Celebrating National Apprenticeship Week 2024

Aesha Zafar, head of capability, DWP Digital 

Developing Wonderful People 

This year, the theme for National Apprenticeship Week was ‘Skills for Life’. We took the opportunity to shine a spotlight on our incredible apprentices with a week of events, awards and talks from our current cohort.  

The week culminated in ‘Celebration Friday’ – an opportunity for the support networks surrounding our apprentices to celebrate their successes and reflect on the overall programme. 

Everyone at DWP Digital makes a difference to millions of people. Whether we’re leading innovative projects, writing code, or providing support to our colleagues, our work has an impact. We all contribute to our organisational goals, and we’re all directly involved in our core mission of making sure that people can access the help, advice, and financial support they need. 

To achieve our mission, we need a skilled, driven and diverse workforce who aren’t afraid to put our users at the heart of everything they do. Apprenticeships, which give people ways to change career paths as well as supporting those at the start of their careers, are a key part in us achieving that. 

We’re committed to supporting people who want to make a difference to society by learning new skills in tech and applying them to projects with real-world impact. We currently have 274 apprentices working across 23 different programmes, from level 4 to level 7. Our apprentices work in a variety of roles, including software engineering, DevOps, data analysis and project management. 

The 2023 apprenticeship survey told us that 83% of apprentices are satisfied with their apprenticeship experience, and a massive 96% are satisfied with the support they receive from their line manager. More than 80 of our apprentices have gained a promotion during or in the 12 months following their apprenticeship. 

Our apprenticeships help us nurture and grow new and existing talent and create meaningful change. We offer a place to learn and develop in an innovative and collaborative environment, allowing people to truly shape their careers. 

Apprentices are supported by their line managers in a number of ways: 

• Make sure they have dedicated time to learn 
• Provide structure to their workload, so they can focus on development and growth 

• Informal check-ins to get to know the apprentice and check their wellbeing 
• Help with any learning obstacles 

At DWP Digital, apprenticeships are real jobs with a structured development programme. They allow people to develop and achieve their career goals, and they enable us to meet our business needs. They’re a key way for people to grow and refresh knowledge whether someone is new or established in their role or profession.