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Dragons' Den star and Cabinet Secretary visit Civil Servants making a difference in the North East

CAB 016/09
09 March 2009

Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell and Dragons' Den entrepreneur Peter Jones were in the North East today, meeting Civil Servants, including apprentices, who are helping the region cope with the global financial crisis.

They visited the Gateshead JobCentre Plus to talk to staff who are working harder than ever to find employment for local people and met with former clients who have been helped back into work by the centre.

They were in the North East for Civil Service Live Gateshead, a one-day event at The Sage conference centre that brought together Civil Servants from across the region to share best practice and develop new ways of delivering services.

Sir Gus O'Donnell, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, said:

“A lot of people think the Civil Service is all about Sir Humphreys tucked away in Whitehall, but 83 per cent of Civil Servants actually work outside London. The vast majority work on the frontline, delivering public services that have a vital role to play in helping places like Gateshead through the downturn.

“The Civil Servants we've met today, both at the Gateshead JobCentre Plus and at the conference, are real unsung heroes, dedicated men and women who process benefits, inform people about the tax credits they can claim, or find work for the unemployed.

“We all want to deliver the best service we can and events like Civil Service Live allow us all to come together to share advice on what we're doing right and find ways to improve.”

Peter Jones said:

“I am delighted to be involved with Civil Service Live again as I get to see firsthand the excellent work being done in the North East.

“I have been working with the Civil Service and have already seen many of the exciting and innovative projects being worked on to improve the delivery of public services.”

At the JobCentre Plus, Sir Gus and Peter Jones met two men who have benefited from the help offered by supportive staff who went the extra mile to help them find work.

Marc Thompson, 26, an ex-offender, was struggling to find employment until JobCentre Plus staff arranged a work trail for him at a local hotel. He impressed managers so much they offered him a full time job.

Ben Cantwell, 19, had been looking for work for several months when staff at the JobCentre Plus found him a placement with Robson Print. But public transport in the area would not get him to work on time each morning, so the JobCentre Plus staff stepped in with financial help so he could hire a scooter from a local transport scheme. He has now started an apprenticeship with the firm.

At the Sage, Sir Gus and Peter Jones also met Civil Servants doing apprenticeships to gain new skills and nationally recognised qualifications.

The group included Clive Barlow, a 44 year-old apprentice working for the Pensions Service at Tyneview Park in Gateshead who deals with pensions for those who live abroad.

Ian Watmore, Permanent Secretary for DIUS and Civil Service Apprenticeships Champion, said:

“Most Civil Servants say they joined up to make a difference. Civil service apprenticeships make a difference in so many ways. Apprenticeships help individuals develop the confidence to build their careers. For employers, apprenticeships provide a committed, capable and knowledgeable workforce. But most importantly, in the Civil Service, apprenticeships develop staff so they are equipped to deliver better services to the public. ”

Notes to editors

1. Civil Service Live is sponsored by the Cabinet Office, National School for Government and Whitehall and Westminster World and is open to civil servants of all grades.
2. This is the first CSL event to be held outside London.
3. About the Civil Service:
   * There are 487,000 civil servants; the lowest number for almost a decade
   * The Civil Service makes up less than 2% of UK employment and around 9% of public sector employment
   * The Civil Service has delivered £26.5 billion of annual efficiency gains
   * Civil servants do a huge variety of jobs; from coastguards to vets, and from lawyers to meteorologists
   * The majority of civil servants work outside London in operational delivery roles and earn less than £25,000
   The Civil Service in the North East:
   * There are 32,350 civil servants working full-time in the North East, with the majority working for HMRC and DWP.
   * 60.8 per cent of the Civil Service workforce in the North East are women.
   * The average salary for full-time administration officers and assistants who make up the majority of the workforce in the North East is £16,900.
4. The Civil Service Apprenticeships pathfinder was set up by Government Skills, the sector skills council for central government in September 2008. About the pathfinder:
   * 16 government departments and agencies are taking part including the Home Office, Department for Work and Pensions, Ministry of Defence and the Driving Standards Agency
   * Nearly 1400 apprentices in government have started their training since September 2008
   * An apprenticeship takes between 8 and 18 months to complete
   * Apprentices are doing a wide range of jobs including administration, customer service, driving examiners, chefs, IT support and management
   

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