About the job

Job summary

A rewarding job where you earn while you learn!

Are you an organised individual?

Have you got the ability to work within a fast - paced environment?

Do you have the confidence to communicate with different stakeholders?

This role combines learning and practical on the job training. At the end of it all, you'll have a level 3 qualification in Business Administration. You’ll be fully supported to meet the learning requirements of the qualification.

The apprenticeship will be delivered in England by CT Skills or in Wales by Educ8. 

Make no mistake, it’ll be hard work. You’ll need to be highly motivated, but we’ll help you balance your work and studies, better still, you will enjoy a host of great benefits.

This is a great opportunity to join DVSA’s Corporate Services team where you will learn new skills and gain a qualification. If this sounds like you then please apply! We can’t wait to hear from you!

Job description

As a Project Support Apprentice you will work with project support officers, project managers and programme managers to deliver the change portfolio. You will be a member of the Project Support Officer (PSO) Team that delivers the PSO service to the change portfolio, reporting to the Portfolio Workforce Planning Manager. You will be assigned to work on projects and learn to be a Project Support Officer. 

You will also spend 20% of your time studying for an external apprenticeship. 

Your main duties will include but not limited to

• Provide support to the project team and stakeholders to help to deliver the project. Ensure that all relevant information and data is captured in a timely manner. 
• Arrange and record project boards, reviews and other meetings. Assemble board packs, write minutes, record decisions and follow up actions. The PSA may work with a PSO to support a large programme.
• Ensure that information is recorded, stored and kept up-to-date, in accordance with the Agency PPM standards. 
• Support the project manager to product and maintain the project plan by updating the information in the PPM Tool and reviewing risks and issues.

For more information, please refer to the candidate pack attached.

Person specification

To be successful in this role, we are looking for individuals who are committed to providing a good service whilst displaying a pro-active approach to ensuring tasks are completed in time and relevant parties are kept informed.

You must be a confident individual who is able to work closely with the project support officers to deliver IT projects. As well confidence you must be able to communicate important and large volumes of information to a range of stakeholders, using different methods/tools.

We are seeking an individual who can pick up new skills with ease, being able to organise your time effectively and balance your work and studies.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this apprenticeship, you must:

• Be aged 16 years or older.
• Must hold or be willing to complete level 2 (eg GCSE grade C/level 4) in Maths and English. 
• Have the right work in the UK.
• Not be in full-time education.
• Not be in receipt of funding for other learning programmes at the point of enrolment for this apprenticeship.
• Have valid and eligible residency status and be resident in the UK for 3 years before the start of the apprenticeship.
• Have valid and eligible residency status and be resident in the UK for 3 years before the start of the apprenticeship.  Full eligibility details can be found  at Annex A. If you are not sure if you meet the residency requirements then please contact us before applying.

If you currently hold or are working towards a similar qualification of the same level or higher, then you will not be eligible to apply for this vacancy. In order to be eligible for our apprenticeship vacancy, any qualifications previously held or currently being worked towards must differ in content so that this apprenticeship provides substantial new skills.

If you apply and are found to possess the above: your application will not be considered; any offer of employment will be withdrawn, and your contract will be terminated.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) helps keep Britain moving, safely and sustainably. 

 

We do this by helping people through a lifetime of safe and sustainable journeys, helping them keep their vehicles safe to drive, and protecting them from unsafe drivers and vehicles. 

We’re working hard to:  

• Make roads safer.
• Improve services for our customers.
• Make road transport greener and healthier.
• Harness the potential of technology and data.
• Grow and level up the economy.

To find out more about how we champion diversity and inclusion in the workplace and making DVSA a great place to work visit our Careers website. 

Additional Information

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement, for the successful candidate to be able to work at lease 30 hours per week. 

Benefits

• An environment with flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
• Exceptional pension with an employer contribution of an average of 27%.
• Generous Annual Leave - 25 days holiday, increasing by 1 each year of service, up to 30.
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday. 
• Latest IT and Tech devices. 
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• Excellent learning and development tailored to your role including paid apprenticeships up to Masters level.
• Wide range of discounts schemes on high street names.
• Employee assistance program for health and wellbeing.
• Cycle to work scheme and Gym membership offers.

For more information see visit our careers page 

 

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

How to Apply 

As part of the application process you will be asked to provide a CV and Personal Statement. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form. 

For your Personal Statement, please provide detailed evidence of the following: 

• Committed to providing good service and displaying a pro-active approach to ensuring that tasks are completed in time and relevant parties are kept informed. 
• A willingness to work closely with project support officers to deliver IT projects and learn the skills needed to do this effectively.
• A willingness to work as a member of a team of project support officers that provide a key service to IT projects.

Your Personal Statement will be limited to a maximum of 750 words. 

The selection process will be designed specifically for the role. As a result, your assessment will include: 

• An interview.

The sift is due to take place week commencing 5th August 2024.

Interviews/assessments are likely to be held week commencing 19th August 2024. 

Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of the location if you are selected for interview.

We’ll try to meet the dates we’ve set out in the advert. But there may be occasions when these dates will change. We’ll give you plenty of notice of any important dates.

If you would like to find out more about what it’s like to work for DVSA and how to apply, we will be holding virtual sessions to find out more. Please click here to secure your place at one of our upcoming events. 

You’re encouraged to become familiar with the candidate pack attached, as you may be assessed against any of the criteria recorded within. 

The Department for Transport recruits using Success Profiles. For each role, we consider what you need to demonstrate to be successful. 

This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, drives up performance and improves diversity and inclusivity.  

You can read more about Success Profiles here. 

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you cannot access the information on our website for any reason, please email DRGComms@dft.gov.uk for assistance.

Further Information

For more information about how we hire, and for useful tips on submitting your application for this role, visit the How We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

Pre-employment Checking

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.