Corporate report

DfT: gender pay gap report and data 2023

Published 30 November 2023

Executive summary 

Transport is vital to the UK. It brings people, places, communities and lives together. Our aim as the Department for Transport (DfT) is to keep the UK on the move, working with agencies and partners to support the transport network and the business, travel and connections it enables. 

We continue to believe strongly that representing the customers and communities we serve will enable us to provide the best possible transport system to meet their needs. That is why we are committed to increasing our presence in cities across the UK. And it is why we remain absolutely committed to achieving gender balance across the DfT Group. 

In the year to March 2023, the mean gender pay gap (GPG) for the DfT Group remained stable at 10.7% while the median gender pay gap increased slightly by 0.4 percentage points to 13.3%. Positively, the mean gender bonus gap (GBG) moved significantly in favour of women from 7.1% in 2022, to -10.4% in 2023.

The organisations that constitute DfT have different roles and responsibilities, which is reflected in the structure of their workforces. While most of our organisations experienced a positive reduction in GPG, the gap widened at Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and to a lesser extent Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). 

This year, we also report for the first time on our newest executive agency – Active Travel England (ATE). In ATE’s first year, it is showing a significant mean and median GPG, although at the year-end it had still to recruit half of its roles. The positive trend in the award of bonuses was evident in all DFT Group organisations except DVSA where, despite a positive reduction in median GBG (-4.4 percentage points to 12.3%), the mean GBG rose by 1.1 percentage points to 6.8%.  

Historic structural issues continue to impact our gender pay gap – the DVLA, our largest agency, employs thousands of people in Swansea, 60% of whom are women. Numerous roles in this agency are at relatively more junior grades, which contributes to the outcomes in this report. Across the DfT Group, roles that attract additional pay allowances due to market shortages, such as in commercial, engineering and digital, are largely filled by men, reflecting the underrepresentation of women in the wider employment market for these sectors. Addressing the inequity found in such roles is an important challenge that will require long-term systemic action through interventions to attract more women into these professions and roles and widen the recruitment pool.  

We are committed to meaningful and sustained efforts to continue to reduce our GPG. In July 2022, we launched our 3-year group Diversity, inclusion and wellbeing strategy. Examples of actions taken to date include:

• refreshing job advert accessibility and language
• creation of an agency gender pay gap dashboard at DVLA to monitor GPG throughout the year
• engagement with programmes supporting women into historically male-centric professions such as IT and engineering
• successful coaching and mentoring programmes focusing on enabling diverse talent to succeed within our organisation and overcome barriers to progression

We have also seen positive progress in public appointments made by DfT, with women’s representation increasing steadily over the past 4 years, with this year having the highest percentage of women public appointees at 35%.

But we are not complacent: this report demonstrates that we still have considerably further to go. It is essential that we continue to address our GPG and ensure that we attract and develop more women into our highest-paid roles throughout the DfT Group. We are committed to empowering women to achieve their potential, which will make DfT and its agencies an outstanding place for everyone to work and, therefore, ensure our services best meet the needs of the travelling public. 

Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB and Jo Shanmugalingam, Permanent Secretaries 

Introduction

The reporting period for this publication covers 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.  

DfT has prepared this report as part of the legal requirement for public authorities to publish its gender pay gap (GPG) on an annual basis. The report outlines DfT’s strategy to improve the GPG, as well as providing examples of some of the actions currently being undertaken.  

What is the legislative requirement?  

In 2017, the government introduced world-leading legislation that made it statutory for organisations with 250 or more employees to report annually on their GPG.  

Government departments are covered by the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017, which came into force on 31 March 2017.  

These regulations underpin the Public Sector Equality Duty and require relevant organisations to annually publish their GPG by 30 March. This includes the:  

• mean and median GPG based on basic pay

• mean and median GBGs for the 12 months ending 31 March 2023

• proportion of men and women who received bonuses in the 12 months ending 31 March 2023

• proportions of men and women in each pay quartile

Organisational context  

Our structure  

DfT comprises a core ministerial department and 5 executive agencies:

• DfTc
• DVLA
• Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)
• Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA)
• ATE  

We employ around 16,385 staff and over 100 non-payroll workers. We have a diverse workforce occupying a wide range of roles from policy developers to critical frontline services, such as the air, marine and rail accident investigation branches, driving examiners, coastguards, engineers and marine surveyors.  

Across DfT, we have over 25 professions, which range across all grades including the Senior Civil Service (SCS). The GPG report 2023 is based on data drawn from across DfT Group.  

Our approach  

We are committed to meaningful and sustained efforts to continue to reduce our GPG. In July 2022, we launched our 3-year group DfT diversity, inclusion and wellbeing strategy, which focuses on delivering against 4 priorities to create and sustain a welcoming, healthy and supportive workplace that can attract, develop and retain a diverse workforce and deliver better outcomes for all citizens.  

The priorities are:  

• representing the communities we serve – recruiting from a diverse pool that reflects the various communities we serve and providing opportunities to progress locally

• being confidently inclusive – fostering a healthy and supportive culture where colleagues feel confident bringing the full range of their background, experiences and skills to work

• maximising potential for all – creating an empowering environment where everyone feels a sense of connection with the DfT and sees opportunities to thrive and develop their careers

• building a transport network that works for everyone – making our transport system safer, more inclusive and better for all users

Gender pay gap report 

GPG is a high-level snapshot of pay within an organisation and measures the difference in average pay between men and women in a workforce. Specifically, this is the amount that, on average, men are paid compared to women. Thus, a positive GPG value indicates men are paid more than women while a negative GPG value indicates that women are paid more than men. If a workforce has a particularly large GPG, this can indicate there may be one or more issues driving disparity in an organisation’s structure or policies. 

In contrast, ‘equal pay’ is a more specific legal concept that deals with the pay differences between men and women carrying out comparable jobs. Men and women in comparable jobs are normally entitled to the same pay unless an employer can show differences in pay are justified legally.

This report analyses DfT Group GPG figures in more detail, makes comparisons with our previous data where relevant and sets out what we are doing to close the gap. 

2023 headline figures: DfT Group gender pay gap 

The GPG analysis presents the difference in average, mean and median, hourly pay between all men and women in the workforce. An hourly rate comparison is used to look at the pay gap as this allows for the consideration of both full-time and part-time workers.  

The salary data used for the 2023 GPG reporting is based on employees in post on 31 March 2023, as well as bonus pay for the month of March 2023 only. The reporting on the GBG includes all bonuses awarded between 1 April 2022 and 31 March 2023.  

• DfT Group mean gender pay gap has not changed since 2022, remaining at 10.7%

• DfT Group median gender pay gap has increased by 0.4% percentage points since 2022, from 12.9% to 13.3%

Table 1: mean and median GPG for DfT Group 

	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Mean	13.8%	15.2%	7.8%	10.7%	10.7%
Median	13.8%	13.0%	5.8%	12.9%	13.3%

DfTc and the executive agencies gender pay gap 

The GPG regulations require DfT to include its 5 executive agencies in the published figures. The data included in this report include DfTc (the central department excluding its agencies), DVLA, DVSA, MCA, VCA and ATE. DVSA has historically had the lowest mean GPG in DfT Group and this trend has continued this year.

Table 2: Mean GPG for DfTc and each executive agency, 2019 to 2023 

Business unit	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
DfTc	7.9%	6.6%	6.1%	6.6%	5.2%
DVLA	14.6%	14.8%	10.3%	14.4%	16.3%
DVSA	6.3%	6.5%	2.8%	2.0%	2.3%
MCA	19.4%	15.5%	18.0%	15.6%	8.8%
VCA	23.5%	27.4%	27.8%	27.5%	27.5%
ATE	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	17.30%

Note: ATE was formally established as an executive agency in August 2022 (data for earlier years is unavailable) 

Table 3: Median GPG for DfTc and each executive agency, 2019 to 2023 

Business unit	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
DfTc	9.7%	7.7%	7.2%	11.7%	9.0%
DVLA	7.4%	3.3%	0.0%	7.9%	16.0%
DVSA	4.4%	3.2%	3.3%	4.2%	8.2%
MCA	13.8%	15.5%	14.2%	14.2%	3.9%
VCA	28.1%	31.3%	30.3%	28.6%	30.3%
ATE	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	9.20%

Note: Active Travel England was formally established as an executive agency in August 2022 (data for earlier years is unavailable) 

DfT Group gender bonus gap 

In 2023, the average GBG for DfT Group between men and women was reversed in both mean and median terms, so that the GBG was negative. This means at the mean and median level, women in DfT Group get higher bonuses than men (see Table 4 ).  

Table 4: mean and median GBG for DfT Group 

	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Mean	17.0%	-3.2%	-0.4%	7.1%	-10.4
Median	15.0%	-7.3%	-3.4%	8.5%	-11.7%

Proportion of men and women receiving a bonus 

In the 12 months ending 31 March 2023, a higher proportion of women than men in DfT Group received a bonus:

• female: 90%
• male: 85%    

Analysis of pay gap 

Summary

There is a higher proportion of men in DfT Group and in all constituent organisations except DVLA compared to women.

Women are proportionally more represented at lower grades (AA-AO in particular) and men at higher grades (SEO and above).

There are higher proportions of men in the top 3 pay quartiles and a higher proportion of women in the bottom pay quartile.

Comparing this year to last year, the GBG has shifted more in favour of women in each organisation compared to last year except DVSA, which had a very small shift favouring men in their mean GBG (1 percentage point) and a shift favouring women in their median GBG.

There are higher proportions of men in most specialist roles. Many of these roles in DfT offer additional pay allowances due to market skill shortages, unsociable working hours or travel involved in the role.

The percentage of men and women employed across DfT 

Overall, there are more men (54%) employed across DfT Group, except DVLA, which has a higher proportion of women (60%) in its workforce. DVLA has most of its roles at grades AA (administrative assistant) to AO (administrative officer), which are mostly delivered by women. 

Chart 1: Proportion of men and women in DfT Group and each of its constituent organisations 

DfT Group and agencies	Men	Women
DfT group	54%	46%
ATE	57%	43%
VCA	62%	38%
MCA	62%	38%
DVSA	69%	31%
DVLA	40%	60%
DfT excluding agencies	55%	45%

The percentage of men and women in different grades across DfT 

A higher proportion of the women working at DfT Group (43%) work in junior roles (AA to AO) compared to men (27%). These figures are similar to figures from 2022. This means there are more women being paid at the lower hourly rates in DfT Group. A high proportion of the workforce in DVLA and DVSA, the 2 largest organisations, are grades AA to AO. 

Chart 2: Distribution of men and women by grade (DfT Group) 

Grade	Men	Women
SCS	2%	1%
G7/6	15%	12%
HEO/SEO	27%	23%
EO	29%	20%
AA/AO	27%	43%

Proportion of men and women at each pay quartile across DfT Group 

The percentage of women in the first (lowest) quartile has remained at 66% in the past 2 years and the percentage of women the second quartile has remained at 39%. The percentage of women at the third quartile has decreased from 40% in 2022 to 38% in 2023 and the percentage of women in the fourth (upper) quartile has increased from 38% to 39% since 2022. 

Chart 3: Proportion of men and women in each pay quartile (DfT Group) 

Pay quartile	Men	Women
First (lower)	34%	66%
Second	61%	39%
Third	63%	38%
Fourth (upper)	61%	39%

Table 5: Percentage of women in each pay quartile at DfTc and each executive agency 

Reporting organisation(s)	Lower	Lower middle	Upper middle	Upper
DfTc	49%	46%	43%	41%
DVLA	71%	64%	60%	43%
DVSA	46%	25%	23%	29%
MCA	43%	42%	39%	25%

Technical Note: VCA and ATE are suppressed due to small numbers 

Specialist and technical roles and professions – proportion of men and women 

DfT Group staff work in a variety of job roles across the country. Due to the nature of the work DfT carries out, many roles require technical or specialist expertise or significant prior experience. Examples of these types of roles may include mechanics, engineers, pilots or ship’s captain positions in fields that have historically been dominated by men. This is reflected across the UK. 

Many of these roles in DfT offer additional pay allowances due to market skill shortages, unsociable working hours or travel involved in the role. These roles reflect a wider pattern across the transport sector. 

These factors may influence DfT’s ability to recruit and retain women, as we are sourcing candidates from a narrow talent pool with a high proportion of men. Women are more likely to be primary childcare providers for children and carers for relatives with health conditions or disabilities. This may have an impact on the opportunity of women to apply for these types of positions, as the roles may require long working hours, shift flexibility incompatible with other responsibilities and for the postholders to be able to travel frequently to undertake the duties of the roles, such as conducting tests or auditing results from examinations.

When evaluating DfT technical roles, historically about 9 in 10 posts have been held by male staff. Examples of these roles are type approval engineers and compliance engineers in VCA, marine surveyors in MCA, and vehicle examiners in DVSA. The potential impact on the GPG is substantial, as new starters into these roles, who are predominantly men, will join DfT on a higher salary compared to women in DfT, who are in non-specialist roles at the equivalent grade. To begin to address this, executive agencies publish vacancies on specific websites such as Women in Tech.

Though hiring into the new agency ATE is only 50% complete, recruitment into science and engineering and project delivery professions initially saw more success for male than female applicants. While more technical roles in this agency are heavily weighted towards males than females (70:30), 67% of those in the most senior grade (Grade 6) are women. ATE GPG reporting should be considered with caution because their staff numbers are below the reporting threshold for a stable, reliable GPG.

DfTc has decreased both its mean and median GPG since last year. Women were paid more in bonuses relative to men in the DfTc in 2023 than in previous years. In addition, there were more women in SCS roles than in the previous year (a 5% increase in the number of women in SCS roles from 2022). However, there are still slightly more men than women in SCS roles, as well as in G6 and G7 roles. To further reduce the GPG at the DfTc, further plans to improve recruitment and retention of women in G7, G6 and SCS roles are needed.

More allowances were paid at DVLA, which had a significant impact on the GPG. Thirty more staff had received allowances in 2022 to 2023 than in 2021 to 2022. Seven of the allowances went to women, with the remaining 23 being allocated to men. Further to this, DVLA saw an overall headcount reduction of 2.5%. Sixty-one per cent of all leavers were female.

Analysis of DVSA’s gender breakdown by grade indicates a greater number of female employees at HEO and G7 levels than last year, and 66% of DVSA’s SCS are female. However, there has been a proportional increase in the number of male colleagues at AO and EO grades, in roles such as vehicle standards assessors. These roles are the ones most likely to attract technical allowances, which have had a negative impact on the agency’s GPG.

MCA has seen a significant increase in women at senior grades SEO and above, which has been a consistent change since 2015.

Looking at professions that cut across the central department and agencies, some have a much higher proportion of men. For example, 71% of digital, data and technology (DDAT) roles in DfT Group are held by men. Some professions also have salary ranges that are above the standard pay band, as well as other allowances.  

Chart 4: Gender distribution by profession (DfT Group) 

Job role	Men	Women
Science and engineering	80%	20%
Digital, data and technology	71%	29%
Economics	68%	32%
Security	67%	33%
Counter fraud	64%	36%
Other	58%	43%
Communications	47%	53%
Operational research	40%	60%
Planning	38%	62%
Medicine	31%	69%
Human resources	27%	73%
Social research	21%	79%

DfT gender bonus pay gap

The mean and median GBG shifted more toward favouring women this year compared to last year in all reported agencies. The largest shift in the mean GBG was seen in DVLA this year (14.8 percentage point decrease in their mean GBG), followed by MCA (13.5 percentage point shift in favour of women).   

Table 6: Mean GBG for DfTc and each executive agency 

Business unit	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
DfTc	-1.3%	-3.1%	0.0%	0.7%	-6.6%
DVLA	16.1%	11.0%	14.5%	23.9%	9.1%
DVSA	19.5%	14.0%	-6.2%	5.7%	6.8%
MCA	3.6%	3.4%	-9.3%	-4.2%	-17.7%
VCA	43.9%	8.3%	n/a	n/a	n/a
ATE	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Technical note: VCA and ATE are suppressed due to small numbers (fewer than 250 people). Also, ATE did not exist as an executive agency prior to August 2022. 

Table 7: Median GBG for DfTc and each executive agency 

Business unit	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
DfTc	-6.2%	-9.1%	0.0%	0.0%	-9.1%
DVLA	16.6%	18.2%	17.1%	20.2%	12.9%
DVSA	-11.1%	21.0%	-13.6%	16.7%	12.3%
MCA	0.0%	-6.5%	-62.2%	0.0%	-16.7%
VCA	43.6%	13.3%	n/a	n/a	n/a
ATE	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Technical note: VCA and ATE are suppressed due to small numbers (fewer than 250 people). Also, ATE did not exist as an executive agency prior to August 2022. 

DfT moved to an in-year reward bonus policy called local recognition awards (LRAs) in 2018. The policy is designed to allow managers and staff to nominate and offer awards for a wide range of activities and behaviours relevant to local business priorities throughout the year. As a result, it is expected that there would be variation year on year on how bonuses influence the GBG.   

The mean and median GBG decreased for all organisations except DVSA, where the mean GPG increased very slightly but the median GBG decreased. Previous analysis has found that higher amounts tend to be awarded to those in higher grades. 

Targeted action to reduce and close the gender pay gap 

What DfT has done since 2022 to address our GPG

As a department: 

1. Our pay awards cover the whole DfT Group. We have focused our 2022 to 2023 and 2023 to 2024 delegated grade pay awards on reducing specific pay ranges and targeting higher awards to staff in the lowest grades and those nearer to their pay range minimum.  We will factor how this affects staff covered by the 2010 Equality Act by monitoring diversity-related demographics.

2. DfTc continued delivery of the existing parental coaching offer, which supports those taking parental leave to return to DfTc smoothly and efficiently. Twenty colleagues were supported through this programme in total. DfTc also continued to actively promote departmental and cross-government talent schemes, specifically targeting women in areas where they are under-represented, through staff networks. The job advert template and diversity statement were refreshed to ensure they are accessible and inclusive. The LRA policy in DfTc is also being reviewed and digitalised. This will provide higher-quality data on the distribution of awards to enable us to take targeted actions.

3. DVLA has taken action to address disparities in certain historically male-dominant professions. Notably, female representation within the IT team increased from 2% to 29.4% and this team was a successful winner of a Women in IT Award for 2023. DVLA’s MentorMe cohort targeted part-time staff and those with caring responsibilities – evaluation of this event indicates that one-third of the 21 participants were promoted.

4. In addition, DVLA secured 48 spaces for a Women into Leadership programme and piloted a New Futures event in April 2023 to create a positive perception of technology and remove perceived gender barriers associated with science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers for women. A successful ‘Not just for boys’ event saw DVLA host an interactive event for girls aged 11 to 13 to promote digital skills and careers. A new exit survey at DVLA continues to monitor staff leaver data with an increased focus on protected characteristics such as gender, and a gender pay gap dashboard enables the agency to monitor GPG throughout the year and complete project GPG impact assessments.

5. DVSA has established a series of diversity targets to increase the number of female colleagues employed within the agency. A DVSA Board Champion, senior leaders and colleague stakeholder groups are collaborating on initiatives to attract and recruit more female colleagues and other underrepresented colleague groups. The agency has also continued to recruit women into the vehicle testing profession through the VSA apprenticeship scheme.

6. In addition, DVSA has continued to support female colleagues with their career development through an internal leadership development programme. Thirteen female colleagues participated in the Women into Leadership development programme and 5 went on to gain a promotion having completed the programme. The organisation has also launched a new domestic abuse policy and promoted guidance for all colleagues on best practice support for any colleague living with or with experience of domestic abuse.

7. MCA implemented a robust and fair job evaluation process with job descriptions written in plain English using inclusive language, as well as ensuring gender diversity on recruitment panels. All recruitment champions continue to be trained in inclusive recruitment as well as providing targeted development opportunities, open to all and assigned on merit. MCA improved the benefits package available to staff, promoted a successful caring platform and rolled out toolkits on a variety of topics including shared parental leave and other family-friendly policies.

8. VCA offered places on a Crossing Thresholds event to women across the agency and information around this was presented in the organisation’s Team Brief. Attendance at several higher education career fairs by VCA focused on building interest in job opportunities in VCA’s engineering profession for female students approaching graduation. Current employees highlighted the work undertaken by the agency and how a work-home life balance could be supported while performing the role. In addition, VCA updated its job advert template to ensure that it was accessible and inclusive for all potential applicants.

How DfT will address these figures with the aim of narrowing and closing the gap 

We are committed to ensuring that women working at DfT are given equal opportunities.

As this report represents the first reporting cycle for ATE, baseline figures for comparative purpose will be established so progress can be measured in future once recruitment to full headcount is closer to completion.

As part of our diversity, inclusion and wellbeing strategy, we will take action to close the GPG under each of these headings:

Representing the communities we serve

ATE will identify opportunities to work with central government programmes and external partners to bring in diverse talent, as well as continue to be committed to flexible working both as a reasonable adjustment and to support staff with caring responsibilities.

DfTc will explore implementation of women-focused marketing campaigns and creating online spaces to specifically target the attraction and recruitment of women living in places for growth locations, such as Leeds and Birmingham.

DVLA will continue to extend the employability skills programme to work within local communities to give individuals the confidence and skills to overcome recruitment barriers, including extending reach at the new Birmingham DVLA site. DVLA will continue to work with local educational establishments to encourage women into the IT profession and update the DVLA career site and promotional materials. DVLA will introduce targeted adverts and cohort-specific talent programmes aimed at addressing gender and ethnicity representation.

DVSA will share learning from the DfT part-time and job share recruitment guide for the benefit of all DVSA employees and identify suitable roles for Going Forward into Employment (GFiE), for technical roles that generate additional allowances. Although not specifically for women, it is anticipated this will present additional opportunities to redress the gender imbalance in the agency’s headcount. DVSA will also scope a recruitment pilot outreach scheme to promote and encourage more gender and ethnic minority background diversity. Continuing the work with DRG (DfT Resourcing Group) on scrutinising the agency’s attraction/recruitment processes and reviewing its bank of success profiles model questions, DVSA intends to ensure any gender bias is eliminated.

MCA will redesign attraction and branding strategies to ensure they are wide-reaching, using inclusive language. By collaborating with communication teams, female-focused development stories and opportunities will be shared and existing success at senior levels championed to build enthusiasm for further growth. A united networks board, chaired by MCA’s chief executive operator, will ensure MCA’s staff networks groups have visibility and a voice at the senior level.

VCA will attend recruitment fairs and university open days for technical roles to support the agency in attracting applicants from diverse talent pools. VCA employees from diverse backgrounds will attend these, providing insight as to who the VCA are, what a typical day looks like in the role and how family-friendly policies, such as maternity leave and flexible working, encourage wellbeing and work-life balance for staff.

Being confidently inclusive

In addition to drawing upon the DfT ‘Managing Inclusion and Wellbeing’ learning offer, ATE will make menopause awareness training mandatory for all managers.

DfTc plans to implement refreshed ‘Managing Inclusion and Wellbeing’ modules as part of the wider line management capability offer, aimed primarily at new managers with an online refresher offer under development for experienced managers. The modules aim to create inclusive workplaces that consider and support individual needs, for example, those with caring responsibilities. Further to this, the DfTc Inclusive Policy and Benchmarking actions will include a review of the guidance for carers with a potential positive impact on women, who are more likely to hold these responsibilities. DfTc’s flexible working policy will also be reviewed in line with changes to legislation.

DVLA will launch a new coaching and mentoring programme and explore opportunities to target support to those returning from parental leave such as maternity and career breaks. The programme will explore culture and wellbeing training and learning opportunities for all staff, including business in the community sessions for staff aged 50 and over focusing on finance, wellbeing and careers. There will be continued collaboration between DVLA’s Health and Wellbeing team, the Gender Equality subgroup, and DVLA’s menopause groups to further explore menopause support, including awareness-raising webinars and the development of a menopause toolkit.

DVSA will continue to offer the Women into Leadership development programme to increase the number of women in leadership roles, as well as continue the analysis of allowances, LRAs and promotions/downgrading to eliminate bias and identify unwanted trends that could negatively impact the female colleague experience. DVSA will also seek to further promote job share in senior roles, providing opportunities for those who are primary carers.

MCA will review the inclusion training offer to ensure it continues to promote an inclusive culture and working practices to build on the progress already made. It will work with operational areas of the organisation to implement flexible working options to support staff to have better work-life balance and career opportunities. MCA will also work with the internal carers network to achieve accreditation through the Carers Confident scheme.

VCA will continue to ensure that 90% of roles are advertised as part-time to support applicants applying for roles within the agency who have childcare or caring responsibilities.

Maximising potential for all

ATE will develop career pathways for key agency professions to ensure everyone has a clear route to achieving promotion.

DfTc commits to providing 15 places on the parental coaching programme in 2023 to 2024. DfTc will also launch career pathways resources in our Talent and Career Management Hub to promote and enhance career conversations and personal development plans, highlighting a range of career journeys across all levels and disciplines. The plans to continue promoting and encouraging participation in internal and cross-government talent schemes, particularly among those from under-represented groups with the support of our employee staff networks.

DVLA will continue to build on the career frameworks in place, with the end goal of an agency-wide framework for staff to consider their careers across the different professions in DVLA. They will launch a new internal recruitment hub and enhance opportunities to improve awareness of internal opportunities. The launch of a new apprenticeship strategy will focus on increasing uptake of qualifications in leadership development, accountancy, procurement and a variety of IT-related programmes, including qualifications at degree level. This strategy will include an enhanced pastoral package to support staff undertaking an apprenticeship with a new apprentice support network and dedicated mentor, as well as guidance for line managers on how to provide support for an apprentice.

DVSA will continue the promotion of all development schemes, mentoring and coaching, particularly with underrepresented groups within the workforce. The digital degree apprenticeship academy is due to go live this year and DVSA will review the diversity of candidates who apply. DVSA is exploring signing up to the Menopause Pledge to ensure the agency continues to be an inclusive employer for all current and future employees.

MCA will continue to run talent programmes at all levels within the organisation to enable MCA top talent to progress through the organisation and work with line managers to ensure talent is recognised in consistent manner.

VCA will continue to support Civil Service schemes, such as Crossing Thresholds, supporting female employees in accessing mentoring to discuss their career goals and ambitions and how to achieve them. In addition, VCA will launch a talent management page on the intranet to support employees on how to have a career conversation and create development plans with their line managers.

As a department, DfTc will also continue to leverage all opportunities within annual pay awards to move all staff up their pay ranges (where applicable) and shorten pay ranges. 

Declaration 

We confirm that data reported by the Department for Transport is accurate and has been calculated according to the requirements and methodology set out in the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017. 

Dame Bernadette Kelly DCB and Jo Shanmugalingam, Permanent Secretaries