The Growing Talent programme has been designed to support and develop high-calibre ethnic minority civil servants and supplement the diverse pool of talent from which future leaders will come.
Last updated - 14th July 2010
The Growing Talent programme has been developed to support and develop high-calibre ethnic minority civil servants and supplement the diverse pool of talent from which future leaders will come. It is the only cross-Whitehall programme specifically designed for BME staff.
Selection onto the programme is through an application process, including written submissions and interview by an SCS panel. Once selected, candidates are paired with a Senior Civil Servantmentor at Director-General or Permanent Secretary level. In addition, participants attend workshops, coaching, shadowing and short-term work placements, designed to provide exposure to working at an SCS level. Applicants are required to be Grade 6 or 7 or above, of an ethnic minority background, and to have demonstrated skills and experience to perform at SCS level.
The second Growing Talent Programme was launched on 17 March 2010 at Admiralty House. Guest speakers were, Sir Gus O’Donnell, Cabinet Secretary & Head of the Home Civil Service, Andrew Ramsay, Director General, Partnerships & Programmes, DCMS, Dame Helen Ghosh, Permanent Secretary, DEFRA and Baroness Patricia Scotland.
The event was attended by more than 50 META stakeholders from various Departments, including, Mentors, Advisory Board Members, Permanent Secretaries, Senior Civil Servants (SCS), Mentees and Growing Talent Pilot Alumni.
Feedback from the event:
“Excellent day, very well organised and brilliant speakers.“ “A really good and enjoyable day. I left the day feeling inspired and motivated. Thank you.” “I'm delighted to take part in the scheme - I think the programme as a whole is excellent”
Growing Talent Update, June 2009
On 18 June 2009, Sir Gus O’Donnell, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service presented the first Growing Talent graduates with their certificates at a prestigious graduation ceremony in Admiralty House, Whitehall.
Sir Gus stressed the need for increased diversity in the Civil Service to help meet the country’s “many challenges ahead”, and in the face of tight public expenditure. He said: “We will have to be innovative and [we’ll need] a group of people who can come at this with different ideas.” He added: “Diversity is not an add on, not an extra, but a quintessential element [of today’s Civil Service]”.
There were warnings about the “perils of homogeneity” from META mentor and board member Minouche Shafik, Permanent Secretary, Department for International Development.
Recalling the observation of former US President Bill Clinton that, “talent is spread evenly around the world, opportunity is not”, she remembered the impact of seeing girls her own age toiling in the fields on a return visit to Egypt. “But for an accident of birth…it could have been me,” Minouche said.
Key META supporter David Bell, Permanent Secretary, Department for Education, emphasised the mutual benefits of mentoring: “The mentors have learned as much, if not more, than the mentees,” he said.
The first Growing Talent programme (2008-9) included participants from:
The following Departments offered mentoring, workshops & placements in support of Growing Talent:
