What difference can you make in your community this year?
Here in the Places for Growth (PfG) team, we’re setting a challenge to think differently about your corporate contribution, and inviting you to focus closer to home when setting these objectives.
By focusing on ‘place’, you can grow professionally and personally. Local objectives can help to expand your network, build new partnerships and pave the way for the next generation of civil servants in your community. This also supports the objectives of PfG in developing meaningful career pathways across the country, strengthening policy-making outside of London and supporting talent into government.
"As Head of Place in the East of England, I'm passionate about opening up the Civil Service to our communities. In our first year, Civil Service leaders across the region voluntarily delivered 80 school and college presentations to over 3,000 sixth form students, raising awareness of the careers and opportunities available, with one student already securing an apprenticeship. We've since launched a work placement pilot spanning 10 departments and 80 students this summer, with brilliant collaborations between teams including His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Border Force, His Majesty's Treasury, Cabinet Office and the Government Commercial Agency. Community outreach is an incredibly rewarding way to strengthen your network and support talent into the Civil Service. Reach out to your local Head of Place to learn about opportunities in your region!" – Sally Collier, Head of Place, East of England.
Examples of place-based corporate contribution objectives
PfG is strengthening government presence across the country, ensuring civil servants can lead meaningful careers without having to leave their local communities. At the heart of this transformation are the individuals going above and beyond to invest in their community.
Whether it’s mentoring colleagues, organising community outreach, or leading a local network, setting an objective that is local to you can be a great way of building relationships and broadening your horizons. Programmes like Catapult are a great way in. This sponsorship and mentoring programme aims to support staff from less privileged backgrounds to build confidence and progress. You can reach out to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) Social Mobility team to find out how to get involved.
“As HR Network Lead for One South West, I bring together people leaders across the region to build stronger connections, share best practice, and develop collective solutions to workforce challenges. The network strengthens collaboration across organisations, supports capability-building, and helps ensure that our people strategies are genuinely place-based and responsive to local communities. Personally, it is hugely rewarding to see the power of partnership in action and to play a role in shaping a more joined-up, people-centred civil service across the South West.” – Amy Carrillo, Chief People Officer, United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, Taunton, Somerset
“Over the past 2 years, I've been incredibly proud to support a passionate group of volunteers, at all grades and drawn from many departments, who are committed to building cross government learning and development opportunities in Scotland. We've now built networks that reach well over 1,000 civil servants, and put on regular events to bring people together. It's been fantastic to see the impact this has had in building our community and supporting colleagues' progress in their careers.” – Matthew Allan, Deputy Director, Cabinet Office, and Deputy SRO for the Cabinet Office in Scotland
“The Birmingham Hub Network connects colleagues across departments, roles and grades at 23 Stephenson Street. We've added real value to how the Birmingham hub works, turning co-location into genuine collaboration. Personally, leading this network has been hugely valuable for me to build meaningful connections in the city I grew up in and understand how we can drive real impact by coming together around a shared purpose” – Rizwan Khan, Regional Support Manager, Department for Business and Trade, Birmingham.
A more connected Civil Service is built through people, place and community. We are celebrating those leading this work across the country. As you set your objectives this year, think about how you can be a part of this transformation too!
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