AdministrationOfficer Review

Item: AdministrationOfficer at Department for Work and Pensions
Rating: 4.5
Author: Anonymous

at Department for Work and Pensions

Level 3 Apprenticeship

Business Operations

Canterbury

Review Submitted: March 2025

Overall Rating

4.5 /5

The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!

4/5 - Overview of Role

4/5 - Skills Development

4/5 - Structure and Support

Overview of Role

Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

4/5

I work in the Canterbury Jobcentre as an Administrative Officer, part of the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP), handling administrative needs within Universal Credit benefits to customers, who we call claimants. I verify documents, have a discussion with customers to investigate how to best build their resilience and cope with difficult times and I answer any questions they may have.

To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

4/5

I enjoyed the interaction with my work coach and others on the program. Discussion with colleagues of the modules has built a closer team and built trust, which also helps to promote a free flow of information and form and amicable work environment. I have enjoyed expressing my experiences in my current and previous roles and being myself in how I interact with the learning.

Skills Development

Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

4/5

I have actively developed my customer service skills through online training, visiting other departments and attending online lectures on service skills and operational development. This has allowed me to improve the service I provide and identify important touch points on the customer journey to develop. The customer journey is the path of interaction with the DWP brand of values, with the Universal Credit product and the services and contact with myself and other staff. My role is about how I respond to these values, policies and procedures, the affective emotional responses to the product and people, creation of a welcoming and professional environment and engendering positive customer responses to my actions that set the stage and carry through for customers to have a positive engagement with other members of staff.

Structure and Support

How well organised/structured is your programme?

4/5

The program has been well structured in both the Lifetime year-length activities and the department I work for. I have benefited from a very supportive work environment with time set aside for formal training, research and attending online lectures on growing positive work behaviours in customer service delivery and improving customer service in the branch. I have had regular meetings with my Lifetime work coach, the Department of Works and Pensions apprenticeship coach and my line manager to review my work and provide supportive critical development of this.

How much support do you receive from your employer?

4/5

I have received all of the support that I have asked for in study time, opportunities to attend online lectures on career progression and customer service, reviewing regular updates to the benefit service and other online DWP training and also visiting other departments to understand their roles. This is for both possible career progression in those areas and to better understand their needs for improved customer service and communication with those departments.

How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

4/5

I have received great support from my training provider. With regular meetings with my work coach, quick responses on the messaging service and full reviews of my work done so that I can see how I can improve. There has been very good coordination with my manager with direct discussion with them about upcoming activities, work completed and time required.

How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

4/5

The qualification has substantially helped me perform better in my role through raising points to consider in the customer journey of how to improve each touch point that the customers have, which has resulted in my researching and creating handouts on the front information desk signposting customers to information on benefits, informing them of benefit processes and of charity support in the area.

Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

4/5

There are social activities, of fun Fridays before work of quizzes, after-work karaoke, yearly performance day discussing service delivery after a meal and fun activities, yearly breakfast national days such as Valentines day pink and red snacks Christmas drinks and meal evening. These build togetherness, esprit, are a time to relax and contribute to an amicable work environment, care and support for each other and excellent communication.

Recommendations & Advice

Would you recommend Department for Work and Pensions to a friend?

Yes

Why?

There is a wide range of interesting and rewarding careers and a real chance to make a difference in peoples lives. There is a supportive work environment, opportunities to attend courses to develop one's career, and an excellent salary and pension. The apprenticeship promotes one to successfully develop customer service to stand out in one's career and to showcase one's skills in job applications within the benefit service.

What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Department for Work and Pensions?

Be yourself and show that you are the type of person they would like to work with. Be honest about what you enjoy doing and would like to do in the future. Be brave and determined and talk about how your values would support theirs and how your experience, knowledge and skills would enhance the department and an amicable work environment.

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