The local Government Graduate Programme at Waltham Forest (LGGP)

Congratulations! You’ve made it through a challenging recruitment process and are officially employed as a National Management Trainee. Now what? What does a working day entail for a graduate at Waltham Forest?

In previous years graduates have worked across the council departments, in a mixture of roles.

Leadership Office

This placement involved working on supporting priority projects for the Chief Executive and Leader of the council. Tasks included:

• writing speeches
• writing letters to key stakeholders
• event planning
• lobbying research
• sitting in on and minute taking for senior leadership meetings
• event management.

Strategy and Change

This placement provided policy support on high-priority projects, strategic thinking, and engagement with the voluntary and community sector. It also involved helping to write the corporate strategy, and contract management of community sector organisations.

Regeneration

This placement involved helping to write an in-depth report about the cultural and creative sector in the Walthamstow town centre. This included:

• conducting research
• creating surveys
• engaging with businesses
• analysing data and writing up findings.

Adult Social Care

This involved leading and developing an employment strategy for residents with learning disabilities and/or autism.

Family Hubs and Youth Spaces

Providing project support to this government-funded programme, including helping to write the delivery plan. There was an opportunity to independently lead the digital workstream, overseeing the implementation of a family hubs web directory and phone line.

Climate

Leading as a project manager who was responsible for The Climate Emergency Commission. The role included organising meetings and communications with Commission members, senior management, and political leaders. It also included working with policy to develop the Council’s vision and controlling the budget. 

Covid Delivery

Sitting within the Covid Delivery Team, this role involved working in the internal “Covid Intelligence Hub” to gather insight from across council services to shape leadership decisions.