Vacancy -- Welsh Government Apprenticeships 2019 up to 20 posts.
Working for the Civil Service
The Welsh Government's recruitment processes are underpinned by the principle of selection for appointment on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles.
The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.
Vacancy Details
Interviews are scheduled to be held between the 28/10/2019 – 8/11/2019. This may change depending on the volume of applications however, candidates will be given sufficient time to prepare if invited to interview.
Interviews will most likely be held in (Cardiff, Merthyr, Swansea, Llandudno Junction and Aberystwyth) however, if you are a disabled person with an impairment or health condition which means that you would like to be interviewed at another location as a reasonable adjustment please do call or email the contact number so that alternative arrangements can be made.
Purpose of Post:
Why an apprenticeship?
As an apprentice you will earn while you train. It’s a great career choice whether you are leaving school or college, returning to work after starting a family or looking for a new career. There’s a wide range of jobs on offer. A job at the Welsh Government is unlike any other in Wales.
At the Welsh Government you’ll be given support and guidance so you can develop your skills in the workplace. You will also need to set aside time to study for your apprenticeship. You’ll be a valued member of the team from day one.
What apprenticeships are available?
This year’s apprenticeship schemes will offer a number of NVQ apprenticeships including but not limited to:
- Business Administration apprenticeships
- Customer Service Apprenticeships
- ICT Apprenticeships
Successful candidates will be matched into the qualification that is most appropriate to the post they are offered, you will be allocated to one of the above qualifications not all three. Unfortunately applicants cannot choose which apprenticeship to undertake, however we will take candidate's preferences into consideration where possible.
We are recruiting for apprentices to start from late 2019 to early 2020.
The majority of these posts will be based in Merthyr, Treforest, Swansea, Cardiff, Carmarthen and Llandudno Offices. We will consider your location preferences when assigning you to a post however, we cannot guarantee we will be able to offer a placement in your preferred location. We will consider requests to work in specific locations based on personal circumstances like caring responsibilities or an impairment or health condition. Tell us your preferred locations in the 'Additional Information' box. If you provide a specific location you will only be offered the locations you have stated in your application regardless of merit order.
Is an apprenticeship right for me, am I eligible?
To apply, you will need to meet the Civil Service Nationality requirements. You will be a:
- European Economic Area (EEA) national, including a British citizen
- Commonwealth citizen
- Swiss national
- Turkish national (in some circumstances)
- will be at least 16 years of age by 16th September 2019. There is no upper age limit
- will not be in full-time education when you start in December 2019
- don’t need any specific qualification. If you already hold a qualification at Level 3 or above in a similar subject, you may not be eligible for this apprenticeship scheme (if in doubt please check by e-mailing WGApprenticeship2019@gov.wales
- will need to meet the Civil Service Nationality requirements to apply.
Key tasks:
Types of tasks you could be doing
- Communicating with different customers / organisations / suppliers and dealing with queries; face to face, by e-mail or on the phone
- Providing support at internal and external meetings and discussions
- Taking responsibility for electronic filing for yourself and on behalf of the wider team
- Drafting documents and letters
- Arrange events and meetings
- Managing spreadsheets/databases
- Processing financial payments
- Working with other teams within your wider business area as and when required
Who are we looking for?
Individuals who are keen to learn, and have the commitment to gain a qualification while also working as part of a team.
You will be:
- Motivated to study while you work, in order to develop your skills
- A team player
- Able to work to deadlines with little supervision
- Flexible in your approach
- A good communicator
- Confident using ICT, and have good digital skills
- Able to demonstrate a high level of numeracy and literacy skills
We will assess all these skills during the selection process.
We are looking for individuals to be able to provide our customers with a professional, friendly and accurate service; this is likely to include answering phone calls, emails, drafting prepopulated letters / correspondence, and redirecting customers to an appropriate colleague for further assistance, where required. It is likely that you will have the opportunity to get involved with the organisation of meetings and events, and assisting teams with electronic filing and general organisation. We need individuals who are competent using ICT, whether this is to manage spreadsheets / databases or accurately process online financial payments. You will need to be flexible in your approach and be able to work across other teams as and when required.
Language
Welsh language is a good skill to have and is essential for some of our roles but not all. We encourage Welsh speakers and non Welsh speakers to apply for these posts. We have a range of roles with opportunities to put your skills to use. We can also help you to learn or improve your Welsh if you would like.
Those that have registered as a fluent Welsh Speaker will be matched to a Welsh essential post and will test your Welsh Language skills at interview.
Want to know more?
Recruitment open days:
We are holding several recruitment open days across Wales.
Find out more about the work we do, hear from our current apprentices, discover more about the apprenticeships we are advertising and obtain assistance in how to complete your online application. There are 5 sessions, please choose a preference of either 10-11am, 11-12noon, 1-2pm, 2-3pm or 3-4pm:
19 August – Pontypridd Job centre
20 August – Merthyr Job centre
21 August – Cardiff Butetown Pavilion
27 August – Cardiff Grangetown community hub
28 August – Carmarthen Careers Wales centre
29 August – Llandudno Library
02 September- Merthyr Careers Wales centre
05 September – Aberystwyth Careers Wales centre
09 September – Cardiff Careers Wales centre
10 September – Llandudno Job centre
Development opportunities:
You’ll be studying towards a Level 3 qualification in a one of the following areas - Business Admin, ICT, Customer Service.
The Apprenticeships led by the Welsh Government is support by the European Social Fund.
Why Welsh Government?
At the Welsh Government we have over 5,000 staff in offices across Wales. Our jobs are varied. You could work in health, education, the environment, sport, tourism, CADW, and many other areas.
We offer some of the best apprenticeship opportunities in Wales, which can open doors to your future career. As a Welsh Government apprentice you’ll discover the huge number of different things we do. Many staff are office based while others are out and about working in marine enforcement, as a castle custodian, a traffic officer, a farm liaison officer or something else entirely.
What are the benefits?
Working for the Welsh Government has many great benefits, including:
You will earn £19,240 a year while training. When you pass your apprenticeship you may be able to apply for a permanent job at the Welsh Government. Within 2 years of starting your apprenticeship you could be earning £22,500.
You will get 31 days holidays as well as 10 public and privilege days. We offer flexible working arrangements to help you get the right work/life balance. You will also be eligible for membership of the Civil Service Pension Scheme
Other benefits
- All members of staff have access to training opportunities, including regular personal development discussions.
- Flexible working practices to help you get the right work/life balance. We also offer term-time working for staff with childcare responsibilities.
- Dedicated health & safety and occupational health teams to provide staff support.
- 3 active trade unions within the organisation: PCS, IPMS/Prospect and FDA.
- Each office offers a variety of activities such as wellbeing classes, gym access, running classes, access to public bikes, sporting teams and language groups and classes.
- Mentors, office buddies, social networking groups.
Closing Date:
Eligibility
Posts recruited to as part of this recruitment campaign are broadly open to UK nationals, those with right to remain and work in the UK and those that meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules only. Check your eligibility here:
Prior to appointment, all successful applicants will be required to produce original, acceptable documents as part of the pre-employment checks. If it becomes apparent at a later stage in the process that you aren’t eligible to apply, your application will be withdrawn, or offer retracted.
Equality and Diversity
The Welsh Government is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. This is underpinned by the Equality Act 2010 and will be adhered to at each stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure that these commitments are also embedded in our day-to-day working practices with all our customers, colleagues and partners.
We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and increasing diversity in the Welsh Government by removing barriers and supporting all our staff to reach their potential. We are committed to recruiting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and disabled people who are currently under-represented in Welsh Government.
We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, marriage and civil partnership (both same sex and opposite sex), impairment or health condition, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, gender identity or gender expression.
We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion and a Disability Confident Level 3 (Leader) organisation. Key to supporting this work and providing peer support are five Board sponsored Staff Networks (Disability Awareness and Support (DAAS); Minority Ethnic Support Network (MESN); Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex +) and Women Together.
Disability Confident
A Great Place to Work for Veterans
Welsh Language Requirements
The Welsh Government is a bilingual organisation and Welsh language skills are considered an asset to the organisation. We encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills in the workplace.
The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the line manager on behalf of the Welsh Government of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.
Social Partnership
In Welsh Government, the relationship between the employer and trade unions is based on social partnership. We believe our goals can best be achieved by management and trade unions working together.
Our 3 recognised trade unions are:
• PCS
• Prospect
• FDA
This relationship is underpinned by a partnership agreement. This sets out how our unions work with Welsh Government on issues such as:
• pay
• terms and conditions
• policies and procedures
• organisational change.
Our Welsh Government trade union colleagues work together to give their members a real say in the workplace. They make sure that the interests of their members are promoted and protected. They also help reduce inequalities and improve terms and conditions.
The Welsh Government has an excellent track record of working in partnership with its trade unions. We encourage staff to get involved. We support you to join a recognised trade union, to ensure your voice is heard in the workplace. and to learn more about trade unions and partnership working.
Competencies / Job Specific Criteria
1. Why do you want to study for an apprenticeship at Welsh Government? (Up to 500 words)
2. Tell us about a piece of work you have delivered successfully using your IT and digital skills? You can include an example from any aspect of your education, work or social life. (Up to 300 words)
3. What skills have you learned from your education, work or social life that would be important in your role in Welsh Government? Please bear in mind the key tasks listed in the advert. (Up to 300 words)
Assessment Process
Other Information
- Unless stated otherwise in ‘actual starting salary’, all candidates will start at the minimum of the pay scale being appointed to (this includes existing civil servants).This is not negotiable.
- Unless stated otherwise in ‘type of opportunity’, this recruitment advert is not open on a Loan or Secondment basis.
- For more information on the eligibility criteria and terms and conditions for Loan and Secondment positions in Welsh Government, please see external recruitment candidate guidance.
- Unless stated otherwise in ‘Location of Post’ the role/s recruited to via this campaign can only be worked in the UK, not overseas.
The Welsh Government published its strategic equality objectives in 2016 and these included a commitment to be an exemplar in equality and diversity. Welsh Government welcomes applications from everyone regardless of age, marriage (including equal/same sex marriage) and civil partnership, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, disability, race, religion or belief or pregnancy/maternity.
In recent years we have been awarded Level 3 Leader Status for being a Disability Confident employer, we are currently 8th in the UK for Stonewall Workplace Index which supports Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT) employee’s, we have signed up to the Race at Work Charter and are included on the list of organisations that have been recognised as an inclusive employer for race. We have also been awarded Gold status by a:gender the inclusive support network for staff in Government Departments and Agencies, covering all aspects of gender reassignment, gender identity, gender expression and Intersex. We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, an organisation in which people want to work and are proud to work. For this reason, we have put the principles of human rights, equality, fairness, dignity and respect at the heart of our values.
Welsh Government has adopted the social model definition of disability, which recognises that barriers in society act to disable people who have impairments or health conditions or who use British Sign Language. We are committed to removing barriers so that all (or potential new) staff can perform at their best. The Equality Act 2010 uses the medical model definition of disability (“a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term impact on a person’s ability to carry out normal day to day activities”).
Anyone who believes they have been treated unfairly, or has a grievance or complaint, about how the process was conducted should either write to the Head of Resourcing, Welsh Government, Cathays Park 2, Cardiff CF10 3NQ or email HR-helpdesk@wales.gsi.gov.uk. If you are unhappy with the outcome of the complaint raised with the Welsh Government and feel that the principles of appointment on merit through fair and open competition have not been met you have the right to pursue your grievance with the Civil Service Commission at 3rd Floor, 35 Great Smith Street, London SW1P 3BQ.
How to apply
Application Process
Full details about the process is outlined in our Stage by Stage Information Guidance (PDF, 4 pages)
It’s important you read this before you start your application. It also contains guidance on writing your application, and outlines the key dates of the process, for which you’ll need to be available.
As well as completing the online application, IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU COMPLETE THE ALS APPRENTICESHIP RECOMMENDATION FORM AND ATTACH IT IN YOUR APPLICATION, AS WITHOUT THIS WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE FORWARD YOUR APPLICATON.
Please download or print the ALS Apprenticeship Recommendation Form (Word document, 9 pages) now. Once you've completed the form, you'll need to save it and then attach it in your application on the ‘ALS - Apprenticeship Recommendation Form’ page.
**Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview, we are unable to provide feedback on your application**
All applications for this vacancy should be made online via the Welsh Government's online application system. If you are a disabled person with an impairment or health condition which would prevent you from applying on-line, please e-mail SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales to request an application pack in an alternative format, or to request a reasonable adjustment in order to submit your application.
We offer reasonable adjustment at all stages of our recruitment. Please ensure that you make us aware as soon as possible if there is any adjustment that you may need to complete your application or at interview. As an Employer we offer Disability Confident Interview Scheme.
We guarantee to interview anyone who is disabled, whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post. By ‘minimum criteria’ we mean that you must provide us with evidence in your application which demonstrates that you generally meet the level of competence for the role and any qualifications, skills or experience defined as essential.
If you have an impairment or health condition, or use British Sign Language and need to discuss reasonable adjustments for any part of this recruitment process, or wish to discuss how we will support you if you were to be successful, please contact the sharedservicehelpdesk@gov.wales.
As an example, please see below some of the adjustments we have offered in the past. These examples don’t include all impairments, and they are only examples; we know that individual requirements differ and other adjustments may be available to meet your particular needs. We can only work with you to arrange adjustments if we are made aware of your requirements prior to your application submission or interview. We are committed to the employment and career development of disabled people and encourage you to talk to us about adjustments if you need them.
- Autism (ASD) - Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) we may offer single assessments rather than a group assessment, questions may be re-worded to include language that is appropriate.
- Visual Impairment - Visual impairment – Applications in Braille can be requested and a guide can be offered for interview.
- Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (M.E.) / Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). – A suitable time for interview can be offered to suit the needs of the individual.
- Deaf / Hearing Impairment – We can organise for an interpreter to attend the interview.
- Dyslexia – More time can be provided at interview or for any assessments. The language of the application has also been drafted to ensure it is clear and informative.
- Mobility Impairments and Access Requirements can all be catered for too
Grievance and Complaints
This vacancy is closed to applications.