Charlie Shimmins - December 2016
December has been another busy month in Tynwald, and will
also be my last in the role of Parliamentary Intern, as I will be starting in a
permanent position in Cabinet Office from January.
I may have only been in the role for five months, but it has
been a hugely educational and rewarding experience. Being the Parliamentary
Intern has given me the opportunity to take on new challenges and develop new
skills that I will be taking forward with me.
In particular, working as the Assistant Clerk of various
Committees has been not only practical experience in preparing agendas and
briefing papers for meetings, taking minutes, implementing decisions and
liaising with the Government, politicians and the public; it has also given me
an in-depth understanding of the parliamentary process and how Tynwald works to
scrutinise Government. Another particular highlight was working on the
production of the Tynwald Annual Report, a significant undertaking that I took
from design through to print.
A common concern about all ‘Intern’ roles is whether the
role carries any responsibility, or whether you’ll be left making tea and
filing things. This is certainly not the case in the Parliamentary Internship
at Tynwald, where I have enjoyed significant ownership of projects and ability to put forward new initiatives.
While I had previously considered myself to be interested
and knowledgeable about the Manx political system, spending time working within
Tynwald gives you a thorough level of understanding of the processes and
actions that actually allow the parliament to carry out its functions.
I’m looking forward to my next role but know
that I will miss working in the Clerk of Tynwald’s Office greatly. The
Parliamentary Internship is a great first job for a graduate because of the
range of skills and experiences it offers, as well as the opportunity to step
out of University and into such a prestigious and important organisation. I
would recommend it to anyone.