Public Sector & Utilities Jobs | Jobs & Careers

The public sector encompasses a great number of trades and professions. The include the Civil Service, the Armed Forces, Emergency Services, government administration and social work, to name but few. The follows discusses some of the roles within the public sector, comparing duties, prerequisite qualifications, training, salary and working conditions. Further sources of information are also included.

CIVIL SERVANT
The Civil Service offers a wide range of roles for non-graduates, graduates and specialists with specific qualifications. Career opportunities include office-based work, liaising with the public, record keeping and dealing with finance and accounts. Civil servants also provide information to government ministers, enabling them to realise their policies. There are around 100 different departments.

Prerequisite Qualifications
Individual departments set their own entry requirements. Some may accept a new entrant with good communication or decision-making skills, whereas others may require a minimum of two "A" levels for a junior manager position. In the main, the entry standard for non-graduates is five GCSEs (A-C grades), including English. Around half the junior managers recruited each year are graduates. The 'Fast Stream' programme requires at least a first or second-class honours degree.

Training
Training combines formal courses and on-the-job experience. Some posts offer the opportunity to undertake nationally recognised vocational qualifications. Foundation and Advanced Apprenticeships may be available for young people in England; Skillseekers and Apprenticeships (Scotland); Apprenticeships (Northern Ireland) and National Traineeships and Apprenticeships (Wales) may also be available. For qualified candidates, the competitive "Fast Stream Development Programme" can speed progress to senior appointments. Departments usually recruit through advertisements in local and national newspapers, job centres and their own websites.

Salary
Rates of pay are set by different departments and agencies and vary, but an administrative assistant in London could expect up to 15,500, a junior manager around 20,000 and middle managers over 30,000. "Fast Stream" salaries in London start from around 20,000, plus a non-contributory pension currently worth a further 13.5%.

Working Conditions
Generally, staff work a 37 hours a week with opportunities for flexible and part-time working and job sharing. Posts are mainly office-based, but there may occasionally be a requirement to travel to meetings, conferences, training sessions or other events. Typically, you would have around 5 weeks annual holiday,

Further Sources of Information:
Civil Service Careers: www.civil-service.gov.uk/jobs
Fast Stream Development Programme: www.faststream.gov.uk

SOCIAL WORKER
Social workers help and support people during difficult times. This may include working with deprivation, disability or abuse, young people who are finding it hard living on their own, people with psychiatric problems or older people who need help maintaining their independence. In Scotland, social workers may also work with people who have committed or have been charged with crimes, similar to the work of probation officers in England. There is a shift towards specialism, especially work involving children and psychiatric problems.

Prerequisite Qualifications
The main qualification is a degree in social work, which offers a combination of academic learning and practical work experience. For this, you need at least two "A" levels, together with five GCSEs (grades A-C). Those over 21 may be able to gain admission without formal examination passes. Life experience is greatly valued in social work, and older people often retrain as social workers.

Training
Once qualified, you would need to register with the General Social Care Council in England or an equivalent body. If meeting standards of conduct and competence, you can then take further courses to improve your skills and career opportunities.

Salary
Salaries, based on qualifications, experience and location, usually start on around 17,500 and can rise to 28,000 or above. Directors of social services departments normally earn considerably more than this.

Working Conditions
Social workers provide 24-hour, 7-day coverage, so hours are likely to be long and irregular. A rota and "on call" systems operate, with extra pay. Often difficult situations arise, which can be unpleasant and, at times, dangerous.

Further Sources of Information:
British Association of Social Workers: www.basw.co.uk
Care Council for Wales: www.ccwales.org.uk
Northern Ireland Social Care Council: www.niscc.info
Scottish Social Services Council: www.sssc.uk.com

FIRE FIGHTER
Fire-fighters work in teams to reduce deaths and losses from fire. They do this by providing a practical firefighting and rescue service. Apart from fire, an emergency could involve rescuing people, animals or property from a disaster such as a flood, road, rail or air crash. Equally, it could be a bomb alert or a spillage of hazardous substances. In dealing with the injured, fire-fighters use first aid techniques to administer immediate help before the arrival of emergency medical services. In addition to some 41,000 full-time fire-fighters, there are around 17,900 'retained' or part-time fire-fighters, mainly in rural areas and small towns. About 1,400 people work as volunteer fire-fighters in Scotland.

Prerequisite Qualifications
Fire-fighters need a good general education. Some brigades may ask for specific GCSEs grades, while some entrants already have "A" levels or a degree. You may have to pass a written entrance test and undergo a series of initiative and physical tests. Brigades also test for practical aptitude, aerobic fitness and the ability to work well in a team. There is no minimum height, but you must pass a test of fitness and strength. You need good eyesight without glasses or contact lenses, and you must be at least 18.

Training
As a new recruit in England and Wales, you would attend an induction course, lasting between 12 and 16 weeks, in a local fire training centre. In Scotland, you would attend a 16-week course at the Scottish Fire Training School. Initial training includes using protective clothing and breathing apparatus, entering smoke-filled rooms, using foam and other fire extinguishing media, using ladders, hoses, knots, hydraulic and other equipment, and administering first aid. There is also an emphasis on personal discipline and fitness. After induction training, you would join a fire station and spend a probationary period of up to two years learning from experienced fire-fighters. In most brigades, you would be encouraged to work towards National/Scottish Vocational Qualifications (NVQ/SVQ) Levels 2 and 3 in Emergency Fire Services.

Salary
Starting pay for a fire-fighter is around 17,000, rising to 21,000 with experience. At the higher levels, assistant chief officers and chief officers/fire masters are not paid on fixed scales, and salaries vary with different fire authorities. Retained fire-fighters are paid additional fees, in line with their rank, for attendance, extra duties and turnouts.

Working Conditions
You would normally work a 42-hour week, which may include shifts and overtime. The practical emergency work can be very stressful, physically demanding and uncomfortable. Conditions are often hazardous, featuring extremes of heat and cold, heights, enclosed spaces, smoke-filled buildings, in all kinds of weather, during the day or at night in almost nil visibility. You can also be exposed to danger from buildings collapsing, vehicle fumes and explosions.

Further Sources of Information:
www.hse.gov.uk/services/fire/index.htm