Agenda item

Helen Reeves, Programme Manager, to present

The Chairman invited Cllr Judi Billing, Helen Reeves, Programme Manager (Leadership & Localism), and Laura Wilson, Adviser – Leadership, to introduce the report and welcomed Callum Campbell, Kevin Kalala and Soriyah, Carnegie, National Graduate Development Programme (NGDP) Graduates, to the meeting.

Cllr Judi Billing introduced the report which provided members with an update on the NGDP. Helen and Laura referred to a number of the programme’s strengths and challenges which were being worked through and emphasised the importance of keeping the programme’s recruitment process simple. The main points highlighted were:

• The NGDP continued to be a very successful programme, despite the challenges that the Covid-19 pandemic had presented.

• In relation to the recruitment process, officers had been working hard to ensure that the recruitment process was as fair and equal as possible, monitoring any adverse impact on different groups through data collation and offering comprehensive support for individuals to ensure that the scheme was as representative as the communities that both LGA staff and Members served.

• The NGDP recruited annually, through an intensive multi-stage recruitment process. Whilst the number of applications received in 2020/21 had increased, officers continued to undertake marketing work, produce monthly newsletters and targeted coaching/development work to attract councils and graduates to the NGDP.

• The officers emphasised the importance in working with other councils to share ideas and best practice.

• Helen highlighted a useful programme of Learning and Development which graduate trainees undertook whilst on the NGDP, intended to equip them with the skills and knowledge that they needed to become public sector leaders of the future. The Learning and Development programme was delivered by the Society of Local Authority of Chief Executives (Solace) in conjunction with INLOGOV at the University of Birmingham.

• The NGDP were an income generating programme with an ambition to be self-sufficient in the future, with no funding from government grants.

• Laura referred to a piece of work which had been commissioned specifically to encourage councils to sign up to the NGDP, focusing on marketing and engagement strategies to tailor the wants and neds of councils and promote the talent of the graduates within the NGDP.

• Helen emphasised the importance of flexibility and how the NGDP could work in partnership with councils to define the real meaning of local recruitment and special campaigning, and also to allow councils to come on board with partner organisations, like housing associations or jointly with other councils.

• With regards to next steps, officers encouraged Members to discuss the progress of the NGDP, offer any reflections on the programme and support the promotion of the NGDP to potential council partners.

The Chairman invited the three NGDP graduates to speak, answering the following questions in their speeches:

-        Why did you apply to the NGDP?

-        What work have you undertaken on the scheme?

-        How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected your placement (if at all), and what adaptations have you had to make?

Following Helen and Laura’s introduction, and the three graduate’s speeches, Members asked a number of questions and raised the following points:

• Cllr Judi Billing referred to past residential events which brought together NGDP graduates and the next generation which they found very useful in terms of member/officer roles and living through them in practice, could that be an activity to be considered in the future?

• The Chairman asked each of the graduates if they had spent much time working with elected Members in their placements. Overall, the graduates had not spent a significant amount of time working directly with elected Members but were all very keen to work more closely with them.

• Whilst it would be excellent if all of the graduates remained working within the local government sector, we must remember that even if the graduates decide to move on from local government, they will take all of the valuable experience and skills that they have learnt along the way to their new role and will champion the cause of what local government can do.

• How do we attract more graduates to apply to the NGDP and enable them to see a career pathway in local government, could we perhaps publicise the programme at an even earlier stage (i.e. in schools)?

• How do we attract more councils to sign up to the NGDP and are there particular reasons as to why councils won’t sign up?

• Whilst the report refers to councils focusing on apprenticeship schemes and the NGDP perhaps not being totally suitable for that, are there any access routes for apprentices to become involved in the NGDP?

In response to the points raised by Members, Helen and Laura stated that:

• The comments made in relation to NGDP graduates working more closely with elected Members were noted and officers would actively work with councils to ensure that graduates had more direct involvement with elected Members. Helen referred to the Learning and Development programme that graduates undertook and said that a session was available within the programme which focused on working with politicians.

• With regards to attracted candidates to the NGDP, a piece of work would be commissioned over the summer to better understand young people’s interest and perception in terms of local government. Officers were also working closely with the LGA’s apprenticeship team to see how apprentices and graduates could work in partnership. The NGDP had also been working closely with councils to share best practice about summer school internship programmes for young people.

• As Russell Group university candidates tend to perform well in the NGDP recruitment, NGDP officers focus more time and resource on universities whose students could benefit from more support to succeed. However, the NGDP works directly with a wide range of universities, including in the Russell Group. Laura reassured Members that these graduates would not be lost in the system with limited support.

• With regards to councils and candidates who did not wish to sign up to the NGDP, or were yet to sign up to the NGDP, officers recently commissioned independent research to investigate the reasons behind this. The two key reasons behind this related to competitive salary levels and councils prioritising apprenticeships schemes rather than graduate schemes. Officers continued to work closely with regional teams in Improvement and regularly attended meetings to discuss the programme’s success, introduce people to the NGDP, and allow the NGDP graduates to tell their stories and provide insight into the programme.

Decision:

• Improvement & Innovation Board noted the report.

Action:

That officers deliver the programme as agreed by members.