Many university students looking for a career in the public service will have been upset to hear that the Civil Service Fast Stream has been paused, so won’t be accepting applications this year.

 

But there are other options available, one of which has just started taking applications – the Local Government’s National Graduate Development Programme. They’re running some application workshops soon – you can find out about them here.

One of the great things about the Civil Service is the ability to move departments, and many employees move from local to central government, and back again, during their career, so the NGDP can be an excellent place to start, wherever you want to end up.

Of course, you don’t need to start on a graduate programme. The civil service recruits thousands of people a year at levels that are suitable for recent graduates on their jobsite, and Local Government have a similar site too. The timing is very different for these roles though – make sure that you don’t apply more than a couple of months before you can start work. So if you can start in July, don’t apply until May at the earliest.

You can look further afield too, such as the NHS Graduate Management Programme, or those listed here.

So there’s lots you can consider, even before you look at other ways to make a positive change to the world, via international agencies, not-for-profits, or even the commercial sector.

If you want to chat any of this through, please book an appointment with one of us Careers Consultants.

Graham Philpott
UoR Careers