Future talent: why graduates, apprentices and interns are so important to the public sector

Andy Lethbridge, Head of Consulting, central government, at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence, discusses why graduates, apprentices and interns are critical for the public sector

The world is changing fast. The UK government may be among the most digitally advanced globally, but demand for digital, data and tech talent is rocketing. That’s partly due to a pandemic-era evolution in the relationship between state and citizen. Research by BAE revealed that 83% of organisations agree that while there are challenges to achieving digital maturity, the reward of doing so is worth it.

The recruitment of graduates, apprentices and interns can be pivotal. They bring new energy, ideas and skills into the workplace. That makes them a must-have for the public sector and the third-party partners it works with.

Finding the leaders in graduates, apprentices and interns

During the pandemic, many organisations decided not to recruit into their graduate or intern schemes. Yet the need for fresh talent has never been greater at a time of the Great Resignation. Research reveals that a third of the government, defence and aerospace IT leaders feel this is the biggest threat to their organisation. In the technology domain, skills shortages can be a roadblock to much-needed digital transformation projects designed to save money, enhance efficiencies and deliver better services to citizens. In fact, the government has even admitted that skills shortages could impact its bid to transform public services. Access to STEM talent is seen by most (54%) digital leaders as the key to overcoming the data, people and technology barriers to becoming more digitally mature.

Millennials, in general, want to work from the office more

That’s why public sector organisations and their partners should ramp up grad and apprentice schemes, not scaling them back. They bring fresh energy and new perspectives to any workplace. They have the passion and flexibility to adapt quickly to new situations and respond well to on-the-job training. And ultimately, they are the leaders of tomorrow.
Younger entrants into the workplace are important to the culture of the organisation. That’s especially true now we live in a world of hybrid working, where the desired culture can be harder to foster. Although every individual is different, Millennials, in general, want to work from the office more, whilst more established colleagues who may have more family commitments are embracing the ability to work remotely more frequently.

Reaching out

The nature of technology is that skill requirements are constantly evolving. Currently, we’re seeing high demand in the public sector for capability in cloud technologies, agile methodologies, product management, and data skills — from platform engineering to data engineering, data science and data analysis. But on the other side, requirements from job seekers are also evolving. Financial compensation is, of course, still a key factor. But public sector recruiters should be heartened to see that other factors such as progression, self-development, sustainability, support networks, the meaningfulness of work and caring or inspiring leaders are also important. At least, that’s our experience.

Nor is this simply a conversation to have about grads and interns. Diversity has always been the cornerstone of hiring in government and is an area where it often outshines the private sector. But that must extend to ensure we cast the net far and wide to augment our workforce from as many sources as possible. There’s still a largely untapped pool of talent that may not even be working in tech right now but has the skills, experience and drive to make a huge success of switching tacks.

Finding new ways of reaching out to these stars of tomorrow is a priority for us at BAE Systems—as it should be for the public sector.

Written by Andy Lethbridge, Head of Consulting, central government, at BAE Systems Digital Intelligence