The NI Interchange Scheme allows you to immerse yourself in another working environment, learning from other people and situations.
It involves partners from the public, private and voluntary sector organisations, facilitating, as a development opportunity, the exchange of knowledge, ideas and experience between different organisations and individuals where a development need has been identified and agreed.
The scheme is managed by the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) who, while a member of the Scheme, also provides a secretariat function: liaising with the host organisation on the secondment detail, publication/circulation of the opportunity and collation of applications.
Contents
- About the scheme
- Eligibility
- Opportunities - External secondment
- Opportunities - Inward secondment
- Further information
About the scheme
The Interchange Scheme is flexible, providing cost-effective benefits to those organisations who are partners to the Scheme.
The scheme facilitates time-bound secondments of permanent employees between other member organisations.
The secondment can last from 3 months to 3 years without affecting employment status.
Eligibility
As NICVA is a member of the scheme, permanent employees in our member organisations may also participate in the NI Interchange Scheme.
Opportunities - External secondment
NICVA members may respond to an advertised opportunity from Interchange to move to a different organisation for a specified period.
Details of current opportunities are available on the Interchange website.
Opportunities - Inward secondment
NICVA members may avail of the scheme to arrange a secondment into their own organisation to meet a skills / knowledge gap.
Advertising an opportunity
NICVA members who wish to advertise an opportunity should complete the ‘Interchange Hosting Proforma’ and return a completed version to the Interchange Secretariat.
The Proforma is checked for any amendments needed before advertising and this process should take no longer than a couple of days.
The Hosting Proforma is then circulated to Interchange Managers of Partner organisations asking them to circulate the information to relevant staff within their respective organisations. A copy of the opportunity is also published on the Interchange website.
New opportunities are advertised usually on Mondays (completed Hosting Proforma must be with submitted by the Wednesday previous to Monday advertisement).
Once advertised, the turnaround time for Interchange opportunities is usually 3 weeks, however this can be reduced to two weeks if the host requires someone in post urgently.
After the closing date, NICS contact the host organisation to let them know how many applications have been received (if any) before forwarding copies on. This can take up to 3 days.
Interchange Manager
Each member organisation of the Scheme must identify a member of staff, usually from HR, to act as the Interchange Manager for their organisation. The role of the Interchange Manager is to act as a point of contact for their staff and to promote Interchange in their organisation.
In approving an interchange application, Interchange Mangers are confirming two things i. that the applicant is a permanent member of staff and ii. If successful in the competition the secondee has a permanent post with the host to return to at the end of the secondment period.
Selection
Following receipt of applications by the host organisation it will be a matter for them entirely on how they wish to sift/select the successful candidate (there is no formal framework) and all liaison is between the host and the permanent employer/secondee.
Further information
For further information about the Interchange Scheme please visit the Interchange website or contact the Interchange Secretariat at [email protected].