Meetings with purpose. Getting back in the room with members.

Sometimes nothing beats getting together and working through the thorny issues facing us all right now.

That’s exactly what nearly 200 of us did as we met together at our first physical President’s Conference in three years, in Cardiff in June.

Delegates and speakers from across local and central government, joined with industry leading experts for two days of learning, knowledge sharing, assumption challenging and of course networking. In the early hours over a few drinks can be when the real work gets done!

It was kicked off with a keynote from Chief Executive Paul Orders, from the host city and council of Cardiff, who thanked all Socitm’s members for the shift they’ve put in, in the last two years. He said: “The public service response to the pandemic has relied crucially on ICT managers being on top of their game.”

He also described how the council is working to become a hybrid organisation with significant use of remote working. “Staff prefer it, managers are reporting to me greater productivity and improved well-being of staff, and citizen satisfaction with public services has remained pretty high,” he said. Councillors too have accepted hybrid arrangements and Cardiff has adapted its governance accordingly.

This world of hybrid working is one we are all navigating our way through, without being sure we have the right directions or map. It was a popular conversation starter: so, are you back in the office or still at home?! Our destinations could all be and look completely different, which is probably the point.

Our links to central government are strong, and securing May-n Leow, head of product for digital planning at the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) was a fantastic contribution to the event.

She described how the department is also working to digitise local plans and increase public engagement in planning through digital methods and has funded 46 councils to explore this. Browse through her presentation and then read more details about modernising planning software and/or an overview of digital planning reform

Giorgio Prister (Major Cities of Europe) also spoke about what levelling up means to him and the EU. He was the delegate who had travelled the furthest to join everyone in Wales. Giorgio arrived in Cardiff from Italy. His luggage, however, did not. A reminder of an occasional downside to travel that on-one has missed from the past couple of years of journeying closer to home.

Collaboration and co-operation was and is a key feature of local public service design and provision in Wales.

Empowering Women

The sessions which brought the house down were without any doubt, Empowering Women.

Graduates from recent programmes gave powerful and passionate testimonies about their different careers and paths into a male-dominated ICT world.

Danielle Davies, a content creation officer for the Welsh Government, told the conference that early stereotyping has led to women in digital, data and technology (DDaT) jobs being less likely than men to have joined with a qualification or previous experience. They are also less likely to have gained their job externally and are more likely to work part-time.

Emma Holmes: “In my career, training courses have been an integral part of learning, development and expanding my network, but they have always fell at the final hurdle in terms of transposing into the business as usual, the ‘everyday life’. The 2022 Empowering Women cohort, course, trainers, and content has been the course which has made a significant impact into my career, thought processes, confidence, and skills. ‘Free time’ is a luxury in our day to day working lives and leaves little room for reflection however the course allowed me to step away and empower myself to invest in my own development. I can honestly say I have made connections for life and the bonds of the support network have continued to grow outside of the course.”

The Welsh Government’s smart working policies need to be highlighted more effectively, including the ability to work remotely and with flexible hours, as well as part-time and job share opportunities,”?said Jane Rickard, a digital support officer at the government who moved to?DDaT mid-career through an apprenticeship. The profession needs promoting to women already working for the government, according to research by other members of the cohort:?“They found that many women had stumbled into their DDaT careers,”?she added.

Denise Weaver discussed her career from starting on a market stall when aged 13 to working as a delivery manager for Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council. She said that women can fail to achieve their potential because of society’s expectations or not being aware of potential role models.

But she added that across her cohort:?“I think we all agree that our biggest obstacle is our own self-belief.”

Claudine Ferguson:?“Perhaps unexpectedly, for me, Empowering Women highlighted the importance of taking time out for reflection and using certain tools to gain insight and direction, career-wise and in life. This would be more than enough to walk away with, but there was the genuine support and camaraderie felt and shared with the other 18 women (and Aidan, of course) during the course itself, the President’s Conference, and no doubt well beyond.”

Find out more about?Socitm?and?Socitm Advisory’s upcoming events on our calendar.