Young Londoners sample life behind the Treasury walls
28 October 2016
A group of young Londoners were given a chance to sample life at the heart of government this week, as London Youth partnered with HM Treasury on a Youth Outreach programme.
The Youth Outreach programme, run by London Youth and the Treasury, brings a diverse groups of fifteen teenagers together to give them a chance to gain employability skills, experience of the working world and a unique perspective on life at the Treasury.
Following the success of previous years, Whitehall joined forces this year to offer up their collective expertise for the four day programme. Activities included private tours of Parliament and No. 10 and an International Crisis workshop run with the Ministry of Defence.
And it wouldn’t have been a Treasury programme without a meet-and-greet with Gladstone, the Treasury’s resident mouser.
Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, Tom Scholar, also sat in the hot seat answering questions on how EU negotiations were going, and how he separated his political views from his civil service duties. Other Treasury officials offered one-to-one career mentoring.
Now in its third year, the programme has already been a springboard into the civil service for a former participant, who was able to secure a full-time one year apprenticeship at the Treasury following his completion of the programme.
“I liked talking to the permanent secretary, because we got to ask him our own questions. He said he used to be a musician when he was younger – I didn’t realise musicians became civil servants,” said Molly Forbes, a participant in this year’s programme.
Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, Tom Scholar, said:
“There’s no better way to back young people’s futures than to offer them a chance to learn more about the opportunities available to them. We were thrilled to have the opportunity to open the Treasury’s doors to such dynamic, engaged young people – indeed, possibly the next generation of civil servants.”
Matt Dronfield, London Youth Employer Engagement Manager said:
“We are really excited to be working again with the Treasury on this pioneering opportunity, which we hope will break down barriers and misconceptions about working in government. Many of the young people we work with in our member clubs, walk pass these institutions everyday but do not have any ideas about the variety of roles within the civil service nor the entry requirements for them”.
“A lack of understanding of the working world is a significant barrier to young people finding and keeping employment. Without the opportunity to explore and try out different career options many young people will simply miss out on the opportunities available to them. We call on other employers to follow the lead of the Treasury”.
