"Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand."
Industry and Parliament Trust (IPT) Fellowships are programmes of placements that provide MPs, MEPs, Peers and parliamentary officers with a unique insight into business and industry. Fellowships are open to all parliamentarians on a cross-party basis, and Fellows have the opportunity to work with a range of different organisations – from multinational corporations and FTSE100 companies to social enterprises and government agencies.
Most Fellowships consist of 18 days of placements with one or more host organisations over a period of around 18 months. The ethos of all IPT programmes is educational, and Fellowships are intended to give parliamentarians an insight into the wider issues facing business and the British economy. Each programme is bespoke, tailored to an individual’s specific interests, and designed to fit with parliamentary commitments.
The IPT has organised more than 600 Fellowships since it was founded in 1977, and the hundreds of Fellows currently in Parliament include ministers, select-committee chairs, privy councillors and other senior members.
Why take part in an IPT Fellowship?
| "It is crucial for MPs to have direct experience and knowledge of the business world in order to make an impact on its current situation and the future that lies ahead."
Bill Olner MP, Chairman of the IPT Trustees |
As well as educating individual parliamentarians, Fellowships are at the core of the IPT’s mission to improve parliamentary scrutiny by giving MPs, MEPs, Peers and parliamentary officers first-hand experience of the challenges facing UK plc. By taking part in Fellowships, parliamentarians gain an insight into the impact on business of government policy and legislation. The IPT believes that a more business-aware Parliament is a better Parliament and that there is no substitute for practical experience.
Moreover, by bringing parliamentarians into their business, host organisations have an opportunity to engage with them in a meaningful and constructive dialogue in a non-partisan setting, and to learn about the political process from those intimately involved in it.
Parliamentarians benefit by gaining:
- A clear overview of an organisation’s structure, objectives and strategy;
- A practical appreciation of an organisation’s operations, including its grassroots activities, senior management, employee relations and its relationship with investors;
- An understanding of the decision-making, planning, investment-appraisal and budgeting processes;
- An understanding of the impact on business performance of government policy and of British and European legislation.
What does a Fellowship involve?
Every Fellowship is different, depending on the objectives of the participating parliamentarian and what the organisation(s) hosting them can offer.
Traditionally, Fellowships consist of 18 days of placements with just one company, and parliamentarians have an opportunity to learn about that organisation at every level, from the shop floor to the boardroom. As well as working with senior management and leadership teams, parliamentarians also have an opportunity to gain hands-on experience at an operational level. This means that a parliamentarian will not only sit in on high-level discussions and board meetings but that they will also do placements with specific divisions within the organisation. Thus a programme with a supermarket chain would include not only placements at its corporate HQ with senior executives but also in-store, serving customers and seeing how stock-control works in a large retail outlet.
What kinds of Fellowships are available?
| "The IPT Fellowship programme is a unique opportunity to acquire a greater understanding of commerce and industry through direct experience."
Rt Hon David Cameron MP |
A company Fellowship programme consists of 18 days of placements with just one host organisation, usually a major corporation, and the majority of our Fellowship programmes follow this model.
However, the IPT offers a wide range of other specialist Fellowships, including:
- Culture and creative industries Fellowships
- Small-business Fellowships working with SMEs, government agencies, high-street banks and other small-business support organisations.
- Social-enterprise Fellowships
- Higher-education Fellowships working with UK universities and higher-education institutions.
- City Fellowships working with City of London institutions, major banks and in the financial services sector.
- Rural Fellowships
- Sector-specific Fellowships can be undertaken in a range of different areas and encompass a number of different companies working in the same sector.
Where does a Fellowship take place?
Fellowships usually focus on an organisation’s operations in the UK but may involve travel abroad if appropriate. Some Fellowships with multinational corporations that have many of their operations abroad (such as mining or energy companies) may involve a large amount of foreign travel in order that a parliamentarian can gain first-hand experience of an organisation’s operations worldwide. Other programmes might involve a number of placements within an MP’s own constituency. Yet the same educational, non-partisan and non-lobbying ethos applies to all Fellowships, regardless of where they take place.
Who can I do a Fellowship with?
The IPT will work with any company and any parliamentarian to put together an appropriate and mutually-beneficial programme. We co-operate particularly closely with IPT supporting organisations, many of whom we have worked with for many years.
Parliamentarians may suggest specific companies of interest but Fellowships are matched based on an individual’s interests and objectives, and the matching process is carried out independently of potential host organisations.
Fellowships are non-lobbying because they are independently-matched, transparent and explicitly educational.
Who is eligible to take part in a Fellowship?
Fellowships are open to:
- MPs
- MEPs
- Peers
- Officers of both Houses of Parliament
Anyone may undertake a Fellowship, assuming that they are prepared to make the necessary commitment and that the IPT can find an appropriate host organisation.
How do I apply to do a Fellowship?
| "I strongly support politicians building a better understanding of the issues British businesses face. The IPT is an invaluable link between parliamentarians and business."
Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP, Prime Minister |
There is an application form that all parliamentarians must complete in order to participate in a Fellowship, but in the first instance you should contact IPT Fellowship Co-ordinator, Nick Lee (see below).
How can I host a Fellow?
We are happy to talk to any organisation about becoming involved in the work of the IPT. However, we cannot guarantee that any organisation will have the opportunity to host a Fellow and we always allocate parliamentarians to companies based on that individual’s specific objectives and interests. Contact IPT Fellowship Co-ordinator, Nick Lee, for further information.
What happens when I complete a Fellowship?
Upon completion of their Fellowship, parliamentarians become Fellows of the Industry and Parliament Trust and are formally presented with a certificate, badge and cartoon showing them during their Fellowship.
Parliamentarians who are already Fellows are eligible to take part in a postgraduate Fellowship.
More information
For further information, contact:
Nick Lee, Fellowship Co-ordinator
T: 44 (0)20 7839 9400
E: NickLee@ipt.org.uk
