I joined the NGDP in 2013 after reading politics at university with the intention of gaining a position on a graduate scheme in the public sector.
I chose local government because I feel that it gives you the opportunity to really see the impact of the work you do on local communities which is immensely rewarding.
After starting work at Haringey, I was placed in revenues, benefits and customer services. This gave me excellent insight into the broad array of services the council provides, as well as allowing me to really get to grips with our customer base. I then made the decision to move to Haringey's corporate culture and change team which works across the council delivering its culture change strategy. It has been really rewarding to be able to work with a variety of people across the organisation on changing the way we work and think as an organisation, in order to tackle the challenges facing local government as a whole in the next few years.
I have also been fortunate enough to work on raising the profile of Social Media in Haringey. This has been great as I have really been able to take ownership of the project, and drive it forward using the skills I have developed during my time at Haringey. This has also allowed me to gain contacts in both national government, and the private sector which will be an asset to me as I progress in my career.
I have found being part of the wider NGDP network has also been of benefit to me at this point in my career. Having a large group of your peers who are facing similar challenges to you across the country is a really valuable resource as, whenever anyone has a challenge at work, there is always someone who has tackled something similar and is willing to give you some advice or share the work they have done.
Within Haringey the senior leadership team are very supportive of us, we are given 1-1 mentoring by one of the directors, as well as having an assistant director who is our main contact whilst we are on the scheme, with whom, we discuss our progress and future placements. We also have quarterly meetings with the CE to discuss our development.
I feel the NGDP is preparing me not only for a career in local government, but also in the public sector, 3rd sector and private sector by enabling me to gain valuable transferable skills and experiences as well as a strong network of contacts which will undoubtedly help me in the future.