• 2) Answer the questions to the text:

a) Who is Susan Clarke?

b) What is Susan Clarke?

c) Where does she work?

d) How does she get professional training?

e) What is the girl’s dream?

• 3) Are the statements true or false?

a) Bolton is an old town in Lancashire, England.

b) Lancashire cotton was famous all over the world in the 19th century.

c) Cotton is still produced in Bolton.

d) All buildings in Bolton are as old as Town Hall.

e) Life in Bolton is fine.

5.26 What is the fast stream?

• 1) What do these words and phrases mean: “the Civil Service Fast Stream,” “postings,” “secondments”?

The Civil Service Fast Stream is an accelerated training and development graduate programme for people who have the potential to become the future leaders of the Civil Service. It is ranked among the top five programmes by the Times.

One key reason for the programme’s popularity is that it enables graduates to bring innovative solutions to some of the biggest issues facing society today. Whether in employment or education, the environment or the economy, Fast Streamers can have a real impact on life in the UK and beyond. It gives you the opportunity to work at the heart of current affairs and key government agendas. It allows you to engage directly with the public and to help to provide high-quality services for people from diverse communities and backgrounds. Throughout your career in the Civil Service, you’ll be leading, building relationships, innovating and making key decisions.

Responsibility comes quickly in the Fast Stream. So learning has to happen at a fast pace, too. Most of it will happen on the job, through your different “postings” (different jobs within departments). These will give you experience of project management, people management, delivering services direct to the public, policy development and working for Ministers or senior officials. You can expect each posting to last around 12 or 18 months, after which you’ll move on to another project or area of work and be encouraged to gain experience in a different career grouping. There are also Secondment opportunities available with most departments and they are actively encouraged. You may find yourself working in Europe, in business or industry, or in another government department. In short, you’ll amass a wide range of perspectives and experience in a very short space of time.

Your on-the-job training will be supplemented by formal training courses and periods of self study, such as CD / DVD-ROMs, which allow you to learn at your own speed. You can expect to receive around fifteen days’ formal training a year. There is a range of foundation courses at the National School of Government which will help you to develop the skills and knowledge you need and help you to understand the structure and workings of the Civil Service. Many departments, particularly those recruiting Fast Streamers with technical backgrounds, will also support you in gaining professional qualifications.

Your time on the Fast Stream will begin with an induction event, which will introduce you both to the programme and to the Civil Service as a whole. It should help to set your career in context. And you’ll most likely have a mentor or another Fast Streamer to support you through your development.

Each year, you’ll have a performance review, which will assess your progress and form the basis of a rolling personal development plan. This can be extremely useful when you’re moving between postings on a regular basis. As you would imagine, some of the benefits of being in the Fast Stream are evident from the start, with most departments providing a variety of ways to help and assist you.

A place in the Fast Stream will enable you to develop quickly and move posts more frequently than you would ordinarily expect. As a result, you should be ready to accept a promotion in a few years. Ideally, you’ll be keen to take on a post in the Senior Civil Service after that.

Starting salaries vary across departments. In London, they usually range between £25,000 and £27,000. Different salary scales may be applicable in the regions. Pay increases are based purely on performance. You’ll receive around 25 days’ holiday per year plus 10.5 days’ public and privilege holidays. You will also have access to a pension scheme, costing a maximum of 3.5% of your salary. A good work-life balance is another potential benefit. Some departments offer flexible and part-time working arrangements, job share opportunities and career breaks, as well as holiday pay schemes and childcare assistance. Other benefits may include season ticket loans, sports and social facilities. Your specific package will depend on which department you join.

Making it in to the Fast Stream won’t be easy. You will need to go through a demanding application and assessment process that may last up to seven months. However, we do try to make things as transparent as possible. We will keep you informed and provide you with feedback at every stage of the process, and there’s an online messaging service to guide you as you go along.

The Fast Stream Assessment Centre is a one day assessment centre that selects graduates with the calibre and potential to join the Fast Stream. During the assessment, candidates will complete a variety of written and oral exercises and have a one to one interview with an assessor.

Many people are surprised that our initial entry requirements are relatively open: just a second class degree in any subject. The reason is very simple. We’re actually more interested in your skills, attitude and outlook than where you may have earned your degree. And while some more specialised areas of government work require a particular degree subject, most will present challenges you have never encountered before.

That’s why every applicant is guided through a series of online tests as the first part of our application process. It’s tough, as you’d expect, but we give you the opportunity to gauge whether you are likely to succeed prior to embarking on the scored tests.

There’s no age limit but employing departments expect several years’ service before normal retirement. There are also particular entry requirements in terms of nationality.

A Fast Stream career does not have to mean London. Equally challenging opportunities are available in other parts of the country and offer a unique perspective which London-based Fast Streamers do not see.

Even those in London are expected to be mobile and work wherever their departments need them. Remember, too, that in order to gain valuable experience of operational delivery, you may have to work in more than one location. Fast Streamers often provide operational and corporate services away from large London headquarters.