The opportunity to be given real responsibility in the public sector to produce positive and tangible outcomes for communities and the most vulnerable people in society made my decision to commit to the nine-month application process for the National Graduate Development Programme (NGDP) much easier.

A fresh perspective on how councils can deliver services and work in partnership with the local community is gold dust in the 21st century, but the NGDP also adds dynamism to services which had previously run out of steam and an infectious enthusiasm to implement new ways of working.