Surrey County Council National Graduate Development Programme Cohort 21 Context Surrey is an ambitious county. High-end engineering and cutting-edge technology, along with other specialist areas, help make Surrey's economy a net contributor to the UK Exchequer of £11.2bn a year. At Surrey County Council we are also ambitious, with our focus on standing up for the interests of Surrey residents, ensuring they get the services they need and deserve. It's no secret that this is getting increasingly difficult to achieve, as we have our own unique set of challenges to deal with. Since 2010, we have saved more than £450 million from our annual budgets as demand for our services has continued to rise while central government funding has decreased. Economic success has led to our having the busiest roads outside central London, with the additional cost that involves. We have the highest number of people with learning disabilities and growing levels of special educational needs, so the gap between what people need and what we receive to provide services for them is growing. We have an ageing population with constantly rising demands. While we have been successful on behalf of Surrey residents in securing some additional funding, it is nowhere near enough to meet the growing needs of people at both ends of the age spectrum. Our older population is set to grow by 20,000 over the next few years, while growing pupil numbers in our schools mean we have to find an additional 11,000 school places by 2020. Clearly this requires some difficult decisions and commitment to new ways of working, which is where innovation comes in. We have already started down this road, with innovative partnerships on health, transport, waste disposal and business functions. But we need to move to the next level – we hope that the next cohort of graduates will help us by driving real change in interesting areas of business need. Location Surrey County Hall is based in Kingston upon Thames. The postal address is Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, KT1 2DW. This is a short walk from Surbiton and Kingston train stations, which both have excellent links to Central London and out into Surrey. Crossrail 2 will also extend the Tube line to Surbiton! In addition to County Hall, graduates could be based at one of the Council’s main buildings, such as Quadrant Court in Woking or Fairmount House in Leatherhead. To get an idea of the buildings listed above, you can take part in a virtual tour by clicking here. Surrey County Council Services Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care Customers, Digital and Transformation Health and social care integration Business Operations Commissioning and operations Customer Services Service delivery Communications Enterprise, Business and Assurance HR and Organisational development Public Health IT and Digital Procurement and Commissioning Children, Families, Lifelong Learning and Culture Community Protection, Transport and Environment Children's Service Commissioning and Prevention Emergency Management Team Cultural Services Fire and Rescue Service Adult Community Learning Highways Library Service Trading Standards Registration service Environment Surrey Arts Corporate Health and Safety Surrey Heritage Schools and Learning Finance Commercial County Coroner Democratic Services Property Services Finance Legal Services Reasons to apply to Surrey Surrey has a unique level of senior leadership buy-in. The scheme sponsor is the Head of Leadership Officer and formerly ran the NGDP scheme for the LGA. The Council Chief Executive is involved in the recruitment process and senior leaders choose the areas for graduate placements based on business need. We have regularly meetings with our Chief Executive for open discussions about a range of topics, from commercialism in local government to volunteering and restorative justice. We also have regular meetings with a mentor, who is a senior leader in the organisation, to reflect upon and talk about our development. Graduate placements are always chosen for areas of business need and change, meaning that graduates are able to work on exciting projects and are given high levels of responsibility. For example, graduates have recently held positions such as Health and Social Care Integration Project Lead for North West Surrey, and Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive. Surrey County Council is in the process of an exciting period of change. A new Chief Executive and its new Council Leadership Team and structure is being put into place with a renewed drive to deliver efficient joined-up public services with a focus on place, digital focus, and performance to deliver major transformational change. Surrey County Council recruit and retain a large number of graduates (four a year), which means there is a large network of support and social activities to enjoy. Surrey has the perfect balance between proximity to London and a more relaxed pace of life – thirty minutes travel in both direction and you can be in Central London, or in the heart of the Surrey Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. There are always things to do in Surrey, Kingston and London – you can find out more here. After the Scheme at Surrey The scheme at Surrey has opened up a variety of opportunities for graduates both within and outside of the Council; one has become a Programme Manager for the NHS and another undertaking a law conversion with a view to becoming a solicitor in local government. Rachel Crossley – Director of Strategic Commissioning (Cohort 4) Following the scheme, I held several posts before becoming Chief of Staff in 2016. I worked alongside the Chief Executive and Directors as part of the senior leadership team as well as being the Strategic Lead for Elmbridge Borough Council. I also had the lead for Organisational Development, the Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector and New Models of Delivery. My experience from the scheme was invaluable, forming a strong network with officers across the Council and having a working understanding of a range of service areas, a number of which I have since returned to in a more senior capacity. I have recently changed roles to become the Director of Strategic Commissioning. Chris Tune – Health and Social Care Integration Policy & Programme Manager (Cohort 18) I cannot speak highly enough of the graduate scheme at Surrey. Immediately after finishing the scheme, I took up my current role, as the Better Care Fund lead for Surrey; overseeing and assuring a budget of over £80million, and managing a health and social care integration programme as a part of the Council’s wide-ranging transformation work, working in partnership with NHS, District and Borough Council, community provider, and voluntary sector colleagues to name but a few; and of course residents. Without doubt, the graduate scheme prepared me well for my current role. Surrey offers unrivalled senior leadership buy-in and an excellent support structure including buddies, mentors, and a senior scheme sponsor to ensure the placements are stimulating and varied. From supporting Children’s Services safeguarding projects, to developing volunteering strategies, to supporting Education policy implementation, to opening multi-disciplinary health and social care Locality Hubs for older people with frailty and multiple long-term conditions – the scheme always provided opportunities to carry out valuable, exciting transformation work. The recruitment process In addition to a series of group activities and a presentation, there will be a formal interview with the Head of Leadership Office and another Senior Manager. Also are part of the process candidates will: Meet the Chief Executive Joanna Killian on the recruitment day to have a conversation with prospective trainees. Have an opportunity to meet current and former NMTs over lunch – senior managers will also join to allow networking opportunities and for prospective trainees to explore their areas of interest. Have a unique management trainee induction week which will include a range of training and team-building activities to help you steady into your role. Number of NMTs being recruited Surrey County Council are looking for four National Management Trainees from Cohort 21. Surrey County Council has participated in recruiting graduates for many years and has been part of the NGDP scheme for about ten years. Working at Surrey “I have felt encouraged and supported leading stimulating pieces of work’’ (Jess) “My role was very varied and I loved the responsibility I was given straight away” (Vicky) “I have enjoyed the proactivity and independence my manager has given me.” (Heather) “I have been given the freedom to shape my placement to the areas I am interested in and skills I want to develop further”. (Emma) “The opportunity to interface with elected Members on a daily basis has been very useful so early on in the scheme.” (Albert) ‘I provided programme support on a major transformation programme, which gave me great exposure to senior officers and an overview of the council.’ (Freya) Recent photo of Management Trainees taking part in an Army Leadership and Team-building event at RMA, Sandhurst. Key Documents Council’s Homepage https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/ Latest News from the https://news.surreycc.gov.uk/ Council Community Vision https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/finance-and-performance/our- 2030 performance/our-organisation-strategy/community-vision-for-surrey-in-2030 Strategy Documents https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/your-council/how-the-council-works/council-policies-and- strategies (Any other documents https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/council-and-democracy/finance-and-performance/our- or sites of interest) performance/our-organisation-strategy/communications-and-engagement-strategy-2014- 19 https://www.surreycc.gov.uk/maps/reference-maps Key Contacts James Deller Job Title: Learning & Development Service Partner / Graduate Scheme Manager Email: [email protected] Telephone: 07772 629990 Ami Beeton Job Title: Head of Leadership Office Email: [email protected] Telephone: 07976 866341 Job Title: Management Trainee Katherine Clarke Email: [email protected] Telephone: 07966 524401 .