Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has expressed concerns over the fairness of access to the government’s civil service internship scheme, which is designed to encourage young, diverse talent into the workforce.
Speaking at Civil Service Live in July, he said: “I want [young people from poorer backgrounds and ethnic minorities] to know that if they choose to pursue their career in the civil service, work hard and prove themselves, nothing should stop them from making their way right to the top.” But the DPM added that he’d been “appalled” to hear claims from interns that entry onto the scheme may not always have been a level playing field.
“I was basically told it was about who you knew and not what you know. It beggars belief that that should happening the heart of Whitehall,” he said, adding that this would be challenged and addressed with the new round of internships.
Clegg commended the civil service for doing better than big firms and political parties in terms of diversity, but said more could be done — particularly at the top.
“This isn’t about ticking boxes,” he said, adding that “senior decision makers who come from all walks of life can give better, more informed advice” so that ministers can make better decisions on behalf of the public.
Clegg used his speech to announce that the number of paid internships is increasing from 170 to 300, and urged his audience to recognise the value of the fast-track apprenticeship scheme, which sees school leavers work for a government department while studying for a Level 4 qualification. He wants this scheme to “be as high-profile and well respected as the graduate fast stream, and seen as a credible alternative to university”.
Clegg added that “we’ve got to get over this barely concealed snobbery” about vocational education. “We’ve got to put vocational and higher education qualifications on a similar pedestal,” he said, “and that applies to the civil service just as much as anybody else.”