Project Support Officer Review

I have been placed in the Department for Work and Pensions, within the Universal Credit Programme as an Apprentice Project Support Officer. I work in one of the many teams in the Programme which provides briefing to Ministers and responds to Freedom of Information requests from the public, among other things.

I have been given the opportunity to attend many external and internal learning seminars and other opportunities, including two trips to the Houses of Parliament and a Major Projects Association Seminar, among many others. These opportunities form part of my normal working day, and I am fully supported and encouraged to gain as much exposure and experience as possible.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, as the Project Delivery scheme is new this year, and I am part of the first cohort to go through the scheme. I am definitely enjoying it a great deal - there are so many opportunities for learning and personal development, and I am safe in the knowledge that I can access the resources I need to advance my career in whichever way that I choose to take it. My colleagues are so understanding of my developmental needs, and often go out of their way to help me. It is such a supportive environment that I am lucky to be a part of.

I do feel very valued. I have now attended a few induction days specific to Project Delivery run by the Civil Service, where it has been stressed just how much they have and are investing in the future of the apprentice scheme, both monetarily and with regards to time, as training up new members of staff to become competent Project Delivery skills is important to the future of the Civil Service.

It took a few months longer than expected to actually get started in the role - it was originally described as being a September/early October start, but for me ended up being a late January start. So for me, the onboarding journey was not well organised at all, and caused a lot of trouble. However, once I have started, I have found the programme, especially the learning side, to be very well organised. Clear points of contact were given to me as I started for if I need help, other members of staff volunteered their help to me, and my line manager arranged regular meetings with me to run through my development plan.

The learning provider, ngaged, have been absolutely fantastic. They have such a great pastoral support team, who have really helped me to feel more settled in my new role. The training plan for the whole two years has already been supplied to me, which looks incredibly exciting - there are real-life simulation events to develop our practical project delivery skills (which include real money!), frequent classroom learning days, office visits, speaking events, and much more. The provider is very quick to respond, and genuinely seems to care about my wellbeing, and not just whether I'm going to pass.

The Civil Service is of course funded by the public purse, so the HR processes and personal access to technology is not necessarily as advanced as in the private sector. Therefore, it was a few days after I had started before I was given access to a desktop, and I am still waiting for a laptop and other resource management processes to be approved. However, the support from my team has been absolutely great, and I do feel valued and supported as a new apprentice.

The scheme has an incredibly generous wage, especially when compared with similar schemes. I work in a Central London office, and I have just rented a brand new flat in Zone 2 with my boyfriend (who is also a Fast Track Apprentice), and I still have plenty of my wage left after I have paid all bills.

The Department runs a retail discount scheme which I have taken advantage of already, and volunteering in the local community is actively encouraged. There are often social events arranged by colleagues.

Yes

It is a great place to be. Almost every job in every line of work in every profession is available to move into if you want to. It's a very accepting, diverse environment to work in.

My main advice would be to make sure to read the question carefully, and be confident in your ability to answer it well.