Communications officer Review

I am a communications officer in the Department for Education. I work on internal and external communications products including GOV.UK publishing and CRM mailings.

Yes, I have learnt HTML coding for our CRM mailings and I have learnt how to mark up documents to ensure they match government style guides. I have also improved my stakeholder management skills.

I enjoyed it as I built up a great network with other apprentices and learned so many new skills. It really built my confidence and I now feel like a valued member in the work place.

I feel valued by my line manager and often receive instant rewards for projects I work on. I also receive recognition from the wider department for volunteering for the wellbeing group.

It wasn't very well structured to begin with as there was no induction in place but it has gradually gotten better and I do feel I receive the training I need.

I had two tutors, one for HNC and one for NVQ. My HNC tutor was very supportive but my NVQ wasn't very helpful. They have since lost their contract though so it may be better now.

A little. I work in a massively busy team so there isn't always time for colleagues to support each other however when we do have down time, we dedicate it to training and lessons learnt.

Well, I earn more than enough money to get by each month. There are also lots of opportunities to work over time to make more and work events on weekends.

No. It is a government department so there aren't many events etc. With the apprenticeship I get opportunities to volunteer at school events etc.

Yes

The opportunities we get for development are really good, the salary is really good and I have learnt so much in such a short space of time. It is also great to network and move on in your career.

Really make sure you prepare for the interview, come with lots of examples (you can bring flash cards). Show enthusiasm and remember examples for competencies can be about anything, not just work.