CABINET OFFICE News
Release (CAB094-07) issued by The Government News Network on 12
December 2007
A new mentoring
scheme aimed at preparing high calibre black and minority ethnic
staff for leadership roles in the Civil Service has been put into action.
Launched by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell and Minister
for Skills David Lammy MP, the Growing Talent Pilot is a high -
level mentoring programme, aimed at equipping talented black and
minority ethnic staff with the skills and attributes they will
need to become future candidates for the Senior Civil Service.
After a rigorous assessment programme, twelve successful
applicants to the scheme have now been paired with mentors from
the Senior Civil Service, all of whom are currently permanent
secretaries or work at director-general level. Participants will
be given a broader perspective and deeper understanding of the
Civil Service so that a pipeline of successful Senior Civil
Service candidates can be created. High-level mentoring is the
core of the programme, but there will also be other events running
throughout the next year to reinforce what participants have
learned through the mentoring programme.
At the launch of the programme Sir Gus O'Donnell thanked all
participants and said:
"In order to meet the challenges of a constantly changing
society and an increasing diversity of public service users, the
Civil Service needs to ensure it has the right workforce with the
right skills. This includes having a workforce which reflects the
community we serve. The 'Growing Talent' programme is an
important step towards achieving a more diverse and professional
Civil Service."
Skills Minister David Lammy said:
"I am delighted to support this project. We now have many,
many talented and highly qualified young people from BME
backgrounds coming through our educational system with a great
deal to offer. Now we have to build expectations in our minority
communities and among all our citizens that people from a minority
background can and should be among the leaders of tomorrow."
Minister with responsibility for the Civil Service Gillian Merron
who also spoke at the event said:
"The Civil Service needs to be representative of all the
talents if it's to be the best that it can be. The
'Growing Talent' programme has an important role to play
in building a Civil Service that is truly reflective of our
diverse, multicultural society, and I am really pleased to see it
up and running with the first 12 successful applicants in place."
The Growing Talent pilot is one of the first initiatives put into
place by the Minority Ethnic Talent Association (META). It is
intended that over a four year period, the Growing Talent pilot
and subsequent successor programmes will contribute to the
objectives of the Cabinet Office 10-Point Plan for increasing
diversity in the Senior Civil Service.
Notes for Editors
1. The Minority Ethnic Talent Association
(META) was established in 2006 for minority ethnic staff who have
participated in a talent programme, and have the potential to
advance to senior management or leadership level within the Civil
Service. Project Director Claudette Sutton is Chair of META.
2. Leaders UnLtd is another new corporate leadership development
scheme designed specifically for talented people in groups
currently under-represented in the Senior Civil Service. It is
open to Grade 6/7 (or equivalent) UK civil servants who are either
women, or who have a disability, or are from minority ethnic backgrounds.
3. "Delivering a Diverse Civil Service - A 10-Point
Plan" sets out commitments on 10 key areas that are intended
to achieve broad and deep cultural change across the Civil
Service. The plan is an integral part of Civil Service reform: a
more diverse workforce we will also lead to a Civil Service better
equipped to deliver, adapt and innovate. For more information
about the 10-Point Plan and the Civil Service's commitment to
diverse working, go to http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/iam/diversity/index.asp
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