Impact: The Local Government Graduate Programme: Alumni
Our alumni network includes over 2,000 former participants of the programme who are continuing their careers in local government, the wider public sector and beyond.
Please note that our alumni may be referred to as ‘NGDP alumni’ or ‘Impact alumni’ in light of the re-branding of the programme.
Our alumni continue to make a real difference across the sector, bringing their leadership skills and experience to a wide variety of roles in local government, including senior managers, directors and even chief executives.
On this page you can find information about further development opportunities, case studies from alumni and information about our Impact Alumni Ambassadors.
Stay in touch
Are you alumni of the programme? We would love to hear from you! Please complete the short form below to update your contact details and stay in touch with the team at the LGA and news about Impact.
Our Alumni Ambassadors continue to represent the programme across local government, helping Impact to grow and supporting councils, candidates and current trainees by sharing their career journeys, knowledge and experience.
The below case studies reference the ‘NGDP’ – the former name for the programme. Please note the content and structure remains the same despite the new name.
Read about our ambassadors below:
Council on the NGDP: Cambridgeshire County Council
Current role and organisation: Business Development Manager, Cambridgeshire County Council
Applying for the NGDP was the best career move I have made to date and provided me with the foundations for everything I have done since then. The scheme provided me with opportunities to network, learn and develop at a fast pace and ensured I had a diverse range of experiences working in Climate Change and Energy, Transformation, and then in Education. Nothing I have done career wise since would have happened had I not made the decision back in 2018 to apply. The competency framework quickly highlighted to me the skills I needed to develop to progress my career and my participation in the scheme guaranteed I was in a great position to apply for and achieve a permanent role within Cambridgeshire County Council. I would highly recommend the NGDP to anyone who is passionate about making a difference and progressing their career.
Council on the NGDP: Sandwell Council
Current role & organisation: Events & Stakeholders Officer, West Midlands Combined Authority
The NGDP has impacted my career in multiple ways. It gave me exposure to so many areas of local government from Childrens Services to Adult Safeguarding and Employment Support, all under the umbrella of project management. The skills and networks I developed on the programme helped me into a career in local government events management and I really enjoy it.
My main piece of advice to graduates is to say yes to as many opportunities as possible, even if it’s shadowing or tagging along. You make so many connections and learn how different council departments operate.
Council on the NGDP: Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead
Current role and organisation: Community Improvement Project Officer, Reading Borough Council
Throughout the NGDP I experienced a multitude of projects, initiatives, and services at a strategic level. It provided opportunity to deliver amazing value for money, improve positive outcomes for residents, and add value to society. The NGDP gave me a holistic understanding of local government, how our public institutions operate, and the springboard to accelerate my career in the public sector.
Council on the NGDP: London Borough of Redbridge
Current Role & Organisation: Senior Policy Advisor at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
I enjoyed my time on the graduate programme, having placements in Covid-19 Communications, Public Health and Regeneration, contributing to vaccinations and surge testing delivery during the pandemic and strategic plans on tobacco control and physical activity. My time on the NGDP enabled me to network with senior managers across the authority, eventually leading to become a Strategic Commissioner. I co-founded the NGDP Muslim Network with other Muslim trainees which inspired me to found and become the Director of Muslims in Public Policy, a national community interest company bringing together talented Muslim professionals at all levels of government.
Council on the NGDP: London Borough of Waltham Forest
Current role & organisation: Head of Policy and Participation at the RSA (Royal Society of Arts)
I owe an enormous amount to the NGDP for providing the space for me to develop a broad set of skills that has opened doors for me to get to where I am now. I joined the NGDP a few years after graduating, at the time feeling like I was “behind” my peers. Now, after a stint at another local authority, I have just recently made the jump from local government to the charity sector. I am a member of the senior management team and lead on exciting initiatives to do with the creative industries and the devolution agenda, amongst others. In the less than 7 years since I started out at Waltham Forest as a nervous grad, I have done a number of roles across policy, strategy, design, delivery and research – everything from running the local election count to macro-economic strategies! That is the real value the NGDP has brought for me – the adaptability and resilience that I developed from undergoing placements in different environments. I have the foundational tools to apply myself to different challenges, and grow into new roles with greater confidence than I think I would have done without that experience.
Council on the NGDP: Bedford Borough Council
Current role & organisation: Project Manager, Hertfordshire County Council
Whilst on the NGDP, I undertook placements within Personnel Services, Democratic Services, Children’s Services, Public Health and Community Safety. I loved my time in Children’s Services and Public Health and so I hoped for a permanent role where I could apply my skills in these areas. I secured a role at the London Borough of Haringey as a Public Health Officer for children and young people. The role encompassed everything I enjoyed on the NGDP, and I moved into a more senior position as Healthy Schools Programme Lead.
With a goal to be closer to home and working more directly on projects within Children’s Services, I have recently started a role at Hertfordshire County Council as a Project Manager within the Improvement and Transformation Team for SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). The work is challenging and I am learning a lot every day.
The NGDP set the groundwork for me to learn quickly and hit the ground running with new tasks and projects, and helped to shape my passion for Local Government. It is a sector I hope to continue building a career in.
We are developing this offer and are looking for more alumni to get involved! If you are interested in becoming an Alumni Ambassador or finding out more, please get in touch with [email protected].
Continue your development
The LGA runs a number of programmes and development opportunities for councillors and officers in local authorities, as well as events throughout the year on a range of topics.
