Digital, Data and Technology Apprenticeships in the Home Office: Nikomi’s Story

Hi there, my name is Nikomi, and I’ve been working at the Home Office as an apprentice for 9 months. You may have seen our post about Early Talent Week which includes a list of the opportunities currently on offer. I want to let you know a bit about how I came to join the Home Office and what it’s like to work here.

After graduating I worked in retail for nearly 10 years, progressing my way up to Store Manager, a role I held at several stores in London. I then started working as a cashier within Lloyds Banking Group. I learned a lot in that role, but I decided to explore other opportunities.

I considered different training courses and graduate schemes, but ultimately I chose to apply for a Business Analyst apprenticeship in the Home Office. I was worried about age restrictions because most apprenticeships are for 16 – 25-year-olds but I was pleasantly surprised to find that this opportunity was accessible for all.

I hadn’t considered working in the government before, but the role caught my eye. I had no idea what a Business Analyst was at first, but I realised after reading the job description that it was the prefect role for me.

A business analyst works within the change environment of an organisation. We work with stakeholders and other business users to understand business and user needs whilst exploring opportunities to implement change that provides value to users and aligns with the organisation’s goals. Our role is to understand the organisation’s pain points within its processes, identify what the ideal situation is and recommend ways to help the business reach those goals.

We often work within a digital environment, but we look at the organisation as a whole and can make recommendations for improvement that can include people, process, IT and the like. We discover how change may impact the wider organisation and look at ways to mitigate those impacts if they are negative, or make the most of them if they are positive. It is a very collaborative role; you need to be able to speak to people to understand what is going on and how people are feeling. It helps if you are a little nosey! This role requires you to ask a lot of questions. Why does that need to be captured? Why is that the default method? If you like problem solving this may be of interest to you. I love it because it plays to my process-based mindset. If I can make a process more efficient, I’m all over it! And there is room for creativity too!

What I enjoy most about my role is that no two days are the same. I have been involved in several different projects, including some at the same time, so my day can involve bouncing between a variety of tasks. Projects have so far been vastly different too, which has been interesting. ?

There are many benefits to working as an apprentice in the Home Office. To name a few, the culture and environment here is unlike anywhere I have worked before. Joining the Home Office was a breath of fresh air. The people are open, friendly, and helpful. I have felt supported from the very first day! There are many opportunities for training and development too. We have access to online training, which can be role specific or something else that is of interest to you. Also, there are a variety of networking events and seminars available that touch on many different topics such as inclusivity, accessibility, and diversity. I have attended a few ‘lunch and learns’, where you can learn from guest speakers, which can be super informative.

I highly recommend the apprenticeship programmes in the Home Office. They are well delivered. I’m thoroughly enjoying my apprenticeship so far and I am confident that I’ve been given all the opportunities to be successful within my role and career progression within the Civil Service.?