Coronavirus (COVID-19): GCS offers job support to communication professionals

9 Apr 2020 02:47 PM

The Government Communication Service has put together an advisory panel to provide career support to communications professionals whose roles have been impacted by COVID-19.

• A new portal will signpost communication practitioners to available roles in government and offer the opportunity to register their availability for government work
• A network of communication experts will offer career and professional development guidance, alongside outplacement, mentoring and coaching support

As one unified voice representing the communications sector, these organisations will provide strategic leadership for the profession and offer practical support for specialists. Advice and insight from these experts will also help shape the Government’s COVID-19 communication activities.

The advisory panel will contribute to the implementation of this support, which includes:

• a new portal on the GCS website listing communication roles in government; the service is available to communication professionals with government and non-government backgrounds
• inviting communications practitioners in the UK to register via the portal their availability for any potential work within government
• virtual career support, including mentoring and CV guidance
• a virtual professional development offer (free and paid-for webinars) 
• facilitating secondments, shadowing and pooling resources where appropriate. 

Across government, a number of departments are still advertising for and recruiting communications professionals on a permanent and short-term basis. The new portal will direct people to these roles through government-owned channels, while the organisations on the advisory panel will also promote roles through their networks. Among a wide range of areas where the government requires immediate support, digital and social media skills feature highly alongside more traditional roles of media/press office and insight and evaluation.

The panel will provide advice, outplacement support, mentoring and coaching to communications professionals, and signpost to existing mental health and wellbeing support and legal advice. 

The advisory panel includes leaders from across the UK communications industry: 

• The Government Communication Service (GCS)
• Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM)
• Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)
• Institute of Internal Communication (IoIC)
• Local Government Association
• Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA).