Glasgow Future City Ambassador

Background

The future is not about flying cars or robot butlers – at least, not yet. Right now, it’s about enhancing our everyday experiences with the cities we live in – from smart lighting to optimised bin collection and better jobs. The future is a changing world.

Glasgow’s vision for the future is of a city where information is freely and easily accessible, a city that adapts to the people in it. Glasgow got a unique head start with a £24m grant from the Technology Strategy Board.

Glasgow has taken the stance that a Future City isn’t simply a smart city of technology. The people make the Future City: when people participate and help the city meet their needs. To do so, citizens need to have the awareness and the skills to share their knowledge and be part of the solution.

For further information about the Future Cities Demonstrator, please click on the link below: open.glasgow.gov.uk/the-future-city-journey

Objective

During the summer, up to 10 Change Agents will be supporting the OPEN Glasgow Engagement Programme and act as ‘Future City Ambassadors’, who will work on the projects below:

• Future Makers, giving children from 5 to 17 a taste of programming. Some of the Change Agents will be supporting the trainers as well as packaging up the training material into an open source online learning resource for other to use.

• Future Maps, working with communities to help them share their knowledge through maps and demonstrating the benefits for the wider community.

• Future Apps, working with communities to spread the use of apps aimed at making living in the city easier and better. Support the OPEN Glasgow communication through blogging and social media.

• The Change Agents will also staff the Engagement Hubs, which will be travelling through the city. The three Hubs will invite visitors to explore the themes of the Future City.

Benefits of this opportunity

This is a fantastic opportunity for recent graduates to get valuable experience to boost their employability and enhance their CV over the summer, before perhaps going on into further study or permanent employment.

This opportunity offers the successful applicants a chance to be part of a vibrant team and to work on a very high-profile programme centred on improving quality of life in the city, creating economic opportunities while reducing the city’s environmental footprint. The Glasgow Future City Ambassadors will also develop a range of skills and knowledge on the project, they will also benefit from receiving Future City training as well as digital media training, delivered in collaboration with the University of the West of Scotland.

The successful candidates will also have an opportunity to build strong relationships with communities, partners and other graduates in Glasgow, thus enhancing their professional networks.

Future employment potential

This opportunity is a full-time fixed term contract from 9th June to 30th September 2014.

For more information and to apply, please visit: http://www.changeagents.org.uk/sustainability-jobs/vacancy/e303-glasgow-future-city-ambassador