Find Your Path campaign
With just 11% of local authority staff aged 30 or younger, the place sector is facing a critical workforce challenge.
In February 2025, ADEPT, in partnership with DfT, Colas, the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) and the Midlands Highway Alliance (MHA), launched 'Find your Path', an innovative recruitment campaign to transform how young people view careers in local government.
As part of the campaign development process, detailed focus groups were conducted with young people to understand their career aspirations and perceptions of local government. These discussions revealed that most young people don't understand what local authorities do, are not attracted to local authority careers and are unaware of the range of jobs available.
The eight week pilot campaign, running across five local authorities (Plymouth, South Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Barnsley, and Hounslow), showcased opportunities in highways, waste management, economic regeneration, planning, and green spaces. It focused on innovative recruitment strategies, with a social media campaign run on Meta, YouTube and TikTok.
The recruitment initiative was part of ADEPT's broader strategy to address workforce challenges, ensuring local authorities can continue delivering essential services effectively.
You can find out more about the campaign here and read the campaign briefing note here.
Campaign debrief and stakeholder toolkit
Since launching the campaign, we have completed a thorough review to assess the campaign's impact and capture key learnings. You can read the campaign review here.
We also produced a stakeholder toolkit to support partners during the campaign launch, helping to amplify the message and showcase the variety of career opportunities in local authorities. The toolkit includes social media templates, ready-to-use copy for different platforms and visual assets. Although the campaign has closed, you can still review the toolkit here in case any materials remain useful.
