10 Years of the John Smith Centre

My experience as a John Smith Centre intern has been quite genuinely life changing. I have gained exposure to a world of work that I have always found fascinating – but otherwise would not have had the courage nor the opportunity to access.

I am delighted to congratulate the John Smith Centre on its 10th anniversary. Since its creation back in 2014, the Centre has done some fantastic work to support the public to engage with politics. And now more than ever the Centre has a valuable role to play in improving people's confidence in our political structures, here in Scotland but also across the UK. Crucially, the Centre has been a really valued part of the University of Glasgow for the past decade. We're really proud to host the Centre and we're delighted that so many of our students have embarked on careers in public service and also in politics through its internship programme with members of parliament. It is clear that we now live in an age of crisis and renewal. We should focus on the opportunities for renewal and creating the institutions and ideals that can drive improvement across society. The John Smith Centre for Public Service will be a suitable vehicle to deliver on these aims.

My experience as a John Smith Centre intern has been an eye-opening experience. I have learnt about the way public service in Scotland delivers for our people.

The work that the Centre does, particularly widening access for people into politics, making our politics more accessible to a diverse community, is something I'm really proud of, and proud to have been a part of. I'm really grateful for all the work that you do.

I learned so much from my time spent working as a parliamentary intern with the John Smith Centre. I learned a remarkable amount in just ten weeks, and I also developed a lot of contacts and lifelong relationships.

I can't believe it's been 10 years of the John Smith Centre, so congratulations to everyone involved. You have done an absolutely incredible service to young people across our country. Among other things, I have been struck by the disproportionate number of young people from a minority background who perhaps wouldn't have had an entry to politics if it hadn't been for the work of the John Smith Centre. To everyone at the Centre, thank you for an incredible decade and I'm sure the next decade will be even bigger and better.

The John Smith Centre provides high quality interns who are able and willing to support the work of their MSP. I would recommend their valuable internship programme to other MSP colleagues.

This was a life changing opportunity and really helped me grow so much, personally and professionally. I have a more realistic picture of what I'd like to do in the future after this internship.

Many of our interns arrived with preconceived notions of an MSP's role and the responsibilities of their office staff, only to depart with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the daily work involved. This programme not only provides practical experience but also fosters personal and professional growth, shaping future leaders in politics and public service and we look forward to our next intern.

I knew I was employable, I knew I had some skills, but I did not have the network and the connections, I did not know where to start my journey. John Smith Centre appeared and they have helped immensely with their connections, mentoring , and matching my skills with an organisation that I am still with, UNESCO-RILA. Receiving support from two organisations like John Smith Centre and UNESCO-RILA helped me to get into a project management role in a matter of months. It wasn’t just about the job, but also working in a sector I am passionate about and with experts in the sector helped me get a full time job in a sector that I love.