He was visiting Civil Service Live, a one-day event at the Manchester
Central conference and exhibition centre, that brought together Civil
Servants from across the region to share best practice and develop new ways
of delivering services.
Sir Gus met three teenage apprentices who are about to take up placements
in the Civil Service. They are Joseph Townsend, 17, from Urmston,
Manchester, Sarah Derbyshire, 17, from Denton, Manchester and Joseph
Turner, 19, from Standish, Wigan.
The three will all join the Government Office of the North West. Joseph
Townsend, who is moving to his own flat after spending the last 10 years in
care, will take up his placement in the Children and Learners Group; Sarah,
will move to the administration team, and Joseph Turner is looking forward
to working with the Housing, Planning and Transport group.
Sir Gus O'Donnell, Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Home Civil Service,
said:
"I was delighted to meet these young apprentices who are so enthusiastic
about working for the Civil Service. They are really keen to make a
difference to people's lives and I wish them all the best of luck in their
future careers.
"A lot of people think the Civil Service is all about Sir Humphreys tucked
away in Whitehall, but the vast majority of Civil Servants actually work
outside London. Most civil servants work on the front line, delivering
public services that have a vital role to play in helping places like the
North West through the ongoing downturn.
"The Civil Servants I have met today here at the conference, are real
unsung heroes, dedicated men and women who process benefits, inform people
about the tax credits they can claim, or find work for the unemployed. Many
of them have also been dealing with the recent flooding in Cumbria,
getting services up and running again and working towards recovery - a
truly outstanding effort."
Also speaking at the event are the Minister for the North West Phil Woolas,
the Permanent Secretary at the Department of Health Hugh Taylor and the
Second Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, Ursula Brennan.
