Summer interns get inside track on careers in the Civil Service
Thirty government departments welcome interns on placement from two schemes run by Government Skills
Talent Development Schemes
Departments across government have been welcoming hundreds of interns under two talent development schemes this summer.
Government Skills’ Fast Stream and Emerging Talent team hosted two ceremonies to mark the start of both the Fast Stream Summer Internship programme and its Autism Exchange Programme.
Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme
Some 400 university students in their penultimate or final year are undertaking a six to eight week placement in one of 30 government departments or agencies, as part of the Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme which got under way this month.
The purpose of the programme which has run for more than 20 years is to showcase the Civil Service as an employer offering challenging and diverse work opportunities.
Anastazja Jablonska, (pictured), whose internship is at HMRC, said:
“I started at HMRC two weeks ago and I’m having a very exciting experience. Every day I learn new things and get opportunities to step out of my comfort zone developing skills such as project delivery, presenting and learning about the different roles within the Civil Service.”
Autism Exchange Internship Programme
The Autism Exchange Internship Programme is a four-week internship offered exclusively to candidates with Autism to provide work placements within government departments. Under the scheme, 90 interns have been working in 25 departments.
The charity Ambitious About Autism recruits for the programme and provide support to candidates throughout the process.
Samuel Bird, (pictured) who is at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said:
“Having aspired to be a civil servant for a long time, I have found the internship to be an invaluable experience. A personal highlight for me was having my projects shared with various embassies across the world, it really made me feel like what I was doing was making a difference.”