Listings - Public services

Public services

So, what's it all about?

Whatever job you end up doing, you can be sure of one thing: a large slice of what you earn will be taken away again in tax. Before you curse the government, though, bear in mind that our taxes pay for the public services that we often take for granted, but couldn't cope without.

Let's imagine a world where nobody pays any tax. A kid sets fire to the mound of uncollected rubbish in the street (this kid is a bit unruly - they don't go to school, and there's no police service or any sort of justice system). The fire spreads to the house where an old lady lives on her own (she doesn't have a carer - no social services). You go to phone 999, then realise there's no fire brigade. Having failed to put the fire out (because there's no water in the taps) you manage to rescue her and, in the absence of ambulances or any sort of public transport, drive her along the potholed roads (the traffic lights are all broken and there are no sign posts) to the nearest private hospital. Where they won't treat her, because she can't afford to pay.

Nightmare scenario, isn't it? Luckily, in this country we still have plenty of public services - and that means a lot of jobs. In fact, about one in five workers are employed in the public sector. They work in education, healthcare, police and criminal justice, the fire brigade, social services, waste management, security services and public transport, to name some of the most important.

Politicians are also public servants, and most workers in the public sector are employed, directly or indirectly, by local or national government - although these days an increasing number of services are supplied by private companies.

Disappointingly, there's currently no framework for 'Apprentice Prime Minister' - but there are ways into practically every other branch of the public sector. As a public servant, you might not always be appreciated by your masters - i.e.the general public. You're not always given the credit when things run smoothly, but people will be quick to blame you when things go wrong.

Don't let that put you off, though. For many people, working in the public sector - knowing that they're helping other people and that the country would fall apart without them - can be very rewarding.

What qualities do I need?

have good communication skills
be presentable
be able to interact with people from all walks of life
enjoy helping other people
be polite and tactful
be reliable, responsible and trustworthy
be well organised
be able to follow instructions

Vital Statistics

Hours: Hours vary greatly according to the job. A lot of people are employed part time in the public sector. In general, public sector workers have more job security than people employed by private firms.

Environment: Again, this varies - you could be patrolling the streets or manning the phones. You're likely to be interacting with the public though.

Location: Anywhere and everywhere. The number of public sector workers tends to be in proportion to the number of people living in the area.

Apprenticeships in this sector

These are the Apprenticeships currently available in this sector. For more information and for details of the Apprenticeship framework, contact the Sector Skills Council listed after each.