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Debunking the apprenticeship myth: My journey into government communications
Blog posted by: Jack Higgins, 14 February 2025.
Having already made the decision that I wanted to work in government communications, I originally considered completing a master’s degree to break into the communications industry. However, as a career changer with several years of work experience since university, the idea of going back into full-time education simply did not make sense, both logistically and financially.
As I was researching different master’s degrees, I stumbled across the Government Communication Service (GCS) Apprenticeship programme. At first, the idea of completing an apprenticeship did not even appear feasible to me as I (very wrongly!) assumed that apprenticeships were solely an alternative to completing an undergraduate degree.
However, after delving into the depths of the GCS apprenticeship webpage, it was clear that this apprenticeship scheme was aimed at all levels, ages and academic backgrounds.
A lot of the degrees I was looking at seemed too specialised, purely academic and incredibly expensive. I wanted something that could provide me with hands-on experience across different areas of communications whilst getting paid.
Taking this into consideration, I decided to apply for a place on the GCS Apprenticeship programme. I, unexpectedly, thoroughly enjoyed the interview process as it allowed me to be really creative as well as strategic. As part of the interview process, I produced a mock campaign with the objective of improving the public’s ability to spot a deepfake online. My tip would be to follow the OASIS campaign structure – your interviewers will be impressed!
Thankfully, GCS offered me a place on the programme and I am now working in an executive agency to the Department for Business and Trade called The Insolvency Service.
So far, being on this award-winning GCS Apprenticeship programme has not only allowed me to gain extremely valuable experience working mainly within the Internal Communications team, but I have also worked within the Press Office and have contributed to stakeholder engagement and events.
Although I’ve only been in my role for around four months, I have worked on a variety of internal campaigns and am already lucky enough to be leading on the campaign for National Apprenticeship Week 2025 within the agency.
This experience has improved my writing and storytelling abilities, as I write news items and blogs daily in collaboration with colleagues across the agency. I have also significantly developed my digital skills, such as contributing to creating videos for the internal intranet, editing images and building online newsletters which are shared across the whole agency.
As my apprenticeship journey progresses, I hope to gain more in-depth experience working in other comms areas within the agency. This varied experience will give me a complete overview of government communications and help me to choose my future specialisation.
Throughout my apprenticeship journey so far, I have received an incredible amount of support from GCS, the apprenticeship provider and The Insolvency Service itself. So, if you’re looking to enter the world of comms with support every step of the way, look no further than the GCS Apprenticeship programme!
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Original article link: https://gcs.civilservice.gov.uk/blog/debunking-the-apprenticeship-myth-my-journey-into-government-communications/
