HC Deb 24 October 2001 vol 373 c230W
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what action he is taking to encourage graduate recruitment in local government. [8637]

Dr. Whitehead

Local government plays a key role in delivering our public services, and the quality of its staff is critical to successful outcomes.

The DTLR provides funding and support for the Local Government Employers' Organisation (EO) and the Local Government National Training Organisation (LGNTO). These organisations provide a number of products aimed at recruiting graduates, including: LG careers—a website which profiles many career areas, including those open to graduates; LG jobs—a website advertising vacancies at over 60 per cent. of councils in the UK. The site has a dedicated graduate section; LG graduates—a service generally promoting local government employment to students, and includes a popular TOP scheme which provides short summer term placements to undergraduates. We will continue to work with local government to identify key skill shortages and ways of addressing them. The Government's forthcoming White Paper on local government will reflect our conclusions.