Rating

7.5/10
  • 1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
  • Daily roles are based around supporting the development of new policies, and supporting existing policies. This involves replying to external correspondence from businesses or members of the public, arranging stakeholder meetings (often taking notes and supporting presentations), and evaluating external comms and press surrounding the policy area I am involved in. Internally, this role sees me undertake responsibilities such as drafting and reviewing submissions to Minister's, seeking clearance for all work to be published externally, and undertaking secretariat roles necessary in some internal projects ranging from corporate goals to developing new policy goals.

    8/10

  • 2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
  • The internal training courses within Civil Service Learning, and within Defra are endless, and I have been encouraged to undertake as many of these as possible. These learning courses have really helped to solidify my understanding of the political system, and how policy makers interact with this. External training courses have been provided by the training provider- these have been policy based too, helping me further expand this knowledge. However, unlike external courses, these have not always been specific to my policy area so less helpful. The skills from this job I have developed, have been working to tight deadlines, and under pressure, from Minister's. This has lead to development of my time keeping skills, and clear communication, supported by my team to ensure my commissions are always clear.

    8/10

  • 3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
  • The work is enjoyable- the civil service, and Defra have an extremely welcoming team and company culture, even when working from home. It is easy to ask for help, and know who to go to for specific queries or questions. The only draw, has been how often people tend to move around in the Civil Service. Whilst everyone has extremely valuable policy making skills, they may not be an expert in your area, so it can be challenging at times to get into real precise detail in your workstream.

    7/10

  • 4. How well organised/structured is your programme?
  • The induction process was extremely smooth and helpful- covering both the civil service side (Civil Service Code etc), and the more personalised team induction I received. This included frequent 1:1's with my Manager when starting this role, which I have even now, to be able to ask questions and explain any misunderstandings I had. Working in an often high pressure time environment, it is often hard to block out time for studying due to short deadlines on work, and the unpredictability of when you may get these reactive tasks given to you. This is where you have to know how to delegate tasks, and ask for help, and be clear around your protected study time. The training and studying side of the apprenticeship has been excellent- the only drawback has been over admin, and often mixed messages from the training provider. This seems to be mirrored as a lot of admin information has been mixed up, although the quality of learning delivered has been good.

    6/10

  • 5. How much support do you receive from your employer?
  • Frequent 1:1's with my Line Manager mean I feel like I have constant support- and I am comfortable to ask for help as I feel I need it. My surrounding team are also incredibly personable, offering help or 1:1's as I need them, often when my manager is on holiday or ill for example- so there is always someone to ask for help. There is limited interaction with HR- this is all done through your Line Manager, and you only reach out to them as needed, but when I have done they have been extremely accessible and helpful.

    9/10

  • 6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
  • My training provider provide a tutor, skills coach and progress advisor. The tutor delivers all group learning sessions, and these are extremely well run, and all tasks are given to us in good time to be able to complete them well. There has been some confusion over admin problems, and issues with submitting work inline. This has been less clear with the advice and solutions given to us, often taking a long time to hear back on any queries. However the learning provided has been excellent, and suitably complimented the work undertaken in the role if a Policy Advisor. It has just been the admin, HR of the training provider which has not always been as good.

    6/10

  • 7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
  • The learning from the apprenticeship helps to make it clear what part of work I am carrying out in my day to day role- i.e. identifying the work I do which is project management, or that which is direct stakeholder engagement. This helps me realise what skills I am working on, and what ones I can improve. The only drawback, is that the learning is general policy making based, not specific to my work area, so I do not gain any specific knowledge that will help me understand my area of work, just theories and models that I can then identify within my work area. Therefore, whilst I understand all the theories of policy delivery and development, I often feel I do not understand the policy area I am delivering on, and I have to ask my work (manager, team etc), to explain exact details on our work area.

    7/10

  • 8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
  • Yes- there are many networks to join which run across either the wider Civil Service, or Defra directly. This includes a Policy Profession Network, and also non-work related networks such as a Sport's Council which has various discounts alongside it. These are widely accessible as many of these have been moved online, and widely attended. The civil service also encourages frequent volunteering, and days away from work to be able to carry this out.

    9/10

  • 9a. Would you recommend Department of Environmental Food and Rural Affairs to a friend?
  • Yes


  • 9b. Why?
  • An extremely friendly and approachable place to work. It feels very easy to make contact with those higher than yourself, and not too hierarchical yet the structure is still clear. The work environment is very open- as with most Civil Service Departments, so it is very easy to approach others for help. Team members are very clear about their future career goals, and are given support to get there. Despite working to constant tight deadlines from Government, everyone is extremely willing to help you wherever necessary and help you learn from commissions you do receive.


  • 10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Department of Environmental Food and Rural Affairs?
  • Research the Civil Service Code and Behaviours- the behaviours are referenced frequently in interviews. Include these in all written questions when applying too, explaining how you have showed these behaviours. It does not need to be directly related, as long as it displays their behaviours and how you made them happen. The interviews are extremely open- like all in the Civil Service- these are based largely around the behaviours too, and there will not be any trick questions. Prepare examples of how you've shown civil service values, and have these ready for the interview. Defra is an extremely open place to work, and if you would like training or opportunities, you are free to ask for these to help yourself develop. However, you also need to be aware of how to help yourself move through the ranks, as if not you may end up undertaking work above your paygrade, but never progressing to that pay grade. It is also worthwhile to realise many people hold meetings that could be summarised into an email, and many people are ambiguous, not as specific as they could be with their requests of work when setting commissions.


Details

Higher Level Apprenticeship

London

May 2021


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