Growing up I always had a strong interest in the workings of government and politics, so when I had the opportunity to join the Civil Service as an apprentice at 18, I jumped at the opportunity.
I joined the Cabinet Office on a level 4 (foundation degree equivalent) business and administration apprenticeship, working in the Government Communications Service team. This allowed me to not just gain understanding of delivering some of No10’s priority campaigns, such as GREAT but also develop invaluable experience of working in government through times of change. Three of the memories which stick out during my time in the team was the Scottish referendum, 2015 General Election and EU referendum vote.
After completing my apprenticeship, I worked in the Ministry of Defence as well as the Department for Education, where I was a Private Secretary to the lords minister. This allowed me to experience the mechanisms of a domestic department, as well as the role of a Minister and Parliament in developing government policies. A policy I was particularly proud to work on during my time was the changes to make Relationships Education compulsory in all primary schools.
Thinking back on my time in the Civil Service, I have no regrets with my decision to pursue my career through an apprenticeship. It has allowed me to experience and develop a career which I would have only dreamt of at 18.
