Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship: Eligibility criteria
Find out if you’re eligible to apply for a Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship.
Check the following eligability:
- Age: You’ll be 16 or older by 31 August 2018
- Qualifications: You have at least 5 GCSEs at grade C and above, or the new grade 4 and above, including English Language and Maths, or equivalent (or I expect to have these by 31 August 2018)
- Nationality: Your eligible according to the Civil Service nationality rules
- Where you’ve lived: You have been resident in the UK for at least 2 of the 10 years immediately before my application (and this includes at least 1 continuous 12-month period)
- You are eligible to work in the UK
- Qualifications: You don’t have a degree
- You are available to start work in September 2018
- Conditions for current civil servants: You are currently a civil servant, or have previously worked for the Civil Service and are aware of the conditions that apply.
Your age
The programme is open to anyone who will be aged 16 or older by 31 August 2018.
There’s no upper age limit for Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship.
It doesn’t matter when you gained your qualifications.
Your qualifications
To apply for the Business, Commercial or Finance Appreniceships you must have at least 5 GCSEs at grade C and above, or the new grade 4 and above, including English Language and Maths, or equivalent. Or you expect to have these qualifications by 31 August 2018. If you are under 18 and applying for the BUsiness Apprenticeship you will also need to hold a Level 3 qualification.
If you are thinking of applying to the Digital, Data and Technology, Project Delivery and Policy schemes you will need the following qualifications in addition to your GCSEs:
- For the Project Delivery Scheme you must have 2 A levels at grade D or above, or equivalent in any subject or you expect to have these qualifications by 31 August 2018.
- For the Digital, Data and Technology scheme you must have 2 A levels at grade C or above, preferably in a STEM subject, or equivalent or you expect to have these qualifications by 31 August 2018. You can check which subjects qualify as STEM subjects.
- For the Policy scheme you must have 2 A-levels, at grade D and above or equivalent in any subject or you expect to have these qualifications by 31 August 2018.
You cannot apply for an apprenticeship if you have a degree. You may be eligible for the Fast Stream, the Civil Service’s graduate leadership development programme.
Your nationality
You can apply for a Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship if you’re a:
- European Economic Area (EEA) national, including a British citizen
- Commonwealth citizen
- Swiss national
- Turkish national, depending on career history.
Full explanation of nationality requirements can be found in the Civil Service nationality rules.
Where you’ve lived
All successful Civil Service Fast Track applicants must pass security checks.
You must have been resident in the UK for at least 2 of the 10 years immediately before your application, including at least one continuous 12-month period.
The UK residency requirement for these posts doesn’t apply if you’ve:
- served overseas with HM Forces
- served as a representative of the UK Government
- lived overseas as a result of your parents’ or partner’s government employment
Opportunities for current civil servants
If you are already a Civil Servant you will still need to meet the eligibility requirements stated for each scheme. You may remain in your current department or be transferred into a new department on a permanent basis. Your continuity of service will not be broken.
Find out how to apply or read about the Fast Track Apprenticeship schemes.
Updates to this page
Published 11 January 2016Last updated 20 February 2017 + show all updates
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Link to application process now live.
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First published.