Leaving university can feel both exciting and daunting, you've acquired valuable skills but the question of where to apply them can leave you with a sense of uncertainty. I decided to apply for the summer internship programme to gain experience and provide a steer within my professional career.
I joined the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), working alongside the Capability Framework team who play a vital role in shaping the skills and competencies required for a digital and data-driven government. Being a part of the team provided me with the exposure to a dynamic and evolving landscape which helped me facilitate my personal and professional growth.
Working on numerous tasks allowed me to gain hands-on experience in helping drive digital transformation through shaping frameworks. I was also given the opportunity to engage frequently with stakeholders which allowed me to better understand the needs and expectations of departments across government.
As an Economics graduate, I was equipped with a broad canvas to apply my analytical skills in various capacities. From understanding policy development to reviewing the membership of the capability framework design council, I was tasked with finding a better solution to how we can improve governance. This exposure allows you to broaden your skill set through learning a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving.
The programme offers a unique blend of hands-on experience, career development and the chance to make a real difference in society. Working alongside like-minded people gives you the opportunity to network with professionals from various backgrounds as well as ensuring you receive guidance and support from experienced civil servants. Your experience within the Civil Service will provide a strong foundation for your career journey and the internship programme is the perfect place to start!
]]>I joined the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) as an intern in the Communications team this summer. I was surprised when I found out I had been placed in CDDO as I had studied languages at university and had no background in digital or data. However, I quickly realised people in CDDO are not just techy people but people from all backgrounds. Working in the Communications team has allowed me to gain an insight into different teams in CDDO and wider projects across government.
My team has encouraged me to really get involved and take on responsibility both in internal and external communications. I’ve enjoyed taking a lead on the internal weekly CDDO newsletter by commissioning, collating and editing content and highlighting the exciting projects going on.
I have also had the chance to work on a project to create a new brand - Government Digital and Data for the function and profession with the aim to increase the sense of community, drive recruitment and combat stereotypes about working in government. I have helped quantify and analyse survey results on the new brand. I also helped to review the implications and challenges of introducing a new brand across multiple government departments. The most exciting part of the project I have taken on is organising a photoshoot to create assets for the brand, sourcing participants from different departments and helping to create a photography brief. I cannot wait to see the results!
This internship has been the perfect opportunity to get an insight into the type of work civil servants do and the structures within government which can seem very complicated at first! I have also greatly benefitted from centrally organised internship events about the Fast Stream selection process which will enable me to apply with confidence. I was even lucky enough to get a tour of Whitehall and a picture outside Number 10.
The work culture and flexibility at CDDO has really stood out to me with a strong focus on wellbeing and a very active People and Culture Committee. Everyone has been so welcoming and open to sharing their experiences and advice!
]]>
When I found out that my internship would be with the Communications team at the Government Digital Service (GDS), I was nervous about how I would fare and unsure how useful it would be for me. I didn’t have any experience in communications, nor was it something I had considered as a future career option.
I quickly discovered that the internship would not be at all what I was expecting. The team welcomed me with open arms and in my first couple of hours at GDS, I was already helping with the final arrangements for the inaugural Learning Day event. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed internal communications and events - getting completely stuck in.
So far, I have learnt how to draft comms plans, send out newsletters, film strategy videos, organise all staff events and much more. I was given responsibility for an audit of the GDS Wiki, a collection of valuable pages where staff go to find important information. I set out plans to check the content, formatting and functionality of each page on the site. This has been a long but rewarding task. Each time I updated a page I felt that I was contributing to something which benefits the wider GDS community.
I have even been given opportunities to spread my wings outside of the Communications team. When my line manager discovered I was studying International Relations and German, he immediately thought of introducing me to the International Team at GDS. I assisted the team with a visit from a Ukrainian delegation and am now leading on a visit from a delegation from the Czech Republic. Coordinating with the embassy and ministerial staff to organise the meeting has been exciting and insightful. Through this, I have realised that there are opportunities for international engagement outside of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. I now feel more secure in the knowledge that there are multiple paths towards my career goals.
In the first six weeks of my internship at GDS, I gained so much knowledge about what it’s like to work in the Civil Service and skills that will undoubtedly shape me into a more well-rounded candidate for the Fast Stream. The people and working environment are overwhelmingly positive and have left me with a dilemma; I am now seriously considering a career in internal comms and events and would love to stay at GDS for longer!
]]>
I feel extremely lucky to have been placed in the Digital Workforce and Capability team, within the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) for my summer internship. The work of both this team, and CDDO more broadly, is at the heart of the Government’s digital transformation aspiring to provide more efficient digital services to the public. Therefore, the work I have completed and contributed feels as though it has a real and profound impact across government and more widely for the general public.
My line manager has a strategic role within the team and actively juggles different projects, each with the overarching aim of optimising the processes by which CDDO along with the rest of government can attract, hire and retain digital and data talent. As such, the work I have been delegated has not only been interesting but again feels impactful. To provide you with an example, I recently contributed towards the delivery of a business case for Government Digital and Data to engage with a new set of stakeholders.
In addition to incorporating me into the team’s workflow, my line manager has dedicated a significant amount of time and effort to facilitating my personal development. I have been tasked with a longer term project of producing a business case of my own. I have enrolled in various supplementary training courses to develop my coding skills and I have received one-to-one training on applying to the Civil Service Fast Stream and other jobs via the Civil Service jobs website.
The team itself is full of driven and friendly individuals each with a different story to tell but all willing to allocate their time to support each other, regardless of their position. This has certainly been the case for me. I have had introductory meetings with about 40 individuals across all grades and teams within CDDO. Also, the other interns and I are currently involved in organising an upcoming team away day which in itself has been a pleasant bonding experience.
Finally, taking into account work demands and team needs, the internship offered options for hybrid or remote working. This flexibility has allowed me to strike a healthy and sustainable balance between being able to work to the best of my ability and to continue pursuing my sporting, fitness and social interests.
Though individual intern experiences will differ vastly across government departments and teams, the opportunities presented by the programme are unique. Therefore, if this all sounds interesting to you, I urge you to apply and to be yourself throughout!
]]>I am immensely grateful for the opportunity to work in the Government Digital Service (GDS). This internship has offered me the opportunity to thoroughly explore working with a variety of teams within GDS and contributed to developing my understanding of what working in an agile environment entails.
Working in two-week “sprints” was a completely new experience to me but has made me value the importance of prioritising efficient and communicative working. This has made tackling large projects more manageable. Additionally, the opportunity to reflect on previous sprints to highlight what went well, the pain points and identify the blockers has been a valuable evaluative approach. I hope that I can continue to implement sprint working in future projects and job prospects.
I worked across the design systems team where we explored the importance of user research and the role user research has in ensuring users receive an accessible experience across government platforms. Working with the Notify team offered an opportunity to examine both qualitative and quantitative data from interview surveys. Being asked to do a presentation on some of the findings was a great opportunity to further develop my analytical and data analysis skills. Additionally, working alongside the Forms Adoption team helped me develop my knowledge of auditing skills while also developing my user researcher tool kit.
Ultimately, I am extremely grateful to the GDS team for their kindness and generosity. Having one-to-one conversations with user researchers, developers, product managers and many more team members where I was able to ask questions regarding their role has been extremely insightful.
We are currently evaluating plans for next year's intake of interns. If you are in the Government Digital and Data profession and would like to explore how you can get involved in next year's programmes please contact: ddat.talent@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk
The Graduate Talent team sits within the Workforce and Capability directorate of the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO). Throughout the summer, we have dedicated efforts to prepare for the upcoming cohorts joining our esteemed Government Digital and Data graduate programmes in the autumn.
I’m Wednesday and I’ve been a member of the Talent team for almost four years. Working in graduate talent is a really rewarding space, I have hands-on interaction with scheme participants which allows the opportunity to support them in their career development.
I’m Marwa, and my journey in the Talent team has been an enlightening one, spanning just under a year. My passion for nurturing talent ignited during my own apprenticeship where I witnessed firsthand the transformative power of talent programmes. It has been such a great learning experience and has allowed me to grow in the talent space.
The schemes we run in the team are; the Software Developer Programme, Summer Internship Programme and the Fast stream formerly known as the Digital, Data and Technology Fast Stream, is now known as the Digital & Cyber Fast Stream due to re-branding across the profession.
This year marks a significant milestone as we proudly announce the ninth year of the Government Digital & Data Fast Stream Programme. Throughout its evolution, the programme has undergone several transformations based on valuable learner feedback. Notable adjustments include shortening the scheme duration from four to three years and shifting postings to 12 months (so the scheme would offer three postings in total). The latest refinement involves a more targeted role offering, informed by evaluation feedback, strategic programme objectives, and the profession's evolving requirements, aligned with the core Fast Stream curriculum. The programme is currently focused on four of the most crucial and sought-after digital roles across government: business analyst, user researcher, product manager, and delivery manager.
We were delighted to welcome 85 Digital & Cyber Fast Streamers onto the scheme, for our latest and largest cohort yet! Participating in the Fast Stream programme offers vital skills, unparalleled experiences, and serves as an excellent initiation or transformation in one's career, all while contributing to the enhancement of services provided by the Civil Service.
“It’s a really innovative programme, and a great opportunity to become a professional, working with emerging technology.” Tayyib, Digital & Cyber Fast Streamer.
The Summer Internship Programme (SIP) brings diverse, talented students and recent graduates into the Civil Service for a six-week summer work experience. It's a chance for teams to tap into fresh perspectives and skills from these interns. This year, we introduced a digital, data, and technology bolt on component in collaboration with the Fast Stream Early Talent Team. This increased exposure to the Government Digital and Data profession and expanded the horizons of interns, encouraging some who had never considered it before to explore a potential career in this dynamic field.
This year, there were over 550 summer interns cross-government who have made a significant impact with their hard work and dedication. We'd like to extend our thanks to our dedicated volunteers who not only led valuable digital and data sessions but also shared their expertise, leaving a lasting impression on our interns. Over 100+ interns eagerly participated in our data and digital 'Lunch and Learn' sessions.
We are currently evaluating plans for next year's intake of interns. If you are in the Government Digital and Data profession and would like to explore how you can get involved in next year's SIP and its events, don't hesitate to reach out to us: ddat.talent@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk
Our Software Developer Programme is a dynamic two-year experience specifically designed for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) graduates. It provides a chance to acquire practical experience in junior software developer positions within a diverse range of government departments, supported by a comprehensive curriculum aimed at honing their technical expertise. As our cohort progresses into their second year, they have successfully achieved their year-one milestones, culminating in presentations that showcased both the challenges they encountered and the accomplishments they attained. This stands as evidence of their development and dedication, paving the way for an even more promising year ahead.
In year two, they will be delving deeper into advanced technical realms, exploring subjects like test-driven development in Java and Python, and mastering continuous integration and deployment practices. As our cohort progresses into their second year, we remain committed to enriching their experience by incorporating additional technical sessions.
We celebrate our junior software developers for their dedication and accomplishments during the first year of the programme. If you're a professional in the field of software development and eager to share your knowledge by leading a session for our juniors, we welcome you to reach out: ddat.talent@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk
We are consistently enhancing our methods for nurturing new talent and fostering collaboration across government programmes. Our goal is to attract top government digital and data talent to contribute to government initiatives.
We welcome information about your talent programmes and invite you to join us in cross-government collaboration. We are eager to learn more about your efforts and offer support wherever possible. Please feel free to reach out using ddat.talent@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk we look forward to hearing from you.
It has just been over a year since we last talked about our work with the Capability Framework Design Council (CFDC).
The CFDC is our governance body that decides on the prioritisation of changes to the capability framework. It is used by experts from across the Government Digital and Data community, as well as others who want to pursue a career in the Government Digital and Data profession - with approximately 5,000 visits to the capability framework each week. We wanted to share seven lessons we learned along the way and how they had a positive impact on transparency, accountability and participation.
Led by Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), the CFDC consists of capability specialists and subject matter experts from across government who analyse and assess change proposals to the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework.
We want to make sure that the CFDC gives a voice to a broad range of organisations in government. It has grown from nine to twenty-four department representatives (including arms-length bodies).
To keep the decision making strong and effective, we introduced an annual review of membership during the summer. The review helped us to make sure that the council:
Working with such a diverse group of people and organisations has brought challenges and rewards in equal measure. The CFDC has made tremendous progress to deliver a wide range of improvements to the Government Digital and Data professions capability framework such as:
We aim to publish all these changes by spring 2024.
Here are the seven most precious lessons we learned to build trust, find common grounds and take into account diverse perspectives.
Robust governance is paramount to maintaining the quality of the Capability Framework and should keep up with the pace at which skills and roles evolve in the digital and data profession.
We made clear to CFDC members that changes to the framework are dynamic and also based on wider market trends. Any decision made now, be it a yes or a no, can change next year and that's ok. Our change request process is open and transparent and allows for any digital and data professional in any area of government to propose a change.
We found empowering experts really useful. Our CFDC members were concerned that they did not want to make decisions without consulting with the experts in their departments. We took it one step further and asked for the relevant departmental experts to sit in on our meetings so that they too feed into how decisions are made.
We want members to feel empowered to make decisions. In some instances, the organisations sponsoring a change were asked by the CFDC to either: gather more evidence against our acceptance criteria, link up with other government professions or make the intended impact on career progression clearer. When necessary, having multiple discussions to reach consensus was the only way for CFDC representatives to make informed decisions.
Consensus can be hard to reach within a council environment, owing to the large number of members. We encourage open communications between members, made sure that the information provided is clear and that the acceptance criteria were known by everyone. This helps a lot and allows us to be transparent about how decisions are made.
Community is another big thing that we try to take advantage of. We don’t want to reinvent the wheel so we reach out to cross-government communities of practices that already exist when a change request comes through, and we ask these experts to consult on what these changes look like.
In some cases, there are expert areas that do not have an established community of practice. With help from CFDC representatives we then set up bespoke working groups and ensure that the experts in their respective organisations can feed into changes.
The landscape of governance is constantly changing, because of that we need to evolve the council to stay relevant and efficient. The only way to do that is to consider the views of those in the process. We introduced co-design principles and held a first workshop where members could directly improve the process and have more ownership of their place within the council.
The last lesson is one of humility, you never entirely get governance right or only until it is not right anymore. As a consequence, we keep an open feedback loop not only with our members but also with other governance groups across CDDO and government. That way we keep sharing and learning from each other.
Have your say about the Government Digital and Data Profession Framework beta, we invite you to complete our feedback form so that we can understand how to best support you in developing your career.
It’s been a year since the Digital Capability team within the Central Digital & Data Office (CDDO) piloted its Spotlight webinars. Now is a good time to look back and evaluate how they are doing.
Spotlight webinars focus on various aspects of the digital, data, and technology domains. They are typically hosted by experienced practitioners who share their insights, experiences, and expertise; tailoring their presentation to suit an audience working outside the digital, data, and technology professions.
“The primary aim of these webinars is to create awareness, inform, and inspire participants, equipping them with the knowledge and skills needed to navigate the ever-changing digital landscape successfully; thus supporting Commitment 16, under Mission 5 of the Transforming for a Digital Future - the cross-government digital and data strategy for 2022-25” says Gemma Jones, Learning Pathways Lead.
Image Credit: Samantha Borges - Unsplash
In July 2022, inspired by the overwhelmingly positive feedback from three pilot webinars, CDDO decided to make these sessions a part of the ongoing upskilling offer for civil servants not working in the digital, data, and technology professions. These webinars are now staged regularly and CDDO has hosted 12 of them since October 2022; previous webinars have looked at:
The presenters are experts in their respective fields, bringing with them a wealth of knowledge and real-world experience. Their insights are invaluable as they share best practices, case studies, and practical tips that participants can immediately apply in their own projects or roles. From hearing about successful implementation stories to learning from past failures, these expert-guided sessions empower attendees to make informed decisions and avoid common pitfalls.
Above all, Spotlight webinars go beyond being mere passive lectures, they provide an interactive learning experience where attendees can ask questions, seek clarifications, and engage in discussions with both the speakers or their fellow participants. This interactive element fosters a sense of community, promotes collaboration, encourages sharing of perspectives and learning from one another. Attendees can connect with like-minded professionals and potential mentors, so these webinars serve as a hub for networking and relationship-building across departments.
I know that colleagues working on Digital, Data, and Technology roles are successfully helping government departments to transform their services; and I remain convinced that talking about success and lessons learnt promotes further achievements. And respondents to our evaluation surveys agree with us! Therefore, we encourage participants to use the webinar chat function to ask questions and reflect on their own practice and often see people swapping contact details to continue talking about their aspirations and concerns, thus forming a support network. Our speakers often offer to reach out to them for further advice, and that is a truly invaluable resource for building momentum in Digital Transformation.
One of the most significant advantages of webinars is their accessibility and convenience. This flexibility makes it easier for professionals with busy schedules to gain new insights without disrupting their workflow. It is therefore a great stepping stone for learning about digital, data, and technology. So far the sessions have had more than 4,000 registrations to date and attendance has grown more than 20 fold since the pilots - we've had to close registrations for our forthcoming webinar on “Emerging trends in digital and data capability” with over 1,000 people registrations! Most importantly, we have seen that having attended a webinar, individuals are more readily engaging with the rest of the CDDO Learning offer - specifically, the Innovation Masterclass and the Digital Excellence Programme.
Creating awareness of our webinars across all government departments and professions is not the easiest of tasks, so I am thrilled by the response we get every time a webinar is advertised via a new channel. Especially when it comes from professions that are “removed” from DDaT. It turns out that individuals across the Civil Service want to engage with the CDDO Digital Essentials knowledge offer, so our registration numbers are steadily growing giving us a mandate to continue this initiative.
Everyone with a gov.uk email address is welcome to attend, the next opportunity is our "Colossus to ChatGPT” webinar taking place on Thursday, 12 October 2023 between 15:00 & 15:45 - find out more and register here
]]>Government is such an exciting place for digital, data and technology professionals, with services that impact people’s lives and a very ambitious digital transformation roadmap. To deliver on these ambitions we need all civil servants to build their digital skills at scale as outlined in the mission five of the Transforming for a Digital Future strategy.
Sharing a common understanding of what digital, data & technology skills are and what digital, data & technology people do is critical to build a digital culture. The Capability Framework, initially developed in 2017, is in need of updating and that is what I want to talk about.
The Capability Framework articulates standards of capability in digital, data & technology roles. We want it to be so easy to use and understand that it becomes indispensable for skills and career development.
We assembled a small multidisciplinary team at the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO). Our user research showed that information was difficult to understand and that the whole framework was not easy to navigate.
Our Senior Content Designer undertook a framework-wide review to improve on readability and remove inconsistencies. In parallel, the team worked on a prototype built from the GOV.UK Prototype Kit and GOV.UK Design System components with accessibility requirements at heart. We tested it with digital, data & technology professionals, which is our main user group, but also with people designing capability interventions for digital, data & technology professionals. Six rounds of research enabled us to thoroughly understand our users, their journeys and the tasks they were trying to achieve with the framework while designing a Minimal Viable Product that would work on both laptops and mobile devices. We know from our user research that almost a quarter of our users access the framework while using a mobile device.
We also added new functionalities and information based on user needs, such as:
As we tested and iterated our prototype we also had to review the framework’s foundations for its governance, data, and content strategy.
The framework’s content has to be constantly updated to stay relevant and we welcome proposed changes to the framework from anyone. It's also why we believe a robust cross-government consultation process is essential to source the latest roles and skills evolutions in the civil service. We enabled this by creating the Capability Framework Design Council and adopting clear governance principles for managing changes.
To adopt a common language and allow consistency in the way we describe roles and skills, our Senior Content Designer created a style guidance and step by step drafting templates that we use when engaging with subject matter experts to make changes to the framework. We now follow a quarterly cadence to publish changes, all of them are tracked in the update section of our product.
We also made a decision to underpin digital, data & technology roles by a catalogue of skills. This is something we are still working on but it helps us to better understand how skills can be shared between roles. We are undertaking a major rewrite to harmonise skills descriptions where we can while removing inconsistencies. This is really exciting as it opens up career pathways in a much clearer way!
The capability framework is now in beta. Going forward we want to use our website analytics better to further understand what skills and role connections our users make when navigating the framework.
We also want to be even more open and transparent about what changes are being made and why they are being made. This is something that we are working hard on with the Capability Framework Design Council but that we would like to reflect in the development of our product.
Beta is only one phase of our journey to build a product that becomes indispensable for skills and career development. Please share your feedback and continue to engage with my team, we only made it this far thanks to our digital, data and technology professionals and people who support the development of our phenomenal profession.
]]>Awareness months at their core are about bringing global attention to important social issues, not only celebrating people in specific communities, but showing that they deserve a fair and equal place in the world.
Pride is not simply parades and rainbows. As someone who didn’t have the easiest journey into finding myself, I make a point to remember that there are people like me around the world who are less fortunate and in danger because of who they are and where they live.
The start of Pride Month this year coincided with strict new laws established in some countries that further criminalise LGBTQ+ people and set out sentences of life imprisonment, or even execution, in some cases. These people are at risk simply because of who they are, and who they love.
When I started secondary school, Section 28 had only just been repealed in England. “Gay” was a dirty slur in my Yorkshire town, and in my own family the expectations to meet a nice boy and get married were clear. I hid that part of me deep down and was forced down a path before I was able to choose one for myself.
University gave me freedom, and distance, and by the time I was in my early twenties I had decided enough was enough and that life was too short to not be who I wanted to be, and to not be with a person I truly loved. I was promptly and unceremoniously ostracised from some members of my family.
In early jobs, before I became a Civil Servant, I felt deeply anxious and scared about opening up to colleagues and being myself at work. I spoke in vague terms about my home life, shared very little and deflected personal questions. I was worried about discrimination I might face, because although society has made great progress in visibility and acceptance for LGBTQ+ individuals, coming out at work still takes great courage and can feel like a risky step to take. I have faced discrimination walking hand in hand with my wife in public, been heckled in the streets and subjected to harassment or even denied entry from venues. But, I have also met the most wonderful people in this life and shared joy in finding community.
As I walked into my first day as a Civil Servant I decided to be brave, and I am so very glad I did. I’ve found the Civil Service to be a safe and welcoming place, where I can be my authentic self at work. That means when someone asks me about my weekend, I can say I spent it with my wife, with no shame or fear of judgement. I can speak freely and share all those overlapping and intersecting parts of my life without having to carefully dissect out elements. And this is important.
Varying studies have found that when we can be open about our identity we can experience increased emotional and physical wellbeing. For transgender people meanwhile, gender affirmation has been found to be a significant positive factor in mental health and can save lives. So, this June I invite you to celebrate Pride Month, not only for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies but also for all marginalised communities.
]]>