DVSA Apprentices share their experience

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has supported apprenticeships for a number of years, but recently, we’ve increased the number of apprentices we recruit and are broadening the scope of the apprenticeship qualifications we offer existing staff.

Since September 2016, 42 new apprentices across England, Swansea and Edinburgh have joined us.

Sajan Bhakoo from DVSA’s Apprenticeships team, talks about the new scheme that’s been introduced to support them:

“We want to make sure that once apprentices join DVSA, they’re supported. The way we recruit them means they can be quite dispersed. Vacancies can emerge in any part of the business and in any location on an ad-hoc basis.

“The scheme we’ve introduced makes sure apprentices have the opportunity to regularly meet each other and get support to help them with their course related learning.

“Being part of the scheme will help our apprentices share their experiences, consider the links between their roles, and understand and how the work they do fits into DVSA strategy”.

Networking

Lauren Wibberley

Lauren Wibberley talks about her time on her Apprenticeship so far and the things she has already experienced:

“I’ve already gained a lot from my apprenticeship. I’ve always been quite confident and comfortable speaking to others, but being here has taught me how to use this confidence to network with others and along with other skills I’ve gained, I’ve learnt how to get the most out of myself and the different environments I come across.

“It has allowed me be more independent and have responsibility, with a chance to progress in a well-known agency”.

Support

DVSA’s main aim is to support apprentices from the moment they join so that they can excel in their roles. Emily Challacombe found her experiences taking on an Apprenticeship invaluable in securing promotion upon completion:

“I found there were many opportunities for me to explore the business during my apprenticeship. I was able to attend Civil Service events, which gave me a better understanding of the organisation and how the departments all work together.”

“For me, choosing to do an apprenticeship meant gaining qualifications and new friends. It also gave me a passion to pursue my career in the Civil Service.”

Emily is now intricately involved in supporting the scheme, actively mentoring Apprentices in Swansea and Newcastle. This approach encapsulates what we hope to achieve with the new scheme. Creating a community within the agency where Apprentices share experiences and support each other throughout their time on their courses and beyond.

Celebrating success

Over the last year, DVSA has seen a number of successes with our apprenticeship programme. Alex Le Peltier was second in the DfT Awards in 2016, and in February, Emily Thompson received a Special Recognition Award.

With the new scheme in place and the increase in engagement as a result, we hope to emulate our strong showing in the department-wide awards from previous years and be able to celebrate even more success within DVSA over 2017.

Are you interested in a career at DVSA? Please click here.

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