Two years ago, Chelmsford council launched an internship scheme as part of its workforce plan for the future. At that time, the council had an ageing workforce, with just 14% between the ages of 16 and 24. This placed us in a position where our long-term strategies could be compromised by a shortage of talent. We had to turn it around.
After a great deal of research and talking to local schools, we launched our internship programme. Through our work with schools, we discovered a lack of understanding about what councils really do.
Most of the students we contacted were aware of our frontline staff, but many knew little of the other professional back-office roles that support local authorities across the UK.
We wanted to introduce our local school leavers and graduates to these local government professions. Our one-year internship offers a taster to those with an interest in the public sector. Interns gain paid practical work experience while they make a decision about their long-term career prospects.
The level of interest when we first advertised took us aback. Councils thinking of providing a similar schemes should be aware of the sheer volume of applications they will have to deal with. And we couldn't believe the high calibre of the applicants; we had students with excellent grades, including those with distinctions at masters degree level and a real passion in working for the community.
We had 170-plus good-quality candidates for six positions. This alone identified the real need for this type of programme as a way to reach out to these talented people. It also alerted us to the possibility of expanding the scheme. Our interns also benefit from career planning, including interview coaching, job-search training, leadership skills and financial management.
We assign mentors to support each intern throughout their placement. We ensure that our interns get really involved – they attend and observe management team meetings, full council meetings and other committees to gain an understanding of how the authority operates. We also organise question time sessions with the senior management team, and our interns have a hand in organising most of the council's engagement events.
From the scheme's inception, we were confident that we would retain some interns as members of staff and encourage them into areas where we had skill deficits. And we were right. Previous interns have taken up trainee accountant and auditor positions, and management traineeships within leisure services. One is now considering a professional career within the planning department.
The internship programme is one of our greatest achievements. It's made a genuine difference in Chelmsford, especially considering the high unemployment figures for school leavers and graduates in the UK.
Our interns' contribution has far exceeded our expectations. They add real value to the organisation, plus the scheme has helped make savings from our recruitment advertising budget. As most of our interns are local we are likely to retain them.
The programme's success has meant that we have now created our own advanced internship scheme, similar to a graduate development scheme. At the end of the original one-year internship programme, we advertise positions in areas where the council has identified a skills gap and then offer this advanced trainee role to our graduate interns.
Florence Agyei is HR manager at Chelmsford borough council
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