RichardS

This week I was part of an interview panel with the council Leader, Cllr Mark Kirk, Chief Executive Simon Driver, and a member of our senior team, looking to select a National Graduate Development Programme (ngdp) trainee to join the council later this year. We have been involved at North Lincolnshire for a few years now.

We all know that, as the ngdp says, "Local government needs high calibre people on board at a senior level. The challenges and opportunities for senior managers have grown and local government is no different from the rest of the economy in recognising the need to develop talent from within. We need to recruit our graduates carefully so that they have the attributes to make it through a testing programme, a programme which exposes them to genuine challenges early on in their development."

On the basis of these interviews we can face the future with confidence. We saw recent graduates with personality, commitment, and the highest academic qualifications, who were also nice people - the sort you would want to work with. It came as no surprise then when later the same day I was told that work in local government is now (once again) one of the top destination preferences for new university graduates.

For more see  http://www.ngdp.co.uk/

We are all supposed to be innovators these days. Doing new things is very demanding. But very worthwhile. At two primary schools in North Lincs new ground is being broken. West Butterwick (small and brilliant) and Owston Ferry (a liitle bigger and also brilliant) have formed the Trentside Confederation. You will have guessed both communities are alongside the river Trent (very big and very brilliant) on the Isle of Axholme. The Confederation, established in 2006 aims to provide strength and stability to both schools, and is doing just that at a time when it seems smaller rural schools in so many places are under threat. The Confederation model enables two schools under one headteacher to work together in a way that shares work load and widens opportunity for staff, pupils and the community. It's going well but has been hard work for all concerend as they come to learn a new way of doing business. Change is almost always hard work, but almost always worth it. The team at Owston Ferry and West Butterwick  are achieving a lot. Thanks to Jo Pitchforth and her team for a really stimulating morning away from the office - and for a nutricious and tasty school lunch - not a twizzler in sight!

For more see  http://www.trentsideconfederation.com/index.asp there's lots of info and some great pics that tell the story. And so many smiling faces......