Minister says programme will help ensure Whitehall has ‘broadest range of talent and truly reflects the country’
A new civil service internship scheme will be open only to working-class students as part of a drive to make Whitehall better reflect the country, the government has said.
The programme will give students from lower-income backgrounds the chance to apply for paid government placements. The definition of working class will be based on what jobs were held by their parents when the applicant was 14 and replaces an existing programme open to all.
The Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said the action was being taken because applicants from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were less likely to get a place on the so-called fast stream.
“We need to get more working-class young people into the civil service so it harnesses the broadest range of talent and truly reflects the country,” he said. “Government makes better decisions when it represents and understands the people we serve.
