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Careers in the Public Sector
Jenny Keaveney
Careers and Employability Service
WHAT IS THE PUBLIC SECTOR?
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Civil Service
Government agencies
Local authorities
NHS
Armed forces
Emergency services
Educational bodies
Intelligence services
Regulatory bodies
• Lots of initials!
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GCHQ
ECGD
DFID
CPS
FCO
DEFRA
DWP
ONS
ngdp
WHO WANTS TO WORK IN THE
PUBLIC SECTOR?
• Lots of graduates!
• In the latest Times Top 100 Graduate
Employers, four of the Top 10 “employers
of choice for graduates” are in the public
sector.
• Why?
HOW MANY PEOPLE WORK
IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR?
• 23% of the working population of the UK
• Total public sector employment was 5.644 million in the
second quarter of 2012, a decrease of 39,000 compared
with the previous quarter.
• Civil Service employment in Great Britain decreased by
5,000 to an estimated 459,000
• Employment in local government decreased by 56,000.
THE CUTS
Local government has suffered almost
a quarter of a million job losses since 2010
Cuts mark ‘end of
local government as
we know it’ –
Birmingham
63,672 jobs have been cut across
government departments since May
2010, with a loss of 34,621 jobs over
the last year alone
The largest job losses have been in
the east of England followed by the
east Midlands and London
THE
GOOD NEWS
PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYERS* ARE STILL
RECRUITING!
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Civil Service Fast Stream
HMRC graduate programme
ngdp (Local Government Graduate Programme)
NOMS (Prison Service)
Bank of England
Transport for London
National Audit Office
NHS
All the above are recruiting now!
* well, at least some of them
THE
GOOD NEWS
PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYERS* ARE STILL
RECRUITING!
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Civil Service Fast Stream http://faststream.civilservice.gov.uk CD 30/11
HMRC graduate programme www.hmrc.gov.uk/graduate/intro.htm CD 30/11
ngdp (Local Government) http://sites.idea.gov.uk/ngdp/
CD 16/01
NOMS (Prison Service) www.justice.gov.uk/jobs/prisons/on-offer/graduate-programme CD 23/11
Bank of England – www.bankofenglandgraduates.co.uk/ CD 12/11
Transport for London www.tfl.gov.uk/microsites/graduates/
National Audit Office www.nao.org.uk/graduate/home.aspx CD 30/11
NHS www.nhsgraduates.co.uk CD 03/12
* well, at least some of them
WHAT IS THE FAST STREAM?
• “A development programme for graduates who
have the potential to become the future leaders
of the Civil Service”
• The only centralised, all-graduate, recruitment
scheme
• Recruits approximately 700 high-calibre
graduates into a number of generalist
and specialist functions working on
Government policy in their departments
• Most vacancies based in London
• Starting salary £25-27K
THE FAST STREAM
• Graduate Fast Stream (Central Government
departments, the Diplomatic Service, Houses of Parliament,
Science and Engineering)
• Analytical Fast Stream
(economists, social researchers,
operational researchers and statisticians)
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Technology in Business Fast Stream
Human Resources Fast Stream
European Fast Stream
Northern Ireland Fast Stream
Entry requirements:
-UK, EEA or Commonwealth citizen (some posts more restrictive)
-2.2 minimum (most entrants have 2.1) in any subject except where marked*
WHAT DO FAST-STREAM TRAINEES
ACTUALLY DO?
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The Fast Stream has been revamped this year to offer a more structured career
path and early management experience
New recruits will spend their first two years building up broad experience in four 6month placements in contrasting roles. They will be expected to acquire
experience in areas of work such as providing front-line services to the public (for
example, managing a court or Jobcentre, or working on border control), project or
programme management or take on a role that boosts their commercial awareness.
These early placements give experience of managing people, projects and finance,
as well as roles in the development and implementation of government policies.
The next two years will be spent in gaining more in-depth experience through two
12-month placements
Trainees will also spend some time outside of Whitehall, on placement with a
charity, private sector employer or a "customer organisation" such as a community
group
Fast Streamers have the opportunity to study for a professional accountancy
qualification or other relevant qualification
WHAT DO FAST-STREAM TRAINEES
ACTUALLY DO?
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“One day I will be liaising with my District Judges on listing matters, another I’ll be
dealing with a customer’s complaint or reviewing the latest performance figures
and looking at where there are concerns and how we can address them”
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“I have three responsibilities: To build communications around encouraging Welsh
Government officials to work more closely with their Whitehall counterparts and
the other devolved administrations, to carry out an internal feasibility study into a
new IT system and to create and implement a strategy for cross public sector
communications”
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“I might be doing financial forecasting one day and explaining helmet safety
measures to hairy bikers the next”
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“There is no such thing as a typical day for a European Fast-Streamer. I might be
briefing Ministers, writing speeches, I might be in meetings in Brussels with the
Council of Ministers, I might be meeting stakeholders back here in the UK, I might
be answering parliamentary questions”
For more profiles see http://faststream.civilservice.gov.uk/Fast-Streamer-Profiles/
Essential competencies
• Results-oriented
• Flexible thinker
• Decisive
• Able to build productive
relationships …
• .. and to communicate
with impact
• Open to learning and
improving
How to Apply
• Closing date for entry in
Sept 2013 is 30th
November 2012 (the
Analytical Fast Stream has already
closed – may reopen in March)
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Self-assessment test
Online application form
E-tray exercise
One-day assessment
centre
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http://faststream.civilservice.gov.uk
/How-do-I-apply/
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
• There are 433 local councils in the UK – plus
over 11,000 town, parish and community
councils
• Local councils spend over £70 billion a year
• Local government employs almost 1,500,000
people - one of the largest employers in the UK
• There are around 600 occupations and
thousands of different job titles in local
government
WHAT DO LOCAL AUTHORITIES DO?
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Education
Environmental health
Emergency services
Highways
Housing
Leisure and tourism
Social services
GETTING INTO LOCAL GOVERNMENT
• National graduate recruitment scheme
(ngdp)
• Local graduate recruitment schemes
(e.g. KCC, Hertfordshire, Shropshire)
• Direct application
National Graduate Recruitment
Programme
• A two-year “Fast-Stream” style programme designed to
develop future managers and leaders in local
government
• General management training through a range of
placements across a local authority, plus mentoring and
study for a PG diploma
• Between 40-50 local authorities in England & Wales
participate – you only need to make one application
• Requires 2.1 minimum
• Closing date 16th January 2012
www.ngdp.co.uk
• Starting salary £22958 (plus London weighting)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
GRADUATE SCHEMES IN KENT
• Ashford, Canterbury and Medway councils have
all recruited through ngdp in the past
• Kent County Council runs its own Graduate
Programme
– Three streams: Management, Finance and Highways
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
KCC GRADUATE SCHEMES
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Management, Finance, Highways
Recruits in spring each year for an October start
Receives approx. 500 applications a year
Four six-month placements in different departments.
Project work giving experience of operational work,
policy writing, project management, budget
management and line management
– Starting salary £23285 in 2012
– http://www.kent.gov.uk/jobs_and_careers/starting_your
_career/kent_graduate_programme.aspx
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
OTHER ROUTES IN
• Other local authorities recruiting outside the
ngdp – check websites
• Finance – see www.cipfa.org/Recruitment/CIPFATrainee-Vacancies
• Direct application for advertised jobs – local
authorities may use recruitment agencies
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
USEFUL WEBSITES
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www.LGjobs.com
www.Opportunities.co.uk
www.jobsgopublic.com
http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/jobs/government
-and-politics
@lgcareers
@localgovtjobs
NHS GRADUATE SCHEMES
• Four schemes:
– General Management
– Finance Management
– Human Resources Management
– Health Informatics Management
• 2.2 in any subject
• Closing date 10am on 3rd December 2012
• Starting salary approx. £22200
• www.nhsgraduates.co.uk
National Offender Management Services
Prison Leaders programme
Over this programme, you'll progress from Prison Officer
into a middle management governor-grade role as an
Operational Manager. Here you'll head up an entire area of
a prison, such as Residence, where you'll take on
responsibilities that include preventing suicide and selfharm and managing all the prisoners' living facilities.
When you have completed your programme, usually after
two to three years, you can apply for a managerial post.
Closing date – 23 November 2012
www.justice.gov.uk/jobs/prisons/on-offer/graduate-programme
Financial Services Authority
• Graduate Development Programme
(placements in areas such as conduct, risk, policy,
enforcement and financial crime)
• Management Accountancy programme
• Economics Development Programme
• Risk Specialist
2.1 in any subject Closing date 9 December 2011
Starting salary £29000 + “golden hello”
www.fsagraduates.com
Transport for London
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General Management
Project Management
Commercial
Engineering
Finance
Transport Planning
Information Management
2.1 in any subject
Closing dates vary
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/microsites/graduates/
National Audit Office
• An independent body – not part of the Civil Service
• Audits over 475 accounts across government departments and
a wide range of other public sector bodies
• Publishes around 60 reports a year for Parliament. Recent
reports include:
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Managing the impact of housing benefit reform
Funding for local transport
Helping over-indebted consumers
Automatic enrolment in workplace pensions
The BBC’s efficiency programme
Mobile technology in policing
National Audit Office
• Offers a Graduate Training Scheme leading to
qualification as a chartered accountant
• Open to graduates in any subject with 2.1 and
300 UCAS points (or equivalent)
• Must be a UK, Commonwealth, EEA or Swiss
national
• Closing date 30 November 2012
• www.nao.org.uk/graduate/home.aspx
OTHER EMPLOYERS
IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR
• Emergency services
• Prison and probation services
• Housing associations
• Educational institutions
You might also want to look at
• Charities
• Trades unions
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/workin.htm
FINDING OUT MORE
• I Want to Work In … the Public Sector
www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sitesgov.htm
• TARGET Jobs Public Service
http://targetjobs.co.uk/career-sectors/public-service-charity-andsocial-work
• Prospects Public Administration links
www.prospects.ac.uk/government_public_administration_
sector.htm
Where to find the Careers & Employability Service
Opening Hours:
9-5, Mon - Fri