The UK Cabinet Office has announced that the government is to recruit 2,500 tech and digital roles through new apprenticeships and talent programmes.

A new digital apprenticeship programme will kick off the skills drive through the recruitment of 500 early career entrants into digital roles across the government within this financial year. The government has said the new talent will work in the most in demand data and technology roles, such as cyber security and software development.

The further 2,000 positions will be made up of 1,300 additional digital apprenticeship programme roles and 700 roles created through an expansion of existing departmental digital programmes, such as the Software Developer Programme.

The launch of a new Digital Secondments Programme scheme is also now open for applications, in an effort to attract some of the UK’s top tech talent to make the move from the private to the public sector.

The move comes in response to Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin’s plans to modernise and reform the civil service.

Alex Burghart, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, said, “We want the next generation of tech talent to be able to learn their trade helping government to make services better for the public.

“These apprenticeships are going to build great new digital careers and capabilities both in Whitehall and across the country.”

The recently published update to the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) has outlined a new framework for the government’s use of generative AI, as the UK is set to host the first AI Summit in November.

The CDDO has also introduced a requirement for departments using ooutdated IT systems to modernise technology in order to save government – and the taxpayer ­– time and money.