Colleagues at Civil Service Local helped organise a Careers Event at Heaton Manor School in Newcastle. I attended with Damien Cooke, both recently qualified Fast Track Apprentices. The event was held for young people aged 14 and over considering their future careers. The aim was to raise awareness of the Fast Track Apprenticeship scheme, as well as the Civil Service itself.
One of the themes of the many conversations had at our stall was “What is the Civil Service and what kind of jobs could I do within it?” and many were pleasantly surprised by the huge variety of work available. Countless students who had never considered apprenticeships as an alternative to university were amazed by what the Fast Track offered. Discussions with teachers revealed that a lot of them want to be able to present apprenticeships as an alternative to university for students, and saw the schemes that the Civil Service offers as a great opportunity for young people.
Overall the response was very positive, and a lot of young people who had previously never even heard of the Civil Service said they would consider applying for one of the schemes once they had left school and were eligible. We will be working with Civil Service Local to attend future events