Apprentice End User Computing Engineer
Department for Work and Pensions
Apply before 11:55 pm on Wednesday 2nd October 2024
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About the job
Job summary
Do you have a keen interest in IT or digital support services?
Do you enjoy troubleshooting or helping people solve their IT issues?
Do you have an appetite for learning?
This is an exciting opportunity to work in our User Support Services (USS) Team and be part of the wider service management community that supports the delivery and continuity of DWP’s live service, for over 100,000 colleagues and more than 20 million customers.
IT Support is provided both virtually and face to face, in this role you will be undertaking both elements
You will be delivering IT support from our on-site Tech Bar. The Tech Bar service provides a high quality, personalised face-to-face support service to our users. Our Tech Bars also provide onsite technical support and assist DWP colleagues with installation, configuration, and support on DWP devices and software within established standards and guidelines.
You will also be required to provide IT support across our virtual channels, this work includes resolving DWP colleagues IT issues and incidents via our telephony channel answering inbound calls, via Live Chat and responding to incidents raised via our online portal.
This is an exciting opportunity to ‘earn as you learn’ and get hands on experience while you study towards a Level 3 qualification. You’ll receive formal learning to develop crucial skills, knowledge and behaviours for your career and be part of a great team. If you wish to find out more about the Information Communication Technician Apprenticeship, please click here.
As well as being given a minimum of 6 hours per week off the job training to allow you to complete your apprenticeship within your working hours, you’ll be supported by your line manager, skills coach and the service management community, as well as fellow apprentices on the programme, so you will have plenty of sources of encouragement to help you succeed. There’s a lot to learn and do, so you need to be ready to be proactive, work hard and participate in the many opportunities you’ll be given to showcase your skills.
Job description
These roles are based at our Blackpool and Birmingham Digital Hub sites, the role involves providing face to face Level 1 IT support to colleagues on-site. Our Tech Bars also provide appointments, Assistive Software Support, kit deployments, break fix and advice and guidance to DWP colleagues.
There may also be on occasion, a requirement to visit other sites within reasonable travel distance to support colleagues as needed.
You will also be proving IT support and resolving issues and incidents via our virtual channels which includes Telephony Support (answering inbound calls), Live Chat and Incidents.
You will:
- Gather and analyse information from users about their IT issue and determine the best way to resolve utilising knowledge and guidance, whilst ensuring compliance to quality and security standards.
- Provide first time resolution by troubleshooting and diagnosing within established standards and guidelines or escalating faults to end user computing specialist resolver groups or appropriate third-party vendors, to investigate and resolve.
- Act as an on-site Digital partner with a good understanding of the issues affecting those sites.
- Be responsible to support investigation and diagnosis of assigned issues for workarounds and/or root causes, assist with the investigation of known errors, propose solutions to incidents and implement solutions on behalf of the user.
- Deliver coaching, guidance and upskilling to end users to increase their digital confidence and gain maximum value out of end user devices and other digital products.
This is a challenging, fast-paced, agile and rewarding role. It brings the opportunity to build key links across Digital Products & Services through developing collaborative and engaging relationships, which jointly deliver quality, efficient service as a critical part of Digital delivery.
The role requires regular exercise of choice and judgement sometimes in challenging, pressurised situations. Resilience and excellent communications along with influencing and interpersonal skills are essential to support effective senior stakeholder engagement and management.
To be eligible for the apprenticeship you are required to hold the following minimum eligibility criteria:
- Hold a valid passport/birth certificate or residence permit
- Have the right to live and work in the UK
- Must have lived in the UK and/or EEA for 3 years prior to apprenticeship start date or meet one of the relevant exemption criteria
- Not be in full-time education or be undertaking another apprenticeship by the apprenticeship start date
- You must not hold an existing qualification at the same or higher level in a similar subject
- You must hold GCSEs in Maths and English at Grade C/4 or above or complete and pass a functional skills test.
Please list all your qualifications in the qualification section.
Failure to meet any of the eligibility criteria or not listing your qualifications may result in you being withdrawn.
We expect the apprenticeship programme to start from early 2025. Please ensure that you are available for this date.
You must be committed to seeing through the apprenticeship and complete the qualification. This includes working a minimum of 30 hours per week to ensure you have enough time to complete the apprenticeship.
Person specification
Please see selections process below for more detail.
If you would like to learn more about the role, please contact caicy.sandford1@dwp.gov.uk.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Making Effective Decisions
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Incident Management
Benefits
Alongside your salary, the Department for Work and Pensions contributes 28.97% towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
We also have a broad benefits package built around your work-life balance which includes:
- Working patterns to support work/life balance such as job sharing, term-time working, flexi-time and compressed hours.
- Generous annual leave – at least 23 days on entry, increasing up to 30 days over time (pro–rata for part time employees), plus 9 days public and privilege leave.
- Support for financial wellbeing, including interest-free season ticket loans for travel, a cycle to work scheme and an employee discount scheme.
- Health and wellbeing support including our Employee Assistance Programme for specialist advice and counselling and the opportunity to join HASSRA a first-class programme of competitions, activities and benefits for its members (subscription payable monthly).
- Family friendly policies including enhanced maternity and shared parental leave pay after 1 year’s continuous service.
- Funded learning and development to support progress in your role and career. This includes industry recognised qualifications and accreditations, coaching, mentoring and talent development programmes.
- An inclusive and diverse environment with opportunities to join professional and interpersonal networks including Women’s Network, National Race Network, National Disability Network (THRIVE) and many more.
This job role may be suitable for hybrid working, which is where an employee works part of the week in their DWP office and part of the week from home. This is a voluntary, non-contractual arrangement and your office will be your contractual place of work. The number of days that anyone will be able to work at home will be determined primarily by business need but personal circumstances and other relevant circumstances will also be taken into account. If you are successful, any opportunities for hybrid working, including whether a hybrid working arrangement is suitable for you, will be discussed with you prior to you taking up your post.
Salary Information
Pay for this role is £29,500.
Our offer to successful candidates will be based on an assessment of your skills and experience as demonstrated at interview.
Existing Civil Servants who secure a new role on lateral transfer should maintain their current salary.
Existing Civil Servants who gain promotion may move to the bottom of the next grade pay scale or 10% increase in salary whichever would be the greater.
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Stage 1: Application
Your application will consist of four parts:
1. A Personal Details application form.
2. Verbal Test.
After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete the verbal test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stages of the application.
Please complete the online test as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended). The closing date for a fully completed application is 02/10/2024 at 23:55hrs. Please allow sufficient time to complete the online test and your full written application before the deadline. If you fail to complete the online test and full written application before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The test is administered online and accessed via the Civil Service Jobs website.
Following successful completion of the test, you will then be asked to complete:
3. Your employment history detailing your responsibilities, skills, accomplishments, plus your qualifications and relevant training. Please copy this information into the box field provided.
4. Technical and behaviour statements (up to 250 words for each statement). These include:
• Lead statement: Incident Management - An understanding of Incident Management and experience of working in a Service and/or Support environment. Ability to triage and diagnose issues and incidents, investigating their causes and find resolutions utilising the available resources. Escalation of incidents and triage to the correct resolver group as required. Relevant experience does not need to be limited to the Digital/IT industry, as transferable skills from other sectors are equally valuable.
• Communicating and Influencing - Communicate clearly and concisely to customers, ability to translate technical issues in simple, understandable language tailored to the audience. Interact with others in an enthusiastic way. Handle challenging conversations with confidence and sensitivity.
• Working Together - Develop a range of contacts outside own team and identify opportunities to share knowledge, information and learning. Show genuine interest when listening to others. Contribute to an inclusive working environment where all opinions and challenges are listened to, and all individual needs are considered. Ensure it is clear that bullying, harassment and discrimination are unacceptable. Offer support and help to colleagues when in need, including consideration of your own and their wellbeing. Change ways of working to aid operation within and between teams to achieve results.
• Making Effective Decisions - Take responsibility for making effective and fair decisions, in a timely manner. Analyse and research further information to support decisions. Talk to relevant people to get advice and information when unsure how to proceed. Explain how decisions have been reached concisely, both verbally and in writing. Demonstrate the consideration of all options, costs, risks and wider implications, including the diverse needs of end users and any accessibility requirements.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
An initial sift will be conducted using the lead statement. Candidates who pass the initial sift will be progressed to a full sift. The sift panel will use the information in your technical and behavioural statements to assess your experience, skills and knowledge. Sift dates to be confirmed.
Important information
• You will be asked to complete your employment history and qualifications, any information that you would customarily share on a CV should therefore be entered onto the application form.
• Personal details that could be used to identify you including your name, contact details and address must be removed for your application to be considered.
• If your employment history, qualifications, behaviours or technical statements contains any personal details your application will be withdrawn.
Stage 2: Interview
If you’re successful at sift stage you will be invited to a video interview via Microsoft Teams. There, you will be assessed against the following Technical Skill and Behaviours:
• Lead statement - Incident Management
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together
• Making Effective Discissions
You will be asked to do a (5 minutes) presentation on a specific topic. Further details will be provided to candidates invited to interview.
Interviews will take place from late-October 2024. Interview dates to be confirmed.
Other information:
Find out more about Working for DWP
For Hints and Tips on completing your application visit Applying for jobs at DWP Digital.
A reserve list may be held for a period of 6 months from which further appointments can be made.
Reserve list candidates will be posted in merit order by location.
The Civil Service values honesty and integrity and expects all candidates to abide by these principles. Please ensure that all examples provided in your application are taken directly from your own experience and that you describe the examples in your own words. Applications will be screened and if evidence of plagiarism or copying examples/answers from other sources is found, your application will be withdrawn. Internal DWP candidates may also face disciplinary action.
Reasonable Adjustment
At DWP we value diversity and inclusion and actively encourage and welcome applications from everyone, including those that are underrepresented in our workforce.
We consider visible and non-visible disabilities, neurodiversity or learning differences, chronic medical conditions, or mental ill health. Examples include dyslexia, epilepsy, autism, chronic fatigue, or schizophrenia.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: Contact Government Recruitment Service via DigitalRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
Complete the “Reasonable Adjustments” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
For further information on reasonable adjustments, terms and conditions and how we recruit visit the How We Recruit, page
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
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Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Caicy Sandford
- Email : Caicy.sandford1@dwp.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : digitalrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
