ICT Apprenticeships
The Northern Ireland Civil Service’s (NICS) ICT Apprenticeship Scheme is a government funded joint private and public sector initiative which commenced in 2012. The NICS ICT profession were involved in the design, development and implementation of the programme, which is delivered in partnership with Belfast Metropolitan College (Belfast Met).
Please keep an eye on the Belfast Met website and sign up to the
NICS’s Weekly Opportunities Bulletin to receive notification of when recruitment opens for ICT Apprentices.
The NICS ICT Profession
The NICS currently employs over 600 ICT Professionals across all nine departments, in areas such as Network Infrastructure, Development and Cyber Security. Our grades range from ICT level 8 Digital Leaders through to entry level ICT level 1 Students and Apprentices.
Our ICT Professionals play a pivotal role in delivering digital services that are cost effective, faster, accessible and secure. Having the right talent in place across the NICS is critical to this delivery. As an ICT Apprenticeship we will help you develop your career as an ICT Professional. You will work in partnership with numerous stakeholders, responding to new business opportunities and helping the NICS enable and support digital transformation.
Pathways
ICT Apprentices will follow one of two pathways, Development or Infrastructure/Networking.
Development
Development ICT Apprentices will gain fundamental programming skills and develop capability to apply these to specific languages and platforms.
You will develop knowledge and understanding of the software development lifecycle and ultimately contribute to the design, development and delivery of robust, cost effective and secure business solutions for the public.
Infrastructure/Networking
Infrastructure ICT Apprentices will learn how to complete incident management activities, such as installing and upgrading network software, setting up or replacing hardware such as switches and routers, and diagnosing and solving technical faults.
You will develop knowledge and understanding of the system administration and monitoring tools, giving users technical advice and guidance and ultimately you’ll contribute to the support of the underlying ICT Network infrastructure and ICT services
Developing as an ICT Professional within the NICS
As an Apprentice you will be given guidance and support to help you develop an awareness of the ICT business environment and how it meets the requirements of customers, both within the Civil Service and the general public.
Apprentices will attend Belfast Met on a day-release basis working towards a level 3 qualification in IT and Telecomms, specialising in either Network Infrastructure (which includes Cyber Security) or Software Development.
However, a key part of being an ICT Apprentice will be learning on the job and building up knowledge and skills within the workplace. Successful candidates will also have the opportunity to partake in a range of learning and development activities, which include tutor-led, mentored and computer based training and will be expected to acquire recognised qualifications.
For more information on being an ICT Apprentice within the NICS, please contact NICSITProfession@finance-ni.gov.uk