The focus on skills has grown the number of people at the MCA who have completed an apprenticeship in 2024/25 or are currently on their apprenticeship to more than 70 – equivalent to nearly one in 20 of the entire workforce.
This National Apprenticeships Week (10-16 February), the MCA is celebrating making strides to encourage professional learning to boost careers and become more effective.
Emma Clark, Head of Talent, Development and Engagement, said: “Our mission is to keep people safe and save lives, so it’s vital that we keep ahead of changing technology and ways of doing things.
“Although we don’t currently offer new-starter apprenticeship roles, the learning opportunities for people once they start a career in the MCA are huge and are a major draw to applicants.”
Apprenticeships include the areas of business administration, digital, finance, human resources, management and leadership, operational delivery, policy, and project management.
Recent apprentices to have completed their studies included Pete Summers, HM Coastguard Head of Technical Training and Development. He gained a Level 7 Senior Leader qualification – equivalent to degree-level.
Pete said: “I was very proud to gain this new qualification after a lot of hard work and with the support of my team.
“It’s strengthened my skills and, more importantly, has added fresh expertise and knowhow to assist everyone I work with. By improving competence, we can enhance operational processes and deliver an even better service to the public, keeping more people safe by the coast.”
Juliet Dowrick achieved her Level 3 Data Technician qualification – equivalent to a double A-level.
Juliet said: “The apprenticeship has given me invaluable skills to make data-driven decisions to support our strategy. This has already assisted with campaign planning – helping us to share messaging at the right time and places to make our safety messages even more impactful.
“I have also gained confidence with presenting our own data in a more visual and meaningful way, enabling us to share additional insights with the wider agency and provide background knowledge and further understandings.”
Discover more about working with the MCA at https://careers.dft.gov.uk/mca/
