Council Work Experience pilot scheme a success

Staff and residents visiting our Civic Offices last week may have come across some of our staff being shadowed by a younger ‘employee’. 

Those younger people were in fact a cohort of Year 10 students from Cheam High School, welcomed into various teams across the Council as part of a structured work experience pilot scheme. 

Led by our HR team in partnership with the school, students were welcomed into induction sessions to learn about the Council and its functions. 

They were then taken to the London Cancer Hub to see and learn about one of our borough’s most exciting new assets - being given a tour of the campus and an informative presentation by members of staff there. Following this, the students were given another tour of the Innovation Gateway building and its labs. 

In the following days, the students were then released to their various work placements for the scheme, led by many teams stretching across the entire council, which included:  

• Human Resources and Organisational Development 

• Facilities Management & Health and Safety

• The Project Management Office (PMO)

• Communications & Engagement

• Digital Delivery

• Sutton Library (Cultural Services)

• Meals on Wheels (The Inclusion Centre)

• Highways, Inspections and Streetworks

• Electoral Services 

• Development, Growth and Regeneration (DGR) 

On the final day, some of the students presented back on their experience with the council to their HR Work Experience Coordinator, their Placement Managers and Amanda Elliott, the Careers and Work Experience Coordinator for Cheam High School. 

Amanda Elliott said: “Our Year 10 students were very fortunate to have been able to carry out their work experience across a range of departments within Sutton Council. Set up as a pilot project, the school was kept fully involved throughout the process and took part in discussions to ensure the programme ran smoothly for both managers and students.” 

“We were very impressed with the level of detail - consideration was given to every aspect of the process, including the health and safety of students and their wellbeing. Students were given an insight into the workings of the local authority, something they previously knew very little about. They all came away from the week with much-improved soft skills and added confidence. We are very grateful to Sutton for engaging with our school and for offering our students such a brilliant opportunity.”

The Council would like to extend a big ‘Thank You’ to those students which took part in our pilot scheme last week. They demonstrated a willingness to learn, engagement and enthusiasm towards their placements and were a pleasure to have worked with. 

The Council also looks forward to welcoming a second pilot cohort of Year 12 students in July 2023, to finalise the success of this pilot programme.