Essex County Council’s Entry to Work Team has made outstanding efforts to promote Early Career’s in local authorities, and by doing so, has continued to collaborate with the East of England Local Government Association (EELGA) regarding best practices and lessons learnt.
Who are EELGA?
EELGA is a politically led, cross-party organisation that works on behalf of the 50 local councils in the East of England, committed to supporting them to be the best they can be for their people, places and communities. EELGA provides expert advice and a strong coordinated voice for their members focused on the following key areas:
- Apprenticeships and Workforce Development
- Officer networks
- Employers Services
- Advocacy and Policy
- People and Communities
- Strategic Migration Partnership
Emma Grant, Senior HR Consultant, explained:
“EELGA are working hard to support our councils with tackling any misconceptions and promoting the benefits of early careers in local government. We want young people to know about the huge range of career options our sector can offer, and that we have so many opportunities waiting to be explored here in the east of England. We are keen to find innovative and creative ways to engage with new talent and recognise that to do this, we need to work collaboratively with our councils to attract talent, particularly in such volatile market conditions...”
“…Essex County Council have a dedicated entry careers team and have been instrumental in embracing early talent into their organisation. Working collaboratively is allowing us to understand the challenges and barriers our sector faces as an employer, but also to learn from each other to ensure we respond in a way that safeguards local government ahead of the competition for early talent.”
The collaboration was further highlighted recently when the EELGA released their HR Dispatches which featured the Entry to Work Team three times! Johanna Smith, Entry to Work Team Manager commented:
“Being public sector, we aren’t always seen as the ‘coolest’ of places to work by our younger residents – we don’t have a big shiny slide and unlimited snacks, however little by little we are raising awareness of the benefits of working within the public sector. The relationship with the EELGA has allowed us to open-up channels of communication with other local authorities, to learn from each other during our bring and share sessions. They have shown our team so much support over the last two years, which has allowed us to highlight the early career pathways within ECC. I look forward to seeing what the future brings”
The Entry to Work Team has taken strides in Early Career pathways and will continue to do so. To find out more about the team and the career pathways, take a look at our page: Entry to Work
