THE DAILY TELEGRAPHTHURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2009CAREERS INThe Daily Telegraph| IJust the job! The satisfaction of serving the community is now being complemented by financial reward and a good work-life balance, reports Thea JourdanWorking in the public sector has often offered rich rewards in terms of job fulfilment. “Whether you work in a school, a local government office, a police station or a hospital, you are a public servant with all theresponsibility that brings, but also all the satisfaction,” says Jes Ladva, business development manager for specialist recruitment firm Synarbor, which is one of the UK’s largest public sector agencies with 3,000 current vacancies. Studies back this up. In a recentsurvey commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council more than 90 per cent of public sector workers said they found their employment interesting, varied and challenging — and around 80 per cent said they felt they were contributing to society. And these days the financialrewards are competitive too. The time when public sector workers struggled to keep up with their private sector counterparts is passing. The boot is now on the other foot, with employees in the former earning around £62 more per week, according to figures calculated from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings. They are also among the few workers who can reasonably expect pay rises this year. Despite the reported scale of the Royal Mail pension deficit, most public sector pensions are pretty solid, and nine out of 10 workers pay into them. Salaries range from £25,000£70,000 at officer/middle management level to between £70,000-£200,000 for senior/ executive management, according to Ladva. Just as important is feeling good about your work-life balance. A survey of 800 private sectoremployees conducted last month by the recruitment consultancy Hays UK found that nearly threequarters of respondents were more likely to consider a public sector job now compared to a year ago. Although increased security was a key reason, many cited the prospect of an improved work-life balance. Not surprisingly, there is an increasing number of applicants for public sector jobs, many from the private zone. The latest figures show that vacancies in the public sector are increasing — jobs available in the third quarter of 2008 increased by 14,000.‘Public sector leaders can be tapped from the troubled world of finance’Mark Staniland, Hays Director of Public Services, says: “Right now the public sector is becoming increasingly attractive to whitecollar professionals, who see it as less lacklustre than in the past and a much more challenging and rewarding environment.” In particular, the public sector needs leaders and many of these can be tapped from the troubled world of finance. Synabor has recently embarked on a leadership transformation project, working with financial institutions to assess people facing redundancy with a view to them entering the public sector. “The public sector faces aleadership shortage in the next five years and subsequently is increasingly recognising the need for transferable skills. As a result, the recruitment industry is investing in ‘upskilling’ initiatives,” says Ladva. At the other end of the career ladder, young people have been given fresh incentives to join this sector as apprentices. The fiveyear Public Service Compact initiative brought together more than 30 employers representing 100,000 employees and laid the groundwork for a public sector apprenticeship scheme. Liam Byrne MP recently appointed his own apprentice to work in his constituency office. Sarish Jabeen, 18, now works as administrative assistant on a twoyear training programme, supported by a dedicated mentor from Sutton Coldfield and Matthew Boulton Colleges. “It’s all part of fostering talent inthe public sector from the grass roots up. Getting bright, able people in at an early age will mean the public sector stays strong and efficient,” says Jane Peters, skills development director of the Learning and Skills Council. During last month’s Apprenticeship Week the Government announced that more than 21,000 apprenticeship places are to be created in hospitals, schools, colleges and town halls across the country in 2009/10. Simon Waugh, Chief Executive of the National Apprenticeship Service, says: “This is great news for those looking for an apprenticeship and shows the Government’s commitment to leading by example, encouraging businesses to take on apprentices and helping to ensure the UK has the highly skilled workforce it needs to stay competitive through the downturn and when the upturn comes.”SHONAGH RAE/HEARTPublic SectorTheThursday, March 19, 2009 jobs.telegraph.co.uk/caProduced byTelegraph Create Special Reports
THE DAILY TELEGRAPHTHURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2009CAREERS INThe Daily Telegraph| IJust the job! The satisfaction of serving the community is now being complemented by financial reward and a good work-life balance, reports Thea JourdanWorking in the public sector has often offered rich rewards in terms of j
II|THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2009THE DAILY TELEGRAPHCAREERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR TOURISMAiming high VisitBritain is the agency responsible for boosting tourism numbers and plans to build on recent successes ahead of the 2012 Olympics. Esme McAvoy reports SANDIE DAWE MBE IS DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVEOF VISITBR
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IV|THURSDAY, MARCH 19, 2009THE DAILY TELEGRAPHART AND SCIENCE CAREERS IN THE PUBLIC SECTORCherishing the national treasures The Science Museum and Tate Liverpool are both world-class institutions that attract visitors from all over the globe. Gabrielle Collette-White talks to two people fortunate en
