Apprentice HGV Mechanic/MOT Tester

Job summary

Do you want to build a career making a difference to road safety in Great Britain?

Would you like to gain an industry recognised qualification and earn while you learn?

If so, we'd love to hear from you!

We are looking for people who have an interest in vehicle mechanics and want to build a career with us. Once you have completed your apprenticeship we will look to offer you a permanent role as an HGV MOT tester. This role comes with great career opportunities. This could be promotion into specialist approvals, working roadside as a vehicle examiner or into a management role. Your career in DVSA and where you go with us is up to you – but we will support you all the way – including further training opportunities.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) helps keep Britain moving, safely and sustainably. We do this by helping people through a lifetime of safe and sustainable journeys, helping them keep their vehicles safe to drive, and protecting them from unsafe drivers and vehicles.

You will complete the Level 3 Heavy Vehicle Service and Maintenance Technician Apprenticeship. This is a three year apprenticeship. Click here to find out more about it. We expect enrolment for this apprenticeship to be in November 2026 and applicants will need to be available to start then.

This role is a Fixed Term appointment for a maximum length of three years; there will be a possibility of becoming a permanent Vehicle Standards Assessor/MOT Tester once the apprenticeship has been completed.

There is a physical nature to the role, which will require climbing up into larger vehicles to inspect the inside. There is also a need to climb in and out of a pit to inspect the underside.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at DVSA Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

1. Gain practical experience repairing and maintaining heavy goods vehicles. This is undertaken via a work placement at a third-party workshop. Please note: some workshops might be an hour away from the advertised location.
2. Spend time away from home; this involves attending college for 8 blocks per year, lasting one week each, to work towards a qualification in heavy goods vehicle repair and maintenance. This is a mandatory part of the role.
3. Typically, spend one to two days a week shadowing a Vehicles Standards Assessor mentor at third party testing facilities. Here you will learn the various processes and routines used in vehicle testing. This will be your full-time role on completion of the apprenticeship.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile.

Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Open Sessions:

To find out more about the job and to get some advice on the application process, please join us at one of our virtual events where you will also have an opportunity to ask questions. You can register for an event here. There are a number of DVSA events scheduled, so please be sure to select one of the Apprentice Vehicle Standards Assessor events. A current apprentice will be at the event to give practical insight.

Person specification

Essential qualifications/licenses:

1. Hold a Full UK Driving Licence at the point of application
2. If you are under 19 years of age, you’ll need GCSE grade C/4+ in Maths and English (or equivalent) or be willing to take these subjects as functional skills during the apprenticeship

You will be required to provide evidence that you hold any qualifications/licenses at some point during the recruitment process. If you cannot provide evidence, your application will be withdrawn.

You have an interest in road safety, as well as mechanics and have a great eye for detail.

You have excellent communication skills with the ability to adapt your delivery to suit a wide variety of audiences.

You will be highly organised and possess excellent analytical skills.

Within this role you will be working towards a Level 3 qualification in Heavy Goods and Vehicle Maintenance. You will also be learning how to conduct MOT tests on lorries and buses to set you up for your future career with us.

Additional Information

To be eligible for this apprenticeship, you must:

• Be aged 18or over (this is due to the requirement for driving on business and overnight stays).
• Have the right to work in the UK.
• Not be in full-time education.
• Hold a full UK Driving Licence at the point of application.
• Not be in receipt of funding for other learning programmes at the point of enrolment for this apprenticeship.
• Have valid and eligible residency status and be resident in the UK for 3 years before the start of the apprenticeship. Full eligibility details can be found at Annex A. If you are not sure if you meet the residency requirements then please contact us before applying.

If you currently hold or are working towards a similar qualification of the same level or higher, then you will not be eligible to apply for this vacancy. In order to be eligible for our apprenticeship vacancy, any qualifications previously held or currently being worked towards must differ in content so that this apprenticeship provides substantial new skills. Additionally you must not already be over-qualified or over-experienced in this type of work.

If you apply and are found to possess the above: your application will not be considered; any offer of employment will be withdrawn, and your contract will be terminated.

Operational Delivery Profession (ODP) is the largest and most diverse professional community across the Civil Service. Many of us will have an association with several professional communities or specialisms, ODP applies to all public facing roles / or a role that is primarily aligned to supporting the work of those with public facing roles. All critical to the delivery of UK public services.

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

This role is full time only. Applicants who wish to work an alternative pattern are welcome to apply however your preferred working pattern may not be available and you should discuss this with the vacancy holder before applying. Full-time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

For this role there is a business requirement for the successful candidates to be available to work a minimum of 37 hours per week.

This role is not suitable for hybrid working and will require the successful candidate to work solely from their designated workplace (one of the locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, from other offices/work locations/visiting stakeholders.

Due to the nature of the role, you will be expected to drive on DVSA business. You will be provided with a fully insured and taxed lease car, which is for both work and personal use. Other running costs are also covered. You can also have up to two additional drivers use the vehicle.

This role will require a lot of travel, potentially covering a wide geographical area.

We recommend you are within 30-45 minutes travel time of your chosen location as you will be required to travel to a number of third-party sites within that area. Travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.

If you have a question about flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that we do not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker Licence sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship. Candidates must ensure they have the appropriate rights to work in the UK before application.

Licences

Hold a Full UK Driving Licence at the point of application

Qualifications

If you are under 19 years of age, you’ll need GCSE grade C/4+ in Maths and English (or equivalent) or be willing to take these subjects as functional skills during the apprenticeship.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service

Benefits

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here

• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).

• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.

• Access to the staff discount portal.

• Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
• Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Find out more about the benefits of working at DfT and its agencies (opens in a new window).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths, Ability and Experience.

How to apply:

Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's qualifications, skills, and potential fit within our organisation.

The selection process for this role will be:

Stage 1: Online test

Stage 2: Sift of personal statement

Stage 3: Interview

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

Stage 1: Online test

At this stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

1. Ability

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Verbal Test If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application.

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended) to give yourself enough time to complete your full application (please see ‘stage 2: sift’ for further information). Both the online test and the full application(Sift) must be completed by the closing date on the advert, otherwise your application will be withdrawn.

The closing date is 23:55pm on 6th July 2026. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

Please note, there is planned maintenance on our systems on 21 June - midday to 1pm and
28 June - 4pm to midnight. It is advisable not to complete the test during these times.

Stage 2: Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Experience – you will be asked to provide a personal statement (750-word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following:

1. Demonstrable experience of where you have been highly organised

2. Demonstrable experience of where you have communicated effectively with a range of people

3. How your skills and experience will enable you to succeed in a career as an MOT Tester

The sift will take place on 07 July 2026.

Stage 3: Interview

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours – Delivering at Pace, Communicating and Influencing, Managing a Quality Service
• Strengths

The interviews will take place between 20 July 2026 - 07 August 2026.

This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. There may be occasions when these dates will change.

Further information on the selection process

For more information about how we hire, useful tips on submitting your application and interview guidance for this role, visit theHow We Hire page of our DfT Careers website. You can find detailed information about the recruitment process and what to expect when applying for a role.

During your application, you should indicate which location network you wish to be considered for and, if successful, you will be placed on a merit list of candidates for that network. Job offers in each network will be made in merit order from that group. Please see the Location Network list attached.

We will also hold a 12-month reserve list for this role, which may lead to potential opportunities beyond the role you applied for. You can read more about our reserve lists here.

Should we receive a high volume of quality applications, we may invite a shortlist of the highest scoring candidates to interview. This means that some applications that meet the required standard could be placed ‘on hold’ after the sift and invited to interview if the vacant position(s) remain unfilled. You will be notified if your application is being put ‘on hold’ once the sift has been completed. Following interviews, any applicants remaining on hold will be notified by the panel of the next steps regarding their application.

Reasonable Adjustments

As a Disability Confident Leader employer, we are committed to ensuring that the recruitment process is fair, accessible and allows all candidates to perform at their best. If a person with a visible or non-visible disability is substantially disadvantaged, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need during the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at an interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you need a reasonable adjustment so that you can complete your application, you should contact Government Recruitment Service via dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Document Accessibility

This job advert contains links to the DfT Careers website. Our website provides useful guidance and information that can support you during the application process. If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert or the information on our website, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

Pre-employment Checking

If your application is successful but you have been dismissed from the Civil Service, your application could be removed at the pre-employment checking stage depending on the nature of the dismissal.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

All External applicants and current employees of accredited non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be required to undergo a Social Media Check. A Social Media Check is a review of your publicly available online activity, typically across platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and others. The purpose is to identify any public posts or content that could raise concerns for employers, such as:

Hate speech or discriminatory behaviour

Threats or acts of violence

Illegal activity or substance misuse

Sexually explicit material

Extremist views or affiliations

Importantly, this check does not involve hacking into your accounts or accessing private messages. It only considers content you have chosen to make public. Employers use this kind of screening to help ensure their workplace remains safe, inclusive, and aligned with company values. It’s not about judging your personality or lifestyle—it’s about checking for potential red flags that might affect the role or company culture. If you have questions or concerns about the social media check, we would be happy to explain in more detail what’s being looked at and how your data is handled securely and fairly.

Feedback

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Simon Jackson
• Email : Frontline.Recruitment@dvsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: dftrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website Here

Attachments

Role Profile Opens in new window (pdf, 160kB)