Associate Programme
Authority FAQs
This page explains the process of hiring through our Associate Programme and answers some of the most frequently asked questions
Our Associate Programme is a leading job placement scheme that recruits mid-career built environment professionals into placemaking roles in the public sector.
Authorities can submit a role at any time of the year, and it is considered for 'matching' with one of the candidates that Public Practice has approved via a multi-stage assessment process.
If both the Authority and the Candidate believe they could be a good fit, they jump straight to a second-stage interview. If successful, they negotiate contracts and carry out necessary employment checks before starting in the post.
Why recruit through Public Practice?
We are not a traditional recruiter or an agency.
We are experts in built environment resourcing within the public sector, and as a not-for-profit organisation, we care about boosting capacity and are dedicated to delivering affordable recruitment services.
Our Associate Programme has been specifically designed to address skills and capacity issues in local authority placemaking teams.
How is it any different to a normal recruitment service?
It is a unique mass-hiring process to attract talent from the private sector. Candidates apply to become an Associate and join our programme, but they don't apply for a specific job and look to Public Practice to help guide them in what job would best fit them.
Our Associate Programme has been specifically designed to address skills and capacity issues in local authority placemaking teams by attracting private sector built environment professionals looking to transition into more impactful roles.
Almost 40% of the Associate roles we have recruited to date were positions that Authorities had tried but failed to recruit for before coming to us and over 90% of our applicants to our programme have never previously worked in the public sector before.
How are roles funded?
Typically, funding for posts is secured from a variety of sources:
- Budget growth / restructures
- Insourcing services
- Internal/external recharging
- Uplift in planning fees
- Planning Performance Agreement fees
- Design Review fees
- Government funding, such as the Planning Skills Delivery Fund
Who can recruit an Associate?
Any public sector organisation based in England with an eligible job position can apply to recruit an Associate. This includes:
- Local Authorities
- Groups of more than one Authority
- Development Corporations
- Publicly led delivery vehicles
- Hospitals or other public bodies
What roles does the programme recruit for?
The Associate Programme is specifically for roles with a full-time equivalent salary range of £30k - £55k.
They must also be eligible for someone without prior public sector experience, and the role must be suitable for a candidate from at least one of our eight built environment disciplines:
- Architecture
- Ecology & Environmental Science
- Engineering
- Landscape Architecture
- Surveying
- Town & City planning
- Transport Planning
- Urban Design
The roles are required to be a minimum of 12 months in contract length, often they are longer and sometimes permanent positions.
When can we recruit an Associate?
Public Practice accepts roles year-round from Authorities.
If suitability for our programme, we review our pool of already assessed candidates and make introductions as soon as possible.
How does my Authority submit a role to be considered for the Associate Programme?
We recommend emailing us, or booking a call to discuss any roles before submitting our short form (our Expression of Interest form) to help us understand the skills and expertise you need and the suitability of the role for the programme.
If you have worked with us before, you can go straight to submitting a very short form providing the basic information about the role you want support recruiting to.
What does an Authority need to check before submitting a role?
We recommend that you review the following before submitting a role:
- Be able to secure funding and HR approvals for a minimum of a 12-month fixed-term contract.
- Ensure that the programme is compatible with your procurement rules. Please contact us if you have any procurement concerns; with our extensive experience working with Authorities, we can help you navigate the process.
- Be able to provide the successful candidate with a formal job offer and sign an employment contract in a timely manner.
- Roles must be establishment posts within an Authority. Associates are not to be employed as contractors or via an agency.
Is there any further information we need to provide?
If your role is suitable for our programme, we will first check that we are able to support you, and then will ask a few more questions and ask you to provide a bit more information. This will include more detailed information about the role as well as contact details of other officers (including HR).
This will allow us to proceed with issuing our agreement which must be signed in order for us to be able to proceed and propose candidates to you.
When will we receive candidates to review?
Public Practice reviews all the information you’ve provided. Based on our conversation with you, we will review our candidate pool and recommend a match with the candidate we feel is most suitable for the role.
Depending on the availability of candidates, we may not be able to propose a candidate immediately and, in rare circumstances, may not be able to at all. In most instances, we hope to be able to propose a candidate within a number of weeks.
Who arranges the interview with the candidate?
If we are able to propose a candidate for your role that you are interested in interviewing, you will be required to arrange and meet the candidate directly.
Most Authorities have their own interview process and questions that they want to use at this stage, but we can provide some support with this if requested.
What if I reject your candidate proposal?
Should you decide that the proposed candidate is not right for the role, we will speak with you to find out why so we can better understand your requirements.
If you interviewed the candidate we will also ask for you to provide some feedback about the candidate's performance that we can share with them.
There is no guarantee that Public Practice will be able to offer further candidates but we will endeavour to support if we can.
Who makes the employment offer to the candidate?
If you are happy to proceed with offering the candidate a contract - and the candidate is also interested in proceeding - you will be responsible for making formal offers and starting your Authority's standard onboarding process.
Who employs the Associate?
Associates are employed directly by the Authority.
You will be expected to provide the Associate with an employment contract in the same way you would any other employee. We do not accept Associates as freelancer contractors or via agencies or umbrella companies.
As the Associate’s employer, your organisation will pay the Associate directly. The Expression of Interest form asks for an expected salary range, and Associates will also provide their current salary in their applications to Public Practice. Public Practice will share salary information with candidates when matches are proposed. The final pay arrangements are to be negotiated between you and the Associate.
Are there any requirements around specific working hours for Associates?
As the employer, you must discuss and decide on working arrangements with the candidate. Public Practice is open to Associates being full-time or part-time, or having other flexible working arrangements, such as compressed hours.
What pre-employment checks does Public Practice carry out?
Public Practice does not conduct pre-employment checks on behalf of Authorities. You should follow your normal full procedures concerning pre-employment checks when taking on an Associate.
What are the onboarding procedures?
When you have confirmed your contract with the Associate, it is your responsibility to perform your usual onboarding procedures. We are available at any time throughout this process to support you. Public Practice will arrange a welcome session for all line managers.
Associates will also receive additional materials and support directly from Public Practice during this period to support them in transitioning into their new public sector career.
How much does it cost to recruit an Associate?
We only charge a fee if you successfully recruit an Associate through us.
Upon entering into an employment contract with an Associate, your Authority will be asked to pay a placement fee to Public Practice of £6,000 (+VAT).
What if the Associate doesn’t work out?
In the rare circumstance that an Associate leaves the position within the first 5 months, we offer a tapering refund or credit note and will do our best to find a replacement candidate.
Is there an additional fee if we decide to keep the Associate beyond the end of their initial contract?
Authorities can agree to extend the contract with their Associate at the end of the original term if it is not already permanent. There is no additional fee if the Authority wishes to extend or offer Associates a permanent contract at the end of a fixed term period.
Does Public Practice support performance reviews for Associates?
Not directly. You will be expected to use your internal performance review processes to monitor the performance of Associates whilst they are on the programme.
Public Practice will provide Authorities with regular opportunities to book a call with a team member at any point during the programme year if there are any issues to discuss.
What happens if we want to terminate the Associate's contract early?
If, for any reason, you conclude that the performance of the Associate is unacceptable, we ask that you let us know as soon as possible before taking any action. Public Practice will work with you to attempt to address any problems.