Apprenticeships

The following blog has been written by Hayley O’Reilly-Murray, our Head of Learning and Development.

As we near the end of National Apprenticeship Week, I’d like to take the opportunity to congratulate all colleagues who’ve completed an apprenticeship programme this year. We are proud of everything you’ve achieved – and we hope you are too!

I know from personal experience how hard it can be to study and work at the same time. It involves juggling priorities at work and at home, and takes dedication and commitment. I’ve witnessed that this is something we have in abundance across our apprenticeship and trainee communities, and elsewhere, here at HSE.

I also know that studying can at times feel like an uphill struggle, but ultimately the rewards for our personal development both professionally and personally can be life significant.

Therefore, this message of celebration extends to all the line managers, mentors, learning providers, and colleagues across many teams who have a direct impact on the experience of our apprentices.

With this in mind, I was humbled to read messages from colleagues about their experiences that I’m sure they won’t mind me sharing:

Since joining FOD as an apprentice in February 2021, I’ve been highly impressed by the level of support I received during my remote onboarding process due to the COVID 19 pandemic. My Line manager, fellow team members, higher management and colleagues from other teams and divisions, made sure I settled in great. I’ve enjoyed studying towards my Level 3 NVQ in Business Administration, provided by Knowledgepool, and it has been a great opportunity to increase my skills and understanding of the sector.

This is my first experience of working in the Civil Service, and from day one I’ve been inspired by the dedication and professionalism from all HSE colleagues from wide and varied roles, who collectively contribute to amazing work. Thank you.

Luke Towner, FOD apprentice

One of the big benefits of the programme is that it’s been centrally-funded training on skills which are at the heart of my team. Previously, we’ve had to construct our own training programme and invest time in designing and delivering this. However, the apprenticeship scheme has done all of this for us. It’s meant my apprentice has had a sustained programme of learning, with external tutors and moderation, ensuring their skills were developed against national accredited standards.

Their day-to-day project management work has re-enforced and complemented this learning. The one-day-per-week release for the apprenticeship work has been manageable for all involved and given my apprentice the space to concentrate on their development.

Finally, I‘m pleased to say my apprentice will soon complete this qualification and will have the confidence to apply what has been learned through this scheme in the rest of their HSE career.

Dave Smith, ITF, line manager to internal colleague on Level 4 Project Management

I welcomed three new apprentices in 2021, who have all been talented, eager individuals and have therefore become integral parts of the team. Their commitment to the job has been inspiring and given our team a real boost.

Summer Foster, FOD, line manager to three Level 3 Business Administration Apprentices

Apprenticeship programmes are available on a variety of levels and offer progression options for colleagues in all different parts of our organisation. To find out more about apprenticeships in general, visit the Apprenticeships website.

We wish all colleagues undertaking an apprenticeship the best of luck in their journey ahead and look forward to more opportunities and seeing what can be achieved in 2022!

Hayley O’Reilly-Murray
Head of Learning & Development

HM Principal Specialist Inspector – Portfolio Holder

Our Human Factors Specialists ensure employers across Great Britain work safely – touching on a whole range of essential industries with thousands of workers. In this role, you can utilise your considerable technical knowledge and practical experience to influence not only individual employers but whole industry sectors. We work closely with the Environment Agencies in England, Scotland, and Wales as part of the joint COMAH Competent Authority

As the Human Factors Portfolio Holder, you will be based in Chemicals, Explosives and Microbiological Hazards Division (CEMHD). You will be responsible for holding the Human Factors portfolio for onshore high hazard premises and installations, together with prioritising and managing key operational policy workstreams from other parts of HSE including Field Operations Division (FOD), Construction Division (CD) and Gas & Pipelines (ED).

Fire Safety Information Assessor

Help to improve fire safety in high rise buildings.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a new team who are focused on making sure that fire safety issues relevant to land use planning are considered by applicants and decision makers. As a Fire Safety Information Assessor, you will draw on your specialist knowledge and experience of fire safety design standards to help improve fire safety in high-rise residential developments. You will enjoy the opportunity to work flexibly from home between 7am-7pm, with occasional travel to the office. We can provide good IT equipment and office furniture for your home set-up.

With a varied caseload ranging from 7 story blocks of flats to towering skyscrapers in mixed use developments, you will work on some of the most high-profile developments in England. We will look to you to review fire safety information in planning applications in order to recognize and assess fire safety risks. You will produce consultation responses to planning authorities to an agreed deadline and also provide pre-application advice to applicants and local authorities. Crucially, you will enjoy opportunities to help us shape and improve this service. As we work to create a new Building Safety Regulator, you will be integral to our success.

If you would like more information on the requirements or selection process, please see the full job advertisement.

Mechanical Engineering Specialist Inspector

HSE’s Field Operations Division (FOD) regulates conventional industry, meaning that the range of industry sectors, equipment and processes we come into contact with is huge, from fairground rides to lifting operations, manufacturing to product safety. HSE’s mechanical engineering specialists help essential industries work safely. In this role, you will have wide ranging influence, from small individual employers to whole industry sectors.

We are looking for high calibre mechanical engineers who can, in pressurising situations, think strategically, identify underlying issues, and engage effectively at different levels: with colleagues, site technical staff and at the most senior levels within an organisation. You will be able to influence organisations to bring about improvements and be decisive and clear about what is needed. In many cases you will ultimately need to publicly explain and defend challenges to your findings and opinions in court or at Coroner’s Inquest.

Noise and Vibration Specialist Inspector

Our team of noise and vibration specialists work in a wide range of industries with thousands of workers. This role provides a unique opportunity to apply your technical knowledge and practical experience, influencing whole industry sectors as well as helping individual employers understand the right controls to have in place. Contributing to the policy development and industry guidelines will broaden your knowledge and your professional credibility like no other role can. You will see a clear line of sight between your input and reducing ill-health in the workplace.

Noise and vibration specialist inspectors are involved in front line regulatory work and developing technical policy. You will work as a member of a specialist regulatory team, led by a Principal Specialist Inspector, regulating workplaces to ensure that workplace health risks have been identified, evaluated and eliminated or adequately controlled. Field Operations Division is the largest operational inspectorate in HSE, covering many employment sectors including agriculture, general manufacturing, engineering, waste and recycling, education, health services, utilities and transport, government departments and domestic gas safety.

Occupational Hygiene Specialist Inspector

Our team of occupational hygiene specialists work in a wide range of industries with thousands of workers. This role provides a unique opportunity to apply your technical knowledge and practical experience, influencing whole industry sectors as well as helping individual employers understand the right controls to have in place. Contributing to the policy development and industry guidelines will broaden your knowledge and your professional credibility like no other role can. You will see a clear line of sight between your input and reducing ill-health in the workplace.

A career with HSE gives you a rare opportunity to visit and interact with many different and diverse employers and work activities.

This is a hugely varied and rewarding role. Whilst there are technical challenges to overcome, you will be working with many different people at every level and every part of your work will be geared to achieving one goal: protecting people’s health and safety at work.

Occupational Health Specialist Inspector

A career with HSE gives you a unique opportunity to visit and interact with different and diverse employers and work activities, often small to medium sized businesses that lack occupational health understanding. You’ll work alongside other inspectors to ensure that all employers take action to control health risks in the workplace, and that means you will see a wide variety of work related health concerns and reported occupational diseases.

Your work as a regulator will make the most of your experience in occupational health – identifying risks, providing the right advice and crucially – taking steps to ensure the employer takes the necessary action. You could be inspecting the management of health risks in an engineering firm, investigating a report of occupational disease in a bakery, taking enforcement action when required. Your work will take you across the range of industries from construction, manufacturing and engineering, to agriculture, waste and recycling or the public sector.

Fibres and Minerals (Asbestos) Scientist

We have an exciting opportunity for an enthusiastic and motivated Senior Scientist to join our Fibres & Minerals Team in the Health Group. Specifically, your role will be key to enable the continuation of essential research to support the implementation and evidence base for HSE’s Control of Asbestos Regulations.

This is a unique opportunity for a Scientist to join a flexible and growing organisation, renowned for their presence in the scientific community. This role will continue the vital work on Asbestos control, confidently leading a team in the delivery of laboratory research activities and supporting HSE Incident Investigation and enforcement on asbestos related issues.

For more information on how you can start your HSE career, visit Civil Service jobs for details on how to apply.

Procurement and Contracts Manager

Our Procurement Unit aims to provide commercial focus in the procurement service it provides to the organisation and in order to implement a more consistent approach to managing strategically important contracts in accordance with the Government Commercial Function principles. This enables us to help meet the challenges we face and support the business in delivering its regulatory and commercial functions.

The primary purpose of your role will be to deliver a contract letting and procurement function managing end-to-end procurement and contract letting processes in accordance with the relevant Procurement Regulations.

You will support internal stakeholders in all aspect of the contract letting process including managing the compliance to the formal contracts with the external suppliers and supporting the management of a contracts register for all HSE contracts. You will manage supplier performance and conduct service reviews for central service contracts together with providing general advice on the contracts, suppliers and processes in place ensuring the supplier database is kept up-to-date.

Project Manager

At HSE, we work with one goal in mind – to help keep Britain’s workforce safe and healthy. Our work touches virtually every sector of Great Britain’s industries. Combining specialists from numerous fields, we strive to keep people and their working environments safe.

Did you know that we don’t just inspect workplaces and investigate incidents, we campaign for better H&S practice, we craft and review guidance and regulations, we provide specialist products and services both here and overseas, and we produce crucial research and statistics – all towards our goal of helping Great Britain work well.

Our Science Division is a world leading provider of health and safety solutions to industry and government and our work requires a diverse workforce of talented individuals to investigate workplace incidents, provide scientific support to HSE inspectors directly, or through research, and provide consultancy support and training to UK industry.

Are you an experienced project delivery professional looking for a new challenge to develop and broaden your skills?
Do you enjoy building and maintaining professional relationships with a range of diverse stakeholders?
Would you like the opportunity to deliver projects that make a real difference to reduce work-related illness, death and serious injury across Great Britain’s workplaces?
If so, we would love to hear from you!