Working with CS Local, Apprentices from HM Revenue and Customs recently attended careers events at schools across the North East, Yorkshire and Humber to promote the Civil Service and the Fast Track Apprenticeship
Chelsea Gillespie visited a careers event at Ilkley Grammer School in West Yorkshire which was open to students aged between 12-16 years old and she shared her experience with us;
I wanted to encourage young people to consider all of their future career options. When speaking with students and explaining the options they have with the Civil Service, their eyes lit up as if they had a light bulb moment. Some students liked the idea of studying toward a foundation level degree .
Our biggest challenge wasn’t making the students aware of the apprenticeships, it was trying to make clear what the Civil Service is. One of my first questions to students was “What do you think of when you think of the Civil Service?” and the most common answer was politics. Trying to explain to students that the Civil Service is so much more than that and there are so many different departments they could work in, was the main hurdle we had to overcome.
The event was really successful in raising awareness of the careers available in the Civil Service. Many of the students said they would look to apply.
Kate Murphy and her colleague Richard Moody attended a careers event at Heaton Manor High School in Newcastle. Kate shared some of the highlights of the event with us;
We attended a carousel event held at Heaton Manor School to promote the apprenticeship and show students the benefits of working in the Civil Service. I must admit we felt police dogs, handcuffs and computer game testing outshone our booklets and work-based scenarios, however after the excitement died down we found students were really engaged and asked a lot of insightful questions for such a young age. They were really interested in the role of HM Revenue and Customs and the tax system and they were particularly interested in the benefits of working for the Civil Service.
We highlighted the benefits of earning whilst you work and learn and how kick-starting your career in an apprenticeship can help you to get real experience that employer’s look for.
All in all we thoroughly enjoyed the experience and left feeling an overwhelming sense of pride and achievement.
1 comment
Comment by teresa ellerington posted on
Hi,
I am a Schools adviser working in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
I am supporting careers events with local schools, who should I contact to discuss attending events ?