Overview of Organisations Involved in the Policy Process and How They Fit Together

Finding Policy Work

This document is based on work undertaken at the University of Edinburgh Careers Service. Many of the specific opportunities refer to organisations in Scotland in general, and Edinburgh in particular. However, similar, and possibly a wider spectrum, of opportunities will exist in other areas of the UK and abroad.

Overview of organisations involved in the policy process and how they fit together.

·  Parliaments introduce the new policy framework for the forthcoming parliamentary session. Civil servants in Government departments draft policy, and consult, and are lobbied by, interested parties.

·  Political parties put together their policy based on ideology and pressure of interested groups.

·  Think-tanks also do research and policy work to inform thinking of Government.

·  Political strategy consultants help different bodies to make their voice heard in the political process.

·  Public affairs consultants make sure that anything which affects their clients coming out of Government is brought to their notice and acted upon.

·  Public policy consultants help to design, implement and evaluate policy.

·  Pressure groups, including the voluntary and charity sector, unions, membership/employer organisations including the CBI and COSLA etc devise policy for their own organisations and monitor and lobby governments to ensure their voice is heard.

·  News agencies monitor what is coming out of Parliaments and Government and media and keep clients informed.

There are roles for graduates in all the above areas. Routes into policy work include:

·  Fast-track graduate routes into policy work in local and national government.

·  Routes into other areas tend to be via voluntary work, leading to paid work in research/information positions etc, leading to policy positions.

·  It is also possible to gain direct entry to local and national government work at a lower level and work your way up to policy positions.

Policy Opportunities

Below are listed some of the organisations which work in different areas of policy work. Also listed are useful sources of vacancies for the different areas and policy workers, and adverts for local and central government policy positions.

Central Government

There are a variety of routes into working in policy in Central Government. These include the Fast Stream entry route, operations level entry and getting in via temporary work, often through an agency, to gain experience to enable you to apply effectively for higher level-positions. It is also possible to approach departments you are interested in directly with a well-targeted CV and cover letter. The Civil Service https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/ and Scottish Government http://www.work-for-scotland.org/ websites give more information about the work of different departments.

Local Government

There are several routes to jobs in the policy area of local government. In England and Wales a number of Councils (around 80) are part of a national graduate development programme http://www.ngdp.org.uk. Other opportunities for graduates in local government throughout the whole of the UK can be found by looking at Council vacancies on their websites, and job sections of local and national press. Contacting Councils directly is a useful approach as graduate schemes are not always explicitly advertised. If policy areas of work are of specific interest, it is most useful to contact the department containing corporate services/ management/ strategy areas, or the Human Resources section.

Think Tanks

There are very few think tanks in Scotland. One think tank based in Edinburgh is the Scottish Council Foundation. Most are based in London. Other organisations which may also be involved in policy research are often attached to university departments, and may employ research assistants. To gain work in a think tank as a new graduate it is usually necessary to undertake an unpaid internship with a think tank, or volunteer with a political party. Gaining administrative experience is also useful. For further information see http://www.strath.ac.uk/careers/occresources/socialresearch/

Some internships are advertised at the Policy Library website http://www.policylibrary.com/. However, many are obtained via speculative application to a think tank in sympathy with your interests and values. At a higher level, people in a think tank tend to come into and out of them from other areas of work, if a think tank is looking at something they are interested in and knowledgeable about e.g. from the Scottish Government, campaigning and voluntary organisations, academia etc.

Pressure Groups:

Voluntary/Charity Sector

Policy jobs in the voluntary sector in Scotland are mainly located in the central belt and the majority are based in Edinburgh because of easier access to Parliament. Policy work is a growth area in Edinburgh because of the Scottish Parliament. It is useful to read:

·  the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) website www.scvo.org.uk/

·  adverts in Big Issue and Third Force News

·  Goodmoves voluntary sector recruitment website www.goodmoves.org.uk.

Unions

Active involvement in union activities as a student and in the workplace is good grounding for applying for work in policy in a union. Unions advertise vacancies in the following publications:

·  Scotsman/Herald/broadsheets

·  Union websites – you can find a full list at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-list-of-active-trade-unions-official-list-and-schedule/trade-unions-the-current-list-and-schedule

·  TUC website www.tuc.org.uk

Political parties

Adverts for research/policy jobs are likely to appear in the following:

·  Good Moves website (Voluntary/Charity sector policy jobs) www.goodmoves.org.uk

·  Big Issue

·  political party websites.

They tend not to use the broadsheets for advertising for research assistants because of the cost. It is also useful to try a speculative approach. Parties keep CVs and follow them up if relevant positions come up.

Employer/Membership organisations

These bodies represent their members and act as a voice when promoting a positive agenda and influencing policy by working with Government. Policy officers employed by these organisations have a range of backgrounds. Some organisations may require a background working in the area, for example the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) usually employs people who have worked in housing or a related area. Other organisations, for example COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities), may accept a wider range of experience in the public or voluntary sectors, possibly working in a more hands-on role. A postgraduate qualification in not a pre-requisite to work as a policy officer in this area.

Consultancy

Public Policy Consultancy

Organisations working in public policy consultancy in Scotland:

·  big consultancies with a public sector division - e.g. KPMG

·  sole-traders – people with particular experience who have gone freelance at a certain point in their career.

·  www.rocketsciencelab.co.uk Rocket Science provides specialist support to policy makers and practitioners in a range of fields. Areas of expertise include work and welfare, learning and skills, regeneration, community engagement, economic development and youth issues.

·  www.blakestevenson.co.uk Research and consultancy in social and economic development including: social inclusion; access to opportunities; life long learning; work and life balance and more. Based in Edinburgh and Glasgow

·  www.tribalgroup.co.uk Works with over 2,500 public sector organisations, providing a range of management consulting and professional support services.

·  www.sqw.co.uk - an economic development and management consultancy. They have 5 offices in the UK, including one in Edinburgh.

Political Strategy Consultancy

Political strategy consultants often advertise via university careers services for research assistants (It is free and does not swamp them with applications, as an advert in the broadsheets would). Larger agencies advertise on their websites. The media are only used to advertise for more senior positions. Speculative CVs kept are on file in case suitable positions arise. (CVs need to be very targeted to make impact).

Political strategy consultants in Scotland

Check the membership list of the Association of Professional Political Consultants, some of whom work in Scotland - http://www.appc.org.uk/. These include Grayling, Citigate, Weber Shandwick, Fleishman Hillard, APCO, Greenhaus (the only one that is solely Scottish-based). There are also PR companies that do this work, but they tend to have a different approach. However, experience in a PR agency can be a good starting point for moving across into political consultancy.

Working for a news agency (eg The Scottish News Agency in Dundee http://scottishnews.com/index) can be good grounding in the research side of the work, and a good test of whether you will enjoy the research and monitoring side of political strategy work.

Conclusion

Outlined above are some of the areas in which it is possible to find policy work. If you are interested in pursuing a career in this area, you will need to think carefully about which area of policy work will most suit your own particular blend of skills, attributes, interests and motivators.

You are very likely to need some voluntary experience to get you started in this area, so get involved in relevant clubs, societies and committees at university and in the community and gain experience.

Find out more about what work in the different areas of policy involves through reading the information in the Occupational Information section of Strathclyde Careers Service’s Resource Centre, particularly the sections on policy and administration, promotion and PR, trade union work, and social research.

In addition, the occupational/sector web links on the University of Edinburgh Careers Service website http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/careers/explore/occupations and the University of Strathclyde Careers Service website www.strath.ac.uk/careers/occresources are well worth exploring for information, databases of organisations to approach speculatively, and links to sites advertising vacancies.

If you need further help with any aspect of planning for a career in policy work, book an appointment to discuss and develop your ideas with a careers adviser.

JK 21/8/15

Based on a document from Edinburgh University Careers Service