home
news & listings
parliamentary placements
Speaker's Parliamentary Placements Scheme
Launch of recruitment phase for second year
Updated 24 July 2012
Update 24 July 2012:
We hear from the
Home Office that they will be funding up to three additional paid
internships specifically for disabled people, who will each be placed with
an MP over October 2012 - July 2013. Here's the quote from the
HO website:
Speaker's parliamentary placement scheme
The speaker's parliamentary placement scheme (Opens in a new window), administered by the Social Mobility Foundation, gives people from diverse backgrounds the opportunity to get a taste of working in politics. It provides nine month paid work experience placements, working with an MP and gaining experience across departments in the House of Commons. Up to three of the placements are reserved for disabled people as part of the access to elected office strategy. The deadline for applications is 30 July.
Hazel Blears MP has welcomed the launch of the recruitment phase
for the second year of the Speaker’s Parliamentary Placements scheme, and
urged people from all backgrounds to apply for the chance to work in
Parliament.
The
cross-party scheme, created by the Salford and Eccles MP, gives people from
disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to spend four days a week working
in the office of an MP, and the fifth working in a variety of roles across
Parliament to get a better understand of how Parliament works.
The
recruitment process is run by the Social Mobility Foundation,
and application materials and further information can be found on their
website:
www.socialmobility.org.uk
Commenting on the launch of the scheme, Ms Blears said:
“I am delighted to see the launch of the
second year of the Speaker’s Parliamentary Placements scheme. This scheme is
important in helping to change the makeup of Parliament and make sure that
the people elected to and working in Parliament are more representative of
the people that we serve.
“For too long people have been frozen out
of politics by the culture of unpaid internships, and this has meant that
Parliament has become inaccessible for those who can’t afford to live and
work in London for free.
“The scheme challenges that culture by
giving interns a fixed wage, support with housing, personal development
training and the chance to develop skills for their future – I encourage
everyone interested in politics to apply.”
The
Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow MP, added:
“I’m delighted that the first year of the
Speaker’s Parliamentary Placements scheme was so successful, and I am
confident that it will continue to go from strength to strength. This scheme
opens up Parliament to people who wouldn’t normally have the chance to work
here, and is vitally important in helping to make politics more
representative of the public as a whole.
“Hazel Blears MP’s work on this is to be
applauded, and the cross-party nature of the scheme explains why is has been
so successful. I urge people – of all backgrounds – who are interested in
politics to apply, and to take advantage of this opportunity to experience
work at the heart of British politics.”
For
further information please visit
www.socialmobility.org.uk
Added 9 June 2011
Hazel Blears MP Celebrates Launch of Speaker’s Parliamentary
Placements Scheme
Hazel Blears has welcomed the launch of the Speaker’s Parliamentary
Placements scheme and said that it will play a vital role in making
Parliament more accessible for people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
The scheme, a cross-party initiative that will give 12 people from ordinary
backgrounds the opportunity to undertake a paid internship in Parliament,
was formally launched by Speaker Bercow last night (Wednesday 8 June), with
applications now being accepted through the
Social Mobility Foundation website.
Commenting on the launch of the scheme, Ms Blears said:
“I am absolutely delighted that our scheme has now been launched and is
open for applicants. Over the past few months the role of internships has
been under intense scrutiny, and those of us who work in politics know too
well that the system of unpaid internships freezes people out of political
life.
“I hope that our programme can act as a catalyst for change by demonstrating
that unpaid internships are unjust and unfair. There’s a real difference
between short, work experience placements which are voluntary, and long term
internships which are exploitative.
“Our scheme will make Parliament more open and accessible. It will give
people from working class backgrounds the opportunities that currently just
aren’t open to them, and take an important step towards making our politics
more representative of ordinary people.
The Speaker added:
“I am delighted to support the Speaker’s Parliamentary Placement Scheme.
This excellent cross-party initiative will create a number of paid
internship positions in Parliament for people from disadvantaged
backgrounds. At a time when Parliament needs more than ever to reconnect
with the British public, it is vital that the opportunity to gain experience
of working here is open to as diverse a range of people as possible, not
just to those who can afford it. I very much hope this scheme goes from
strength to strength.”
Applicants can apply using the online form provided on the Social Mobility
Foundation website –
www.socialmobility.org.uk
Notes
· The Speaker’s Parliamentary Placements scheme is a cross-party scheme
established by Hazel Blears (Labour, Salford and Eccles, Eric Ollerenshaw
(Conservative, Lancaster and Fleetwood) and Jo Swinson (Liberal Democrat,
East Dunbartonshire)
· The first intern placements will begin in September 2011
· For more information please contact Steve Clapperton on 0207 219 6595 or
at
steven.clapperton@parliament.uk
