Brompton Academy

Local Government

Sector Outlook Working in local government can offer you a wide variety of career possibilities in areas such as building control, social work, education, finance and environmental health. In recent years the sector has been under significant pressure as the Government has sor t to reduce the national debt by cutting funding to council budgets. The forecast suggests that by 2015 the workforce will have declined to 2.2 million. However, as in any sector oppor tunities still exist. According to LGjobs. com, the official government job site adver tising council vacancies, there are over 200 jobs in social and care work, 150 in administration and 90 in education. In contrast, employers such as The Fire and Rescue Service are not recruiting at present. A dispropor tionate number of women work in local government usually in the soft skill areas of care and education with more men working in building control and trading standards. The industry also has a number of par t time oppor tunities and would suit anyone needing a second income or flexible work arrangements. For administrative oppor tunities, local government employers look for individuals with organisational ability, attention to detail, accuracy and good customer service skills. For accounting roles a mathematical ability is required. Some jobs will require you to have achieved a relevant degree in disciplines such as town planning, conservation, teaching or social work. However, apprenticeship oppor tunities do exist for school leavers who are keen to enter the workforce. As well as using websites such as that of the Local Government Association (www.jobtrain.co.uk), keep in mind that most local authorities also host their own vacancies.