A team of diplomats from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and civil servants from a mix of other Government departments will visit universities across England, Scotland and Wales in October on a Civil Service Fast Stream Roadshow. The roadshow is part of a campaign to encourage the brightest and best to apply to the Civil Service Fast Stream graduate program, which seeks to attract high-performing graduates from diverse backgrounds.
More than 150 staff across Whitehall from a mix of backgrounds with different work experiences are travelling around Britain to explain what life is like in the diplomatic and home civil services and the opportunities that serving the UK at home and overseas can offer. Students will hear about a range of career paths and experiences from the speakers, who will include junior officers, current Fast Streamers and Ambassadors.
The universities being visited have been selected based on their academic performance and reputation for student diversity, to help the Foreign Office and Civil Service’s commitment to attract applications from the most talented graduates of all backgrounds.
Menna Rawlings, Director Human Resources at the FCO said: “The FCO has a huge amount to offer talented graduates. From 270 diplomatic posts in 160 countries around the world we strive to keep Britain safe, improve our economic prosperity and support British nationals overseas. We offer exciting, challenging careers and our staff make a difference at home and overseas.
Perceptions of the FCO as a stuffy and elitist institution are out of date. We have high standards, and want to continue to recruit the brightest and the best. But we are keen to reach into a wider range Universities to ensure our staff are drawn from diverse backgrounds, making us more representative of modern Britain.”
Philip Beer, a recent Generalist Fast Streamer said: “I really like the variety and purpose that working in the Civil Service offers – no day is the same and I feel like the work I am doing really matters.”
The Roadshow will be visiting the following universities:
- 13 October – Liverpool, Glasgow, St Andrews, Manchester
- 14 October – Aston, Birmingham, Leeds, Bradford
- 15 October – Bristol, UWE Bristol, Sheffield Hallam
- 16 October – Nottingham, Exeter, Northampton
- 17 October – Coventry, Cardiff
- 20 October – Oxford, Hertfordshire
- 21 October – Cambridge
- 22 October – Southampton
- 23 October – LSE, UCL, Westminster, Surrey
- 24 October – Queen Mary’s, Imperial, KCL
- 27 October – SOAS, Royal Holloway
