Graduate Trainee

Brent Council’s local graduate scheme

We participate in the Local Government Graduate Program (Impact), which is run by the Local Government Association (LGA). The Impact programme is a two-year high profile national management trainee programme for high calibre graduates with the potential to become senior managerial leaders in local government within the next ten years.

If you have never thought of working for your local council before, now is the time. We are offering Brent residents the opportunity to apply to join our graduate scheme from October 2025.

A prime location – on your doorstep! It takes under 10 minutes to walk from Wembley Park station to the Civic Centre and 20 minutes from Wembley Central station. We are well served by public transport within and out of the borough.

We welcome Brent locals who are passionate about making their borough a better place to live. 

Benefits of Brent Council’s local scheme

•    Support throughout the application process: All local applicants will be given the opportunity to receive support throughout the process from existing Brent graduates. Please see our Graduate Programme page for more details on our skills session we are holding to support applicants for the online tests during stage
•    Optional third year: Brent Council will guarantee graduates, who complete the core programme satisfactorily, a further 1 year fixed-term contract.
•    Live and work in a diverse area you are familiar with: The local scheme is a unique opportunity for Brent locals to make a positive impact in their borough and provide experience in a dynamic, exciting and socially responsible council.
•    Exposure to senior leaders: All graduates are assigned a senior mentor who will be a director from the Senior Management Team. 
•    Strong support network: All graduates will be provided with an existing graduate as a buddy, regular feedback sessions and 1:1 meeting with the graduate scheme’s placement coordinator. With 16 graduates currently on the programme, peer support will be provided throughout the scheme and beyond.

If applicants are unsuccessful after interviewing at Brent Council (Stage 4), they will have the opportunity to be absorbed into the NGDP’s national pool of candidates and where possible, may interview at other councils.

Essential Requirements 
Applicants must meet the following essential criteria in order to apply: 
•    Obtained a minimum 2:2 undergraduate degree in any subject by Summer 2026
•    You must have the right to work in the UK for the duration of the 2-year programme. Unfortunately, we cannot sponsor visas. For more information on eligibility and right to work requirements please visit our website.

You can apply for the scheme regardless of when you graduated.

To be eligible for a place on the scheme at Brent, you must also meet one of the criteria below:
•    Have lived in Brent for at least 2 years; or
•    Have studied (at a secondary or further education establishment, including school, college, PRU) in Brent; or
•    Be a Brent Care leaver; or
•    Have been a Brent Council council employee for more than 1 year. 

The application process

Successful applicants will need to demonstrate their understanding of Impact’s key skills and behaviours through a competitive, multi-stage application process. Local candidates participate in the same process as national candidates but have the advantage of a guaranteed interview with Brent.

As part of the application process, you are required to complete a Situational Judgment Test which is the only assessment you will need to complete at this stage.

The Situational Judgement Test (SJT) presents you with 24 realistic scenarios that someone might experience in a role on the programme, along with multiple ways of responding. The SJT will appear after you have completed your application question, and you will need to complete the SJT before you can submit your application.

Instructions for the test:

This test is untimed, and it should be completed in one sitting. You will be taken to the assessment page after answering your application questions.
You will need to organise each scenario into the order of response, depending on what you are most appropriate or least appropriate to do for each of the 24 questions.

There are detailed instructions within the form.

If you have any questions or require support completing your application or situational judgement test, please do not hesitate to contact impact.support@local.gov.uk before starting your application or test.

For further information please visit Impact website.

Your local application will progress in the same timeframe as Impact’s national campaign, and you will be assessed at the same time as national candidates. Impact’s support team will invite successful candidates to each stage of the National recruitment process. 

They will then refer those that are successful at the assessment centre (stage 3) for an interview with Brent council. Impact facilitates the assessment of all nominated local candidates in line with national candidates to ensure they meet the same standard.

How to Apply

If you are interested in applying as a local candidate for Brent Council and meet the above eligibility criteria, please apply via the Local Recruitment for the NGDP – London Borough of Brent. Please only apply using this link, if you meet the eligibility criteria and want to specifically work for Brent.

Please note: If you meet the eligibility criteria and want to work specifically for Brent Council, apply via the Local Recruitment for the NGDP – London Borough of Brent link. Do not apply using the ‘APPLY’ button below, as the LGA is managing this recruitment on our behalf.

Closing date: 12.00pm midday, Tuesday 6 January 2026

Location: Civic centre and other locations from time to time

We support Impact’s goal to recruit graduates from all different backgrounds, universities and degree disciplines; our aim is to reflect the diverse community that we serve. We are looking for people who have the right values and attitudes and who can demonstrate their motivation for a career in the public sector, and who is genuinely interested in the borough.

As a disability confident employer Brent welcomes applications from people with all disabilities, including hidden disabilities and mental health conditions. We will interview any disabled applicant who meets the essential criteria. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to any part of the recruitment process due to your disability, please contact us on impact.support@local.gov.uk Please note the information you provide will be treated fairly and confidentially.

Brent has a positive approach to flexible working.

Data transparency statement

Before applying, you will be directed to the LGA’s privacy statement. Please be advised that by applying for this local campaign you are accepting that the local authority will have access to view your application in order to shortlist effectively against their criteria. 
The LGA use anonymised/blind recruitment for all applications. This means that the local authority will not be able to see your personal details at shortlisting stage. 
After shortlisting has taken place, the council will be able to view your name and will have access to contact you at each stage unless you choose to withdraw.