Civil Service Careers

What do we do at DfE?

At our heart, we are the department for realising potential.

We work to provide children’s services, education and skills training that ensures opportunity is equal for all, no matter background, family circumstances, or need.

We enable children and learners to thrive, by protecting the vulnerable and ensuring the delivery of excellent standards of education, training and care. This helps realise everyone’s potential – and that powers our economy, strengthens society, and increases fairness.

A girl wearing protective goggles, holding a model of molecules

We are a ministerial department supported by 18 agencies and public bodies and non-ministerial departments. Our staff are based at our ministerial offices in London and in a number of other locations around England. We work closely with:

National and local agencies who look after children
Local authorities
Professionals who work in schools and further and higher education institutions, children’s services, and health services

“At the DfE you feel part of a big family and are supported in your personal life as well as in your career ambitions.”

James – HR Apprentice and Reporting Lead

Our departments priorities include:

driving economic growth through improving the skills pipeline, levelling up productivity and supporting people to work
levelling up education standards so that children and young people in every part of the country are prepared with the knowledge, skills, and qualifications they need
supporting the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people through high-quality local services so that no-one is left behind
providing the best start in life through high-quality early education and childcare to raise standards and help parents to work