What else can a politics graduate do?

1 Local authorities are continuing to recruit to graduate training schemes. Applications for the Kent county council scheme are open until July and offer graduates a £23,053 salary for up to two or three years. Essex county council will open recruitment to its established fast-track graduate management scheme at the end of the year. The number of places available has yet to be decided. 2 The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (Cipfa), the organisation for professional public sector accountants, has launched a training initiative with councils and other public sector employers. Under the scheme, Cifpa will match graduates – who do not need an accountancy degree – to current training vacancies, although the final recruitment decision is left to the local authority. A trainee accountant can earn between £17,000 and £20,000, and will be paid to complete the Cipfa qualification. 3 There is a national shortage of social workers for children and families, and some councils run training schemes for graduates from any discipline. In Barnet, in north London, graduates work as trainees in those services for two years before being paid by the local authority to complete the postgraduate qualification in social work, which is required to practise. Sarah would be expected to stay with Barnet council for two years after graduating. The next round of recruitment starts in April 2011. 4 Sarah might consider a career as a town planner. She would have to return to university to complete a one-year MA Royal Town Planning Institute-accredited degree. Her course fees would be paid by the government and she would receive a £6,000 bursary. The scheme, which applies to more than 100 postgraduate places, is an attempt to address the shortage of qualified town planners. On securing her place, Sarah must agree to work in the public sector for two years after graduating. 5 A council internship, which may or may not be paid, would offer Sarah a foot in the door if a graduate opportunity arises. She must register with the government's official internship website SocietyGuardian.co.uk/careers