Civil Service in the news
Growing Talent in the Civil Service
11/12/2007 - Cabinet Office [External website] 
The Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell hosted a reception on Monday 10 December to mark the beginning of the Minority Ethnic Talent Association (META) “Growing Talent” pilot.
Growing Talent is a new mentoring scheme aimed at preparing high calibre individuals of ethnic minority background for leadership roles in the Civil Service.
Launched by Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell and Minister for Skills David Lammy MP, the Growing Talent Pilot is a high - level mentoring programme, aimed at equipping talented black and minority ethnic staff with the skills and attributes they will need to become future candidates for the Senior Civil Service.
After a rigorous assessment programme, twelve successful applicants to the scheme have now been paired with mentors from the Senior Civil Service, all of whom are currently permanent secretaries or work at director-general level. Participants will be given a broader perspective and deeper understanding of the Civil Service so that a pipeline of successful Senior Civil Service candidates can be created. High-level mentoring is the core of the programme, but there will also be other events running throughout the next year to reinforce what participants have learned through the mentoring programme.
At the launch of the programme Sir Gus O'Donnell thanked all participants and said:
“In order to meet the challenges of a constantly changing society and an increasing diversity of public service users, the Civil Service needs to ensure it has the right workforce with the right skills. This includes having a workforce which reflects the community we serve. The 'Growing Talent' programme is an important step towards achieving a more diverse and professional Civil Service.”
Minister for the Civil Service Gillian Merron also attended the event.
“The Civil Service needs to encompass all the talents if it's to be the best that it can be,” she said. “The 'Growing Talent' programme has an important role to play in building a Civil Service that is truly reflective of our diverse, multicultural society, and I am really pleased to see it up and running with the first 12 successful applicants in place.”
The Growing Talent pilot is one of the first initiatives put into place by the Minority Ethnic Talent Association (META). It is intended that over a four year period, the Growing Talent pilot and subsequent successor programmes will contribute to the objectives of the Cabinet Office 10-Point Plan for increasing diversity in the Senior Civil Service.