprenticeship scheme.

It’s harder to climb the ladder of opportunity if the rungs are further apart but schemes like the Fast Track help put more rungs in that ladder. By 2050 I want the Cabinet Secretary to be someone who started their career in the Civil Service as an apprentice.

Sir Jeremy Heywood, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service said:

The Fast Track Apprenticeship programme is a fantastic opportunity for those with ambition, enthusiasm and the desire to serve the public, to join one of the greatest organisations in the country, a real force for good - the Civil Service.

Reaching out to people from all social backgrounds and all parts of the country is a top priority for the Civil Service in all of its youth recruitment activity. Respecting and valuing differences will help to ensure that Civil Service policies and services reflect the needs and experiences of the people it serves.

Notes to editors

1. For press enquiries, please email collette.bird@cabinetoffice.gov.uk or call 0207 276 2234.

2. Case studies are available on request.