The National Graduate Development Programme at Waltham Forest

We are a proud supporter of the National Graduate Development Programme (NGDP). A two-year scheme for graduates who wish to pursue a career in local government.

Each year, a new cohort of graduates is given the opportunity to work across different departments within Waltham Forest. Trainees rotate between four 6-month-long placements. This exposes them to a range of high-priority projects, stakeholders, and ways of working at the Council. This provides graduates with a unique opportunity to gain invaluable experience and insight into the operations of a fast-paced and exciting local authority. It gives them the skills needed to secure permanent employment at the Council beyond the scheme.

Along the way, graduates receive learning and development opportunities such as studying for a postgraduate-level certificate in Leadership and Management. It also includes opportunities exclusive to Waltham Forest graduates, such as access to senior colleagues through our mentoring programme.

Find out more about how the NGDP works in the Waltham Forest NGDP Information pack (PDF)

We welcome applications from candidates across the country. But, we are particularly passionate about supporting people with a local connection to the borough. Local people know our borough best, so we want to ensure they are represented in our workforce.

For this reason, we operate a local recruitment process alongside the national one. This means that we guarantee an interview for anyone with a local connection once they have made it through to the interview stage, and provide those candidates with additional support around interviews.

If you have any questions please email ngdp@walthamforest.gov.uk.

Please read on to find out more about:

• The NGDP recruitment process
• Local recruitment at Waltham Forest
• Top tips and advice
• Why Waltham Forest
• Life as an NMT at Waltham Forest
• Beyond the NGDP

We do not expect you to be a local government expert! We are not looking for someone with lots of work experience, but what we would like to see is the following:

• Interest and passion for the local area
• Someone who wants to make a positive impact on the local community
• Someone with lived experience in public sector services
• A team player
• A motivated and resilient individual
• Someone with creative and innovative problem-solving skills
• Commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion

We want someone who really wants to work in the sector to help us make a difference for the residents of Waltham Forest.