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Strategy & Policy Graduate Intern

Skills Development Scotland • Glasgow, SCT, GB • 2w ago

Department

Corporate Planning & Performance

Location

Flexible, Glasgow City

Salary

£28054

Vacancy Type

Internship

Hours

Duration

Fixed Term for 12 months

Closing Date

13/07/2025

Ref No

3334

Join Skills Development Scotland as on a Graduate Internship Programme

If you require this advert in another format, please contact recruitment@sds.co.uk or call 0300 013 5119.

Are you a recent graduate with a passion for strategy, policy, and making a real impact? Skills Development Scotland (SDS) are looking for a motivated and curious individual to join our Strategy and Design cluster as a Strategy & Policy Graduate Intern on 12 month fixed term contract.

If you are a motivated and enthusiastic graduate looking to kick-start your career, we would love to hear from you.

About the Role

This is a unique opportunity to contribute to high-profile projects, including the development of our 2026 UNCRC Report and early planning for our 2027 Strategic Plan. You’ll work closely with experienced professionals, gain exposure to cross-functional teams, and help shape the future of skills development in Scotland.

One of your key responsibilities will be to support the creation of key corporate documents and strategic reports. You will also monitor and summarise external policy developments and contribute to integrated planning and transformation projects. You will have the opportunity to collaborate across teams to gather insights and drive policy thinking and to provide editorial and administrative support to ensure high-quality outputs.

About You

It is essential that you hold a degree (SCQF Level 9 or above), ideally in a relevant subject area (e.g. Economics, Social Policy, Politics, Business Management).

You will have experience of gathering, analysing and synthesising information to identify trends and draw conclusions. We are looking for someone with strong analytical and writing skills and excellent communication and attention to detail. You will also have a collaborative mindset and a proactive, solutions-focused approach.

Most importantly you will have a keen interest in policy, strategy, and public service.

Eligibility:

To be eligible for this role, you must be aged 24 or younger on 06 October 2025, in line with the Scottish Government’s initiative on youth employment. However, SDS will be flexible on age criteria for applicants who identify as care experienced or disabled in which case candidates must be 29 or younger on 06 October 2025.

About SDS

Skills Development Scotland is the national skills agency. Our ambition is to drive productivity and inclusive growth through investment in skills, enabling businesses and people to achieve their potential. Through the sharing of expertise, intelligence, and extensive partnership working, we enable the development and delivery of innovative solutions to Scotland’s skills and labour market challenges. This is even more important given the current economic climate and recessionary outlook. Find out more about SDS here

Values

Our organisational values are created by our colleagues and are the compass that guide our behaviours and actions with our customers and each other. We need our future colleagues to share these values and help us to continue to deliver our bold ambitions for the future;

We put the needs of our customers at the heart of all we do
We make use of our combined strengths and expertise to deliver the best outcomes
We demonstrate self-motivation, personal responsibility, and respect
We continually improve to achieve excellence

Benefits

SDS is an award-winning equal opportunities and fair work employer. Our values and culture are owned and driven by our colleagues and show our commitment to our customers - the people of Scotland. Our employees enjoy a wide variety of progressive benefits and working practices. We prioritise employee engagement, wellbeing, and development, making us a great place to work.

Click here to see the full range of our Benefits

Where you’d be based

SDS embraces agile working, therefore, location is flexible. However, there will be a requirement for regular travel to Glasgow where the team is based for training, mentoring and team collaboration.

SDS as an Inclusive Workplace

At SDS we are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion. If you've got the right skills for the job, we want to hear from you. We encourage applications from the right candidates regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, belief or race. To support our ambitions our application process is anonymised. Therefore, while we want to know about your relevant skills and experience, please avoid disclosing any identifying characteristics.

Our Application Process

The closing date to submit your application Sunday 13th July.

Interviews are expected to take place weeks commencing 21st July and 28th July.

We are piloting a new approach to recruitment for this role, if your application is successful and you are invited to interview, you will be issued with the interview questions in advance to help you prepare and do your best at interview. More information will be made available if you are invited to interview.

The anticipated start date for successful candidates is 22 September 2025.

To find out more about working at SDS and our application process please visit us at https://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/work-with-us/

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