Vacancy -- Up to 10 Brexit Interns

'Pan Wales' means that the location in which the vacancy can be based is flexible, subject to the needs of the business. Please note it may not always be possible to accommodate a preference for a specific office location, but requests will be taken into consideration.

Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs (EPRA) are offering exciting internship opportunities for university undergraduates, graduates or post graduates to work on different subject areas to help the Welsh Government ensure Brexit is delivered effectively for Wales.  These roles provide opportunities to work at the heart of a challenging and fast moving environment which is helping to ensure that the people of Wales get the best deal once the UK leaves the EU. 

There will be a wide range of roles, which will link to EPRA policy teams and will enable you to gain practical, paid work experience in Welsh Government with involvement in high profile work around Brexit and its impact for Wales. 

Intern roles will require research around subjects, analysis of information, identifying key aspects of that information and submitting recommendations.  The work includes producing written drafts of various communications for staff at more senior level to consider.  There will be an opportunity for inter-governmental working with the UK Government and devolved administrations to support ERPA’s engagement in negotiations on a variety of policy areas.  Intern roles may also have an opportunity to support the Cabinet Secretary (ERPA) and Environment Minister

The work associated with these roles will be fast paced, varied and interesting. You could be posted to any one of the areas covered by the EPRA portfolio such as the Office of the Chief Veterinary Officer, farming, food, fisheries, forestry, waste, water, decarbonisation, animal and plan health or be involved in providing support in developing successor programmes for major EU driven funding programmes including the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).

Individuals who are successful in their application for these roles will be posted to those areas where they will be able to make the greatest contribution and help them develop new skills and knowledge.   

These posts offer an excellent opportunity for work experience in Welsh Government.  While there will be variances between posts, they will all require some or all of the following tasks:

• Analytical and research – analysing information, use relevant research methods to identify and interpret relevant features and trends and providing recommendations on a way forward.
• Undertaking Project and Programme Management (PPM) – providing support against complex projects, often to tight deadlines.
• Policy support - support the development and delivery of work in EPRA which will contribute to the wider work around Brexit.
• Operational support – assisting with the review of operational processes and procedures and providing support in how these can be used to provide a better service to customers and stakeholders throughout Wales.
• Governance – support the implementation of new systems and processes that will operate after our exit from EU.
• Legislation – provide support around the implementation and delivery of primary or secondary legislation.

These internships offer undergraduates, graduates and post-graduates the opportunity to develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours that are essential for any civil service role within the UK Government or the rest of the public/private sector.  These internships are at the heart of how future policy will be drafted and negotiated and how these policies will be delivered across Wales following withdrawal from the EU.

Opportunities could include:

• Exposure to how long term strategy is applied in workplace contexts
• Creation of policy documents and helping turn policy into action;
• Using relevant research methods to identify and interpret trends used to plan and implement Brexit issues;
• Shadowing senior civil servants
• Mentoring by civil servants
• Personal development
• Working with the Ministers Offices in a subject area which attracts wide political interest from all political parties.
• Proactively making links and working with a wide range of Welsh Government teams and external partners including other Governments in the UK. 

08/05/2018, 16:00

Posts recruited to as part of this recruitment campaign are broadly open to UK nationals, those with right to remain and work in the UK and those that meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules only. Check your eligibility here:

• UK Visas and Immigration - GOV.UK

• Nationality rules – GOV.UK

Prior to appointment, all successful applicants will be required to produce original, acceptable documents as part of the pre-employment checks. If it becomes apparent at a later stage in the process that you aren’t eligible to apply, your application will be withdrawn, or offer retracted.

The Welsh Government is committed to providing services which embrace diversity and which promote equality of opportunity. This is underpinned by the Equality Act 2010 and will be adhered to at each stage of the recruitment process. Our goal is to ensure that these commitments are also embedded in our day-to-day working practices with all our customers, colleagues and partners.

We are committed to being an anti-racist organisation and increasing diversity in the Welsh Government by removing barriers and supporting all our staff to reach their potential. We are committed to recruiting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and disabled people who are currently under-represented in Welsh Government.

We welcome applications from everyone regardless of age, marriage and civil partnership (both same sex and opposite sex), impairment or health condition, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, gender identity or gender expression.

We are a Stonewall Diversity Champion and a Disability Confident Level 3 (Leader) organisation. Key to supporting this work and providing peer support are five Board sponsored Staff Networks (Disability Awareness and Support (DAAS); Minority Ethnic Support Network (MESN); Mind Matters (Mental health and well-being); PRISM (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex +) and Women Together.

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Welsh Government is a bilingual organisation and Welsh language skills are considered an asset to the organisation. We encourage and support staff to learn, develop and use their Welsh language skills in the workplace. 

The following list of language requirements represents an objective assessment by the line manager on behalf of the Welsh Government of the Welsh language skills required to undertake the duties of this particular post.

In Welsh Government, the relationship between the employer and trade unions is based on social partnership. We believe our goals can best be achieved by management and trade unions working together.

Our 3 recognised trade unions are:
•         PCS
•         Prospect
•         FDA

This relationship is underpinned by a partnership agreement. This sets out how our unions work with Welsh Government on issues such as:
•         pay
•         terms and conditions
•         policies and procedures
•         organisational change.

Our Welsh Government trade union colleagues work together to give their members a real say in the workplace. They make sure that the interests of their members are promoted and protected. They also help reduce inequalities and improve terms and conditions.

The Welsh Government has an excellent track record of working in partnership with its trade unions. We encourage staff to get involved. We support you to join a recognised trade union, to ensure your voice is heard in the workplace. and to learn more about trade unions and partnership working.

• Unless stated otherwise in ‘actual starting salary’, all candidates will start at the minimum of the pay scale being appointed to (this includes existing civil servants).This is not negotiable.
• Unless stated otherwise in ‘type of opportunity’, this recruitment advert is not open on a Loan or Secondment basis.
• For more information on the eligibility criteria and terms and conditions for Loan and Secondment positions in Welsh Government, please see external recruitment candidate guidance.
• Unless stated otherwise in ‘Location of Post’ the role/s recruited to via this campaign can only be worked in the UK, not overseas.

All applications for this vacancy should be made online via the Welsh Government's online application system.  If you have a disability which would prevent you from applying on-line, please e-mail SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales to request an application pack in an alternative format, or to request a reasonable adjustment related to a disability in order to submit your application.

To apply, you'll need to have an account on our online application system.  Click the 'Apply' button below, and you'll be asked to 'Log in' if you already have an account, or 'Register' if you don't yet have an account.  Registration takes just a few minutes to complete.  You'll need an e-mail address to be able to register.  Once you've registered for an account and logged in, you'll be taken to the online application form, which you'll need to fully complete and submit before the deadline on the closing date.  

If you’d like to apply for this vacancy in Welsh, please use the ‘Newid Iaith / Change Language’ link at the top of this page, to take you to the Welsh version of this advert, from which you can apply in Welsh.

For further information regarding the Welsh Government recruitment process, please see the Recruitment Guidance for External Candidates (link).

When evidencing your suitability for the post, it is recommended that you refer to the Civil Service Competency Framework (link)

Anyone who believes they have been treated unfairly, or has a grievance or complaint, about how the process was conducted should either write to the Head of Resourcing, Welsh Government, Cathays Park 2, Cardiff CF10 3NQ or email SharedServiceHelpdesk@gov.wales.  If you are unhappy with the outcome of the complaint raised with the Welsh Government and feel that the principles of appointment on merit through fair and open competition have not been met you have the right to pursue your grievance with the Civil Service Commission.