Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reach the public sector apprenticeship target.

In Defra group, we have taken the following steps towards the public sector apprenticeship target.

Defra group has recently reactivated its ‘Early Talent’ Strategy for 2020/21 and is intending to increase our activities around the following four themes:

a) Increasing the use of apprenticeships within external recruitment

b) Promoting the use of apprenticeships to support development of existing staff

c) Increasing and maximising the use of the levy

d) Using targeted apprenticeship recruitment to improve the diversity of our workforce

We have identified a number of levers that can be used to achieve the above and these are actively being discussed within the business, for example by: building an apprenticeship option into all new external recruitment activity; identifying executive sponsors; establishing a robust approach to learning and development; the creation of apprenticeship networks; and seeking to convert other early talent pipelines such as internships into apprenticeships.

We continue to enhance the information and tools available to line managers to improve understanding. For example, within recruitment processes we have introduced the use of Interactive Candidate Packs, appropriate selection processes such as Success Profiles, online advertising, case studies and trained selection panels.

While there are a number of standards that we can actively use, given the unique nature and breadth of our activities in Defra group, we continue to explore and invest in trailblazer activity.

Defra group has been focused on delivery against EU exit requirements and more recently COVID-19. Defra remains committed to the Civil Service Apprenticeship Strategy and is looking to increase our use of apprenticeships across Defra group over the next 12 months.