This National Apprenticeship week we are shining a light on our Department for Work and Pensions Digital (DWP) apprentices to find out a bit about them, why they chose the apprenticeship route and what their journey has been like with Makers and DWP.
Makers have partnered with DWP on a range of apprenticeship programmes including software development and devops and we’re due to start a quality engineering cohort in February.
They also recently won the Line Manager of the Year and The Innovator Award — for being a driving force for innovation in the apprenticeship space — at Makers’ first Apprenticeship Award in January.
Here’s what DWP Digital had to say about tech apprenticeships :
‘“At DWP Digital, our work makes a genuine difference to the lives of customers and colleagues. The simple, fast, accessible, and user-friendly services that we build help millions of people.
The scale and scope of the work that we do makes us one of the most advanced digital organisations in government. We’re excited by opportunities to innovate and relish the challenges that come with implementing some of the largest projects of their type in the UK.
At the centre of it all are our people. We’re a multidisciplinary team with experts from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds, all of which are vital to the development and delivery of our services.
Apprenticeships are a key way to support new and established members of our team to develop the critical skills we need to make a real difference to people’s lives. Providing a formal qualification alongside mentoring and meaningful work, apprenticeships offer an alternative route for people from all walks of life into technology careers and also support our team to continue to develop their career in Digital. That’s why apprenticeships are, and will continue to be a crucial strand to building DWP Digital’s skills for right now and in the future!”
Our joint commitment to inclusive yet selective training means we’re able to find incredible undiscovered talent and offer them the opportunity to join the tech industry, without financial barriers.
Representing the society it serves is a core value at DWP and we’re proud to continue supporting their mission to achieve this through our apprenticeship programmes.
Now let’s meet the DWP Apprentices:
Lauren Taylor-Brown — Apprentice DevOps Engineer
Hi! My name is Lauren Taylor-Brown, and I am currently on a Level 4 DevOps Engineer Apprenticeship at DWP Digital.
“Telling my family and friends, that at the age of 31, I was quitting my job as a Chemistry Lecturer for an apprenticeship raised some eyebrows, but I have no regrets whatsoever.”
I had spent a long time thinking about my career and what I wanted out of it and decided that teaching no longer aligned with that. I had an interest in programming, but always considered it a hobby, and not something I would be able to pursue as a career; until I saw an advert by DWP Digital. I decided to apply with the attitude of “I have nothing to lose”, but the more I learned about the apprenticeship the more I wanted it. The application process was tough, but I drew on my previous experiences to get through it.
As apprentices, we were supported by Makers coaches throughout the initial bootcamp process and had an intense but engaging learning process with different topics covered each week. That support only increased as we moved to placement at DWP Digital, with the addition of support from those in the DWP Digital Talent team and Line Managers.
The process so far has been a rollercoaster but the support from DWP, Makers and particularly other apprentices in the cohort, really helps to keep you on track.
Switching careers at 31 seemed impossible, but the apprenticeship gave me the opportunity to learn an entirely new skill set and earn money at the same time. It was a big decision for me to take, but one I am thankful I took.
Steve Jones — Apprentice Software Developer
I started my apprenticeship in software development through DWP and Makers soon after finishing a degree in an entirely different area.
Two years on and I can’t think of a better decision I could have made. I love my job and the projects I work on.
DWP support me in my learning and someone is always available if I need any help or training. At the beginning of the apprenticeship the Makers bootcamp gave me all the confidence I needed to know I was capable of doing the job.
“During my placement period, they provided an abundance of support and encouragement. I am now approaching the final few weeks of my apprenticeship having already progressed into a mid-level role.”
This is still only the beginning and I am looking forward to continuing my career in software development with the solid foundations I have been provided through my colleagues at DWP and the staff at Makers.
Liam Kilkenny — Apprentice Software Developer
My Apprenticeship Journey…
I recently completed a Level 4 Software Developer Apprenticeship with Makers Academy and DWP Digital, receiving a Distinction for the work completed over those 18 months.
Where it started
Prior to starting my apprenticeship journey, I was the manager of a Health Club & Spa. I’d started in the leisure industry about 10 years earlier as a lifeguard and fitness instructor after completing a degree in a totally unrelated subject.
It was in November 2020, or ‘Lockdown 2’, that I first experienced furlough, and given the opportunity to take a break, I spent some serious time reflecting on whether my current path was placing me on the trajectory required to meet my goals. The simple answer was no, and I decided very quickly to do something about that.
“The sensible part of me had decided that if I was going to dive into a new career at 31, it needed to be future-proof. Software development ticked that box and interested me the most (out of the other future-proof careers that my Google search had returned).”
However, the routes into the industry seemed vast and were somewhat daunting, stability was an important factor to me (probably wise given the global pandemic) & so I began looking into the Civil Service. It seemed like the perfect fit, the combination of stability with the opportunity to learn & develop immediately resonated with me. I eventually came across and jumped at the opportunity to complete a software development apprenticeship with the Department for Work and Pensions and Makers Academy.
Fast forward a few months and I had gone through the questions, code challenges and interviews that eventually led to a job offer and opportunity I couldn’t quite believe I’d managed to get. After the initial elation, it dawned on me that I would be stepping out of my comfort zone and going into an industry I had no clue about. In the two months before starting the role my emotions had become a cocktail of excitement, anticipation, and dread.
Bootcamp
Before stepping into the world of DWP, the journey started with a 12-week intensive coding bootcamp with Makers Academy. It was at this point that I met the other 6 budding developers I would be going through the journey with. The bootcamp was designed to give us a foundation of knowledge so that we were somewhat prepared before moving to DWP. I had next to no coding knowledge so Makers certainly had their work cut out!
We covered the fundamentals of software development including Object Orientated Programming, Test Driven Development and Version Control, spending 6 weeks of the bootcamp focused specifically on learning COBOL. In all honesty, each time I reflect on this period, the more fondly I remember it. I couldn’t think of a better way to start the journey and the level of knowledge gained over those 12 weeks really was remarkable.
I do want to make it clear though, this overriding positivity was not a consistent mind frame that I had throughout. There were plenty of times over the 12 weeks when I really thought that I had made a mistake and did not have the skills required to succeed in this industry, I think we all experienced bouts of Imposter Syndrome. Thankfully those moments of self-doubt were temporary, and with the help of the amazing team at Makers, eventually completely overshone by the feeling of accomplishment.
Starting with DWP
Bootcamp completed; it was now time to ‘properly’ join DWP. I would be working as part of the Benefit Paying Systems team within DWP Digital, maintaining and developing the core COBOL systems that deliver support to millions of people (this was suddenly getting very real).
We spent the first few weeks getting an oversight of the applications that made up the team and trying to understand what role we would play. Whilst the work started small, it was just nice to have that feeling of providing a contribution and gradually, over time the work got bigger and more frequent.
As part of the apprenticeship, I had to document the various work items I had completed as part of a Portfolio, evidencing the meeting of 18 assessment standards. Whilst this was a requirement for the apprenticeship, it also acted as a tool to consolidate my knowledge and forced me to ask questions and seek understanding in areas I would have otherwise neglected. It also provided a reminder of just how far I had come and how much I had learnt.
Synoptic Project
Completing the portfolio was a huge weight off and just left the Synoptic Project and final interview to complete. This was in essence a 5-day exam where I would need to develop a web application from scratch. I engulfed myself in all things web development and focused on preparing for the project. It turned out that over the last 16 months or so, I had become a better developer than I gave myself credit for and was able to pick up the skills I needed more successfully than I thought possible. Don’t get me wrong, I put a lot of work into my preparation, but the result of that meant those 5 exam days I was dreading, turned into a pretty fun week of developing.
A couple of weeks passed before I completed a final interview with the examining body. This involved me answering questions about the various work items I had written up as part of my portfolio and the approach I had taken for the synoptic. I was nervous going into it, but it was relaxed as far as interviews go, more of an opportunity to expand on what I had written and discuss my journey over the last 18 months rather than a 60-minute grilling.
Another week passed and my result arrived, and just like that, my apprenticeship was complete. A strange feeling, to be honest, not one I immediately felt the need to celebrate, the overriding feeling was of relief!
I’m still at the start of my career and have a lot still to learn but the first hurdle is complete and I’m enormously grateful for all those people who played a part in my journey so far.
“I can honestly say that taking the dive into a new career and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone has been one of the best decisions I have ever made!”
Annesa Mariyam — Apprentice DevOps Engineer
After 6 years of teaching the humanities, I felt like I needed a change; and with technology advancing, I felt that the change had to be in the technology sector.
“With little experience or educational background in tech, an apprenticeship seemed like the perfect way in. I looked for many apprenticeships but they required some coding experience and then I came across the DWP Digital DevOps apprenticeship.”
I was really happy to be starting the apprenticeship with Makers as their 12 week bootcamp started off with the basics of programming (which a newbie like me needed). I then completed a 6 week DevOps bootcamp where I learnt about AWS, Terraform, Containerisation, Site Reliability and more. It definitely gave me the foundation and confidence I needed to get started on placement.
At DWP Digital, I work in the Cloud Connectivity squad with a supportive team of leaders and senior engineers whom l get to pair with, have brainstorming sessions with and fire my mind boggling questions to. I have been able to work on tasks and projects that have real business value, whilst also doing weekly training and self learning around anything new I want to learn or develop.
It’s been challenging coming across tasks you have no idea how to complete, but the opportunity to learn the skills through this apprenticeship and actually get them done has been very rewarding. I never imagined I would be working on projects that are so vital within the organisation, and have the confidence to deliver them.
I look forward to furthering my career in DevOps developing my skills and knowledge in the field and specialising in areas such as cloud infrastructure, automation, or security. Maybe another higher-level apprenticeship is on the horizon? :)
If you would like to learn more about how to develop your own tech apprenticeship scheme and grow your own diverse tech talent with Government funding contact us today: https://makers.tech/apprentice-value/
