The secret world of national security tech

‘James Bond’ is often the name people utter when they first hear about the work of HMGCC – His Majesty’s Government Communications Centre. But there is no fictional super-spy at HMGCC. A pioneer in national security engineering, its work is very real, confidential in nature, vital to the country’s safety, and far flung from fiction.

More dramatic is the rapid progress in areas ranging from AI to intelligence gathering and cyber, which can pose both threats and opportunities to those working in national security.

For this reason, HMGCC has accelerated its drive to draw in fresh, new talent through its doors, as well as creating opportunities to work more openly with academia and industry.

Part of the draw of working for HMGCC is that you can do work that you cannot do anywhere else. When national security organisations need a tool or technology to support a piece of work – whether that is a gadget to help with intelligence collection, or a secure communications system to help government operatives stay safe in potentially dangerous locations – HMGCC will imagine, create and craft solutions to help this happen.

At its Hanslope Park site, just outside Milton Keynes, it has an expansive campus complete with buildings full of high-tech kit for carrying out specialist functions. Its staff includes hundreds of engineers, scientists, technologists, CAD designers, and cyber experts (to mention just some of the roles) – all tested to the limit every day in their work for national security. 

“The key for us in staying ahead of the swift pace of technological advancement is the talent we can attract into our organisation,” explains HMGCC’s CEO, George Williamson. “We do this in a number of ways: running apprenticeships, holding regular rounds of recruitment, and drawing on expertise from external sources such as universities and industry.

“We create amazing tools and technologies here at HMGCC. So many of the people who come to work for us are those who enjoy the creative aspect of engineering, solving unique problems and, at the same time, doing all of this work for the good of national safety.”

The apprenticeship route

One method used for continuing to attract a new generation of engineers and technologists is apprenticeships. HMGCC is now marking 10 years since the launch of its successful apprenticeship programme, with hundreds of new engineers and technologists having successfully passed through HMGCC’s on-the-job training.

Apprenticeships at HMGCC are currently run in software development, IT, electronics, production engineering, and electronics assembly, with applications invited from September. They are aimed at those aged 18 and over.

The organisation’s Head of Recruitment, Sam, explains: “In software, for example, we recruit people from apprentice level to graduates. One major benefit of our apprenticeships is our on-the-job support. People can join us thinking there is an expectation that they need to know it all, but our organisation is brilliant at transferring knowledge and making sure people can learn those key skills.”

She continues: “You can be yourself in this organisation, you don’t have to be something you are not. Diversity is important to us and people come to us from all walks of life. 

“Apprentices with HMGCC find they are making a difference while learning – they really have a chance to make a difference while taking on all of these new skills.”

For many HMGCC apprentices, this opportunity can lead to a lasting career with the organisation. Currently more than 90% of apprentices stay on to continue their work as full members of staff – after having been interviewed and following a recruitment process.

Apprenticeships are fully funded by HMGCC and include the opportunity to gain several accredited, professional qualifications. Salaries start at £21,116, which goes up each year of the apprenticeship, subject to passing the year.

HMGCC also participates in the government’s student bursary and development scheme for undergraduates, known as CyberFirst. This gives participants the opportunity to receive an annual bursary, paid summer internships and the potential for three years of employment. The scheme covers a range of activities that give people the support, skills and experience in the world of cybersecurity. 

Software engineering with a purpose

It was 10 years ago when Holly became one of the first apprentices to walk through the doors of HMGCC – a mysterious place she had previously known little about. Aged just 19 at the time, Holly had a flair for technology and she was keen to find out how she could discover more about the alternatives to university.

A decade later, she is a fully fledged employee and hasn’t looked back. She soon found out why Hanslope Park, home to HMGCC, was such an unknown entity – with the focus of its work on providing tools and technologies to support the organisations working in national security.

She also found out that the kind of projects she could now work on would not be the types of challenges she would face anywhere else. Now working as a software tester in security research, she says the exploratory nature of the role, which is all about discovery and testing for many different types of scenarios, was what appealed to her about the job.

“When I started my apprenticeship there, I had never heard of HMGCC. When I found out more about it, I thought it sounded fun and it was all very exciting,” she recalls. “By the second year of the apprenticeship, we were more hands on and we were able to work in different software areas.

“The area I work in now is what keeps me here today – it is just so interesting and I honestly think everyone I work with is a genius, so many of them are world leaders in their field. It is an interesting type of job and, due to the nature of the work, it’s not really something you can do anywhere else.”

Since that time, hundreds of people have completed HMGCC apprenticeships – many of whom have stayed on to pursue careers at the site.

Working for the national security mission, and the knowledge that your work is helping keep the country safe, is a major draw for many candidates to the apprenticeship programme.

“I really wanted to be in a role where there was a broader purpose than money – a sense that there was a greater purpose behind the work,” says Holly.

“Having done an apprenticeship, there have also been lots of financial benefits for me, not least that I don’t have a student debt as everything has been paid for by work, I don’t have to worry about any of that. When I was in the sixth form, I saw that the university fees were going up and I came across some information about apprenticeships.”

She adds: “Starting here at such a young age, I never really thought about long-term goals at that time. I initially just thought about getting to the end of the apprenticeship. Now it has been 10 years and I just think it has gone by so fast.”

Working in software testing, Holly recognises the fact there are fewer women than men taking on roles in this area. She is keen to encourage other women into roles like hers and is pleased that HMGCC is one technical employer making strides to rebalance the workforce.

She says: “Working in my area, I know that sometimes I can be the only woman in the room – but we do have some amazing women working here at HMGCC who are great role models. I would like to see more women coming into engineering and technical roles, and I do know that at HMGCC there is a strong support network.”

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👩‍💻 Keen on apprenticeships? Find out more about HMGCC’s exciting apprenticeship programmes.

🤝 Prospective industry or academic partner? Find out more about HMGCC and Co-Creation scheme