TechTrack, the Government’s latest digital upskilling apprenticeship offer.

The four digital roles which will be covered in this apprenticeship are: Software Developer; Business Analyst; DevOps Engineer; and Cyber Security Technologist (Risk Analyst).

As part of CDDO’s roadmap, transforming for a digital future: 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data, we are committed to delivering digital skills at scale, and have made a commitment to hire and develop 2,500 new Government Digital & Data  professionals over the next three years via various entry routes for new and experienced digital talent. As publicly announced, the first cohort of TechTrack will focus on recruiting 50 new entrants (eventually scaling to 1,800 by 2025).

Apprenticeship levels do not correspond to grades, the “normally EO” approach is quite limiting and means that those who are further down the line in their career, say at Higher Executive Officer (HEO,) would be required to take a demotion to access this learning. Apprenticeships are for any grade and any career stage.

Importantly, TechTrack is an upskilling programme, not an entry talent programme, therefore it is targeting those already established in their working life who want a career change into digital. Their other professional capabilities mean that they are HEO standard, but their subject matter gap requires them to start from the beginning. 

Another important reason why TechTrack is targeting HEO is because the workforce data shows that the highest number of persistent vacancies and therefore skills gaps in the Civil Service workforce are at SEO and Grade 7. TechTrack is designed to be an at-pace route to upskilling, meaning that after 18 months to two years on the programme learning on the job, participants will be ready to progress to SEO grade roles, helping to populate the pipeline up to Grade 7.

Apprentices will be managed locally within their departments. They will have key support from CDDO including a Cohort Manager to ensure their journey is managed. However the majority of pastoral care and development while on the apprenticeship will come from both the departments and providers.

A line manager will be provided by the department, as well as 20% of the job learning time (tbc), access to support networks. Apprentices will also be made aware of and encouraged to join communities of practice within their departments and across the civil service. 

We will write to departments asking for bids. Depending on bids received we will allocate placements accordingly. 

Typically this looks something like the following, depending on the number of apprentices in the department and previous experience of managing these. Line Manager - 2 hrs per week; Cohort Managers - 1 hr per week; and Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) - 30 mins per week.

We have worked with our specialist training providers to identify apprenticeship programmes that align to our departmental job roles and the day-to-day knowledge skills and behaviours they need to develop. Those programmes are then created and contextualised with the most suitable training materials, to deliver training that is focused on business outcomes and the personal development needs of our learners.

We have procured specialist apprenticeship providers with strong reputations and track records in the field to deliver and tailor the apprenticeship standards selected. 

Apprentices will be onboarded through each department's recruitment team post offer. They will also complete the required security clearance. To integrate them into teams they will follow the standard departmental induction process combined with the TechTrack induction to ensure they are both comfortable in their new role and integrated into their teams. Although undertaking this on-the-job qualification, apprentices are also ordinary employees and subject to the same HR processes as other staff. Therefore the same induction process would be followed akin to any starter in a new role, whilst taking extra care to support their transition into working and learning.

There will be every opportunity! The more engaged department colleagues are with the apprentice’s curriculum, the better for everyone. It means a more seamless experience for apprentices as you’ll be better able to tailor their tasks and responsibilities to their learning requirements, enabling them to gather high quality, authentic evidence. You’ll also have a better idea of what they’re learning and therefore how you can better support them, understand their needs and gaps, and perhaps how any of the curriculum learning could be used within the department to benefit everyone.

We are working closely with our apprenticeship providers through frequent design workshops to ensure that the apprenticeship programme content is contextualised as far as possible to departmental needs, priorities and systems. Again, the more engaged you are with your apprentice’s learning and with their apprenticeship coach, the more you can feed into the tailoring of their learning in feedback meetings. At the same time, it’s important to point out that this is a cross-government programme and, while we will do everything we can to ensure a tailored experience, there will be some areas that we cannot cover completely. Therefore, the onus will be on the department to help train the apprentice in very specific areas particular to your department.

TechTrack is only available in England and not Scotland and Wales.

Around 80% of UK businesses are facing talent shortages with technology roles being particularly affected. As many as 88% lack at least one area of digital skills in their staff, with nearly a quarter of employers (23%) struggling to fill gaps in even the most basic digital skills. This is where technical apprenticeships like the Software developer; Business Analyst; DevOps Engineer; and Cyber Security Technologist (Risk Analyst) play a transformative role. Apprenticeships help fill the gap between labour supply and labour demand, and they increasingly have a role to play in addressing the UK’s digital skills gap.

Communities of practice across government, mentorship, resource sharing.

Our providers have conducted the relevant research to ensure the curriculum reflects emerging trends and technologies in the digital sector, which  includes engaging with SMEs within the Civil Service.

Makers will agree a curriculum with central civil service teams which reflects current and emerging trends. The curriculum also has an ongoing review cycle, with department input to ensure it continues to meet the ongoing trends and technologies within the digital sector.

BPP and Estio maintain their position at the forefront of the skills revolution by conducting horizon scanning, labour market research and foresighting; leveraging data and market insights to develop high-quality programmes that align with industry demands, enhance learner outcomes and build in future skills. This ensures that our apprenticeships remain relevant and credible in the market and empower our staff to thrive in an era of rapid change.

The training providers chosen have several activities that ensure high quality delivery of the apprenticeship, this may include employer and learner survey feedback, observations of teaching and learning, consistent review of a variety of data regarding achievements, student progress on programme and examinations results. Additionally, through assessments and completion of the apprenticeship to receive an industry recognised level 4 qualification.

Training Providers are governed by several regulatory and compliance organisations for example Ofsted, the Department for Education, Office of Students to ensure high quality delivery. There is a robust contract management and review process in place, to ensure ongoing standards are met, measured against approved KPIs and SLAs alongside other qualitative metrics to ensure a high quality apprenticeship program.

Yes, we will be conducting a lessons learned exercise where we will be seeking feedback from all stakeholders involved in the programme. The Training Providers will work closely with CDDO regarding the design and delivery of the programme including the on-boarding and off-boarding process.

All approved apprenticeship programs can be supported through the apprenticeship levy that is held by the Cabinet Office.

The success of the programme will be measured by the number of Apprentices who successfully complete their apprenticeship, bridging skills gaps, improving productivity, and providing progression and career pathways.

Our specialist training providers share our commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and diversity. Their culture, programme design, and teaching are inclusive and engaging for everyone, promoting a culture of respect and dignity.

They provide clear leadership on EDI, with all teaching staff undertaking enhanced diversity programmes. Curriculum development is considerate of EDI issues – especially regarding race, age, cultural and religious diversity, disability, gender and sexual orientation. And they champion apprenticeships’ ability to improve social mobility for a wide range of people, regardless of their background.

Their range of innovative technology, tools, and resources embedded into the apprenticeship service delivery infrastructure are utilised to ensure they respond appropriately to a variety of learner needs. This includes reducing and removing barriers to learning faced by those with protected characteristics and other needs, such as learners with disabilities, lower socio- economic groups, ethnic minorities, differentiated learning styles, and accessibility challenges.