Help lead Gibraltar's future as a globally-minded professional.
Spend eight weeks in Washington, D.C., learning how the US and its leaders approach the new forces shaping our future, with access to examine what they mean for your industry, for Gibraltar, and for your career.
A fully funded programme from HM Government of Gibraltar and the Advanced Leadership Foundation, for up to ten young Gibraltarians. Programme includes flights, accommodation, medical insurance and a stipend for living expenses.
The Opportunity
So much of what shapes a career—and a country—happens in rooms you rarely get to see: where senior leaders weigh decisions, where policy takes shape, where institutions actually work. For eight weeks, you'll be close to those rooms.
Today, three forces are reshaping the global economy and reordering how power works: the race between the United States and China over AI and technology, the collision of AI, energy and sustainability, and a shifting order of sanctions, trade and security. Wherever you build your career, and whichever industry you enter, these forces will reach it, and every country will feel them.
Washington, D.C., is one of the few centres where the decisions steering these forces are taken. Those decisions reach Europe and Gibraltar on their own timeline, some within weeks, some over years, and by the time they are widely understood, the people who saw them first have already acted. This programme puts you close to them while the questions are still open.
What the Programme is, and How it Works
The Washington, D.C. Shadowing Programme is eight weeks in Washington, from 28 September to 24 November 2026, for up to ten young Gibraltarians. It is not a set of lectures and it is not tied to any single subject.
Through this programme, you will:
- Get close to Washington. The centre of U.S. power and leadership.
- Understand how it all fits together. How policy, institutions and public life connect, at a level you can't observe from Gibraltar.
- Bring new models home. Return with fresh ideas, perspective and a network and the standing to put them to work for Gibraltar's future.
Some of the programme components include:
Sites Visits
You visit the institutions where these decisions take shape, in government, policy and the organisations that advise them. You see how they operate in briefings and sessions arranged for the programme.
Current Analysis from Think Tanks
Washington's research institutions produce much of the analysis that feeds these decisions. You engage with that thinking directly, and with the people producing it, while the questions are still open.
Sessions with Practitioners
Structured, objective-driven sessions with people working on the different forces shaping the world today, so you hear how they read it, not a general overview.
Structured Coaching
One-to-one coaching throughout, on defined themes and with set questions, which turns eight weeks of exposure into something you can use.
A Project
From the first week you take one of the forces, connect it to your own field and a role you could play, develop it through the visits, sessions and coaching, and finish with a completed piece of work that shows how you think.
Programme Details
Where and when. Eight weeks in Washington, D.C., from 28 September to 20 November 2026. Priority will be given to applications submitted by July 27, 2026
Where you stay. Fully furnished apartment housing is provided. You stay at The Washington Center's residential and academic facility in the heart of Washington, D.C. and within walking distance of the U.S. Capitol.
The programme. Structured coaching/shadowing, policy briefings, institutional visits and civic engagement and a personal project across the programme's focus areas.
Orientation. A required in-person Pre-Departure Event at Gibraltar House in London, in September 2026.
Scholarship. The programme is fully funded by HM Government of Gibraltar: round trip to Washington, D.C., 8-week accommodation in Washington, D.C., the organised institutional programme, a stipend for living expenses and medical insurance are all covered.
Eligibility
1. Have been a Gibraltar resident for at least ten years, and hold a Gibraltar passport and red ID card
2. Be currently enrolled in, or have graduated within the past twenty-four months from, a recognised post-secondary institution. Undergrad and Masters progammes are eligible.
3. Hold at least an upper second-class (2:1) honours degree, or equivalent (3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale, or an equivalent qualification);
4. Show a sustained commitment to the development of Gibraltar, through academic achievement, civic engagement or professional involvement;
5. Have a professional or academic interest in one or more of the focus areas: the humanities, public policy, the United States Congress, education, civil society and international institutions;
6. Be available for the full eight weeks, and to attend the Pre-Departure Event in London in September.
How to Apply
The program will select up to 10 participants. Submit your application by July 27, 2026.
You will need to submit the following documents:
- A one-page CV, in UK style;
- Your most recent university transcript;
- A statement of around 500 words, covering your motivation, the programme component that most interests you, and the contribution you intend to make to Gibraltar afterwards;
- Two letters of recommendation, at least one from a faculty member.
Your Gibraltar passport and ID will be requested only if you are shortlisted and you will not be asked to submit them at the time of application.