Dear PPMA friends and colleagues,

We’re absolutely delighted to have Karen Grave as our new President and in this blog post she shares her reflections with us on #ppmahr18 and sets out the organisations priorities for the coming year etc.

“Well what a week we had last week in Newcastle-Gateshead.  The team are just about recovered, but we are still buzzing from the wonderful reception we had to #ppmahr18 – I’m still mesmerised by gold stilt walkers!  I’d like to thank again the very many people who have taken the time to write to me (and the team) to say how much they enjoyed conference last week. That means such a lot to us, particularly as we ran a 3 day event and were snowed under with the increased capacity we had this year.  Our event partners at Sage Gateshead, Hilton and Jury’s Inn and our entertainers did us proud.

It’s difficult to pick out highlights from what was a week full of amazing experiences, but there are some memories that stand out for me this year:

Our outreach to students in partnership with Manpower. The power of that event has to be seen to be believed – meeting/working with young people and opening their eyes to our wonderful world of public service is one way that we can overcome the challenges in recruiting young people. My professional view is that strategically this can be a game changer and I want to work with our regions to look at how, together with Manpower, we embed this programme as part of our overall Let’s Talk You, Talent Offering.

The inclusivity, warmth, passion and camaraderie of conference – right from the pre conference event, through to the end has been expressed more than anything else. I am very proud that we were able to achieve this. We covered some tough topics. Jasvinder was an utter inspiration and I am still reflecting on her moving keynote opener. Whether it was the content of her speech or our pre conference event, or the sun – we certainly created amongst us a supportive, compassionate environment where a number of us where able to share some very heartfelt emotions.

And of course our MOU announcement with CIPD, HPMA and UHR. I’ve been working with Nicky and Helen (and Peter Cheese) for many months now on the detail of this agreement. We very much welcome David D’Souza now who will take this forward on Peter’s behalf. We all know that moving forward, collaboration and ensuring that our collective professional voice is raised is key to how we help organisations deal with the increasing challenges we face.

Our existing plans to develop our PPMA brand, offerings, increase our membership, harness the wisdom and experience of our Past President community and raise our collective professional voice will continue. However, there are a number of additional areas that will take up the attention of PPMA Policy Board and Principal Officers this year. We need to take a look at how we are governed and structured. This is partly driven by a desire to maximise the benefits from the MOU but also to ensure that we are nurturing and supporting the next generations of PPMA leadership. There will be lots more to come on that during the next months.

I’d like to thank again our sponsors, speakers, partners and delegates for all of your support. I’ve said many times before – and I am sure I will continue to do so – that we cannot do this without the support of all of you. I do want to encourage all of you to participate. Our Board and Principal Officer roles are, as you know, voluntary. We put in the most enormous effort to build a community that supports each other and retains a laser focus on workforce issues. We can’t do that without your involvement – so please take the time to read the blogs, participate in our research programme, support our regional events and talent management programmes. Keeping engaged keeps us honest by making sure we focus on the issues that matter to you. Don’t forget that Steve, Leatham, Kim, Grace, Policy Board and I work for you!

On a very personal note, I want to thank you for your extremely kind wishes following the death of my father. Although his death was expected, it has still nevertheless been a whirlwind since last Autumn. My last conversation with Dad was yet another exercise in bringing him up to speed with conference planning.  He would have been as proud of what we all achieved last week as I am to be your President this year.”

Warmest

Hello PPMA Members and friends

Our Annual Conference is just around the corner and we’re delighted to share with you the latest press release all about an exciting event to be held there called Tomorrow’s Talent.

“In advance of the Public Services People Managers Association (PPMA) conference which is being held for the first time in Newcastle-Gateshead on 19th and 20th April 2018, PPMA and key partners are delighted to announce a special pre-conference employability event for local college students on Wednesday 18th April.

PPMA is the first choice association for HR & OD professionals across Public Services. A key focus for the association is the development of young talent. We recognise that, in spite of current perceptions about careers in public service, the reality is these careers have the capacity to be varied, challenging, interesting and profoundly fulfilling.  Public perceptions of what it is like to be a public servant remain very different from the reality.

PPMA has teamed with a long-standing sponsor and supporter, ManpowerGroup to bring an inspiring event to the region, that provides young people with the opportunity to participate in a range of career-focused activities. Called ‘Tomorrow’s Talent’, two half day workshops will involve talking to young people about what they want from careers; hear from employers about what they can offer; participating in interview panels and receiving interview coaching.  Employer representatives from across the region and wider public service sector, will also learn from working with and hearing from young people about their hopes as they ready themselves their employment journey

Karen Grave, PPMA Vice President 2017/18 and President Elect 2018/19 says “We should all be concerned with things don’t go well in public sector.  However in my experience, there are some incredible people working in really challenging circumstances who demonstrate the best of us.  They are creative, committed, passionate, innovative, focused and care deeply about delivering services that make our country a better place.  Young people have a profound contribution to make to public service and as incoming President I am deeply committed to doing what I can to promote and encourage their interest in a career in public service”.

Nick Heckscher, ManpowerGroup Operations Director says, “We are excited to be bringing Tomorrow’s Talent to Newcastle and Gateshead Colleges. We know how important it is for students to explore the world of work in advance of commencing their job search. We have also learned that our Tomorrow’s Talent format gives them a unique insight into both interviewing and being interviewed! We are committed to maximising the chances of young people to develop into the public-sector leaders of tomorrow and working with employers in this sector to better understand how to unleash the talent of the next generation.”

Working with colleagues at Gateshead and Newcastle Colleges, PPMA and ManpowerGroup will host a morning and afternoon session.  In total we are thrilled to be welcoming 50 students from the colleges and 20 employer representatives – some of whom are local, some of whom are travelling from across the country to be at the event and conference.

In addition to ‘Tomorrow’s Talent’, other students from the colleges will take part in project-based work designed to support the conference while maximising employment opportunities.

Nadine Hudspeth, Director Marketing & Communications at Gateshead College says “Giving our students the employment edge and a head start in the jobs market is our number one priority. We are really grateful for this brilliant opportunity from PPMA and Manpower which will give our students really valuable experience of the interview and recruitment process and will also inspire them to think about the huge range of job opportunities which exist in the public sector.”

Lisa Hoseason, Director of School – Health, Childcare, Business and Science at Newcastle College, says “Providing our learners with opportunities to work with and learn from local employers to develop their skills and knowledge is key to unlocking their potential. It helps to ensure they develop the work-ready skills required to progress into employment and raise their aspirations. We are delighted to be able to participate in this fantastic event”.

PPMA will be producing a series of blogs about this event and will be publishing them on our website www.ppma.org.uk post conference.  If you would like any additional information about the event please contact admin@ppma.org.uk in the first instance.”