Digital Kent's Summer of Work Experience
Over the summer we were fortunate enough to have 8 students join us for a weeks’ worth of work experience. The students were involved in several projects and activities that looked at the Digital Kent team, as well as the wider Financial Hardship Programme.
Work experience is important to get into any career. It can help support individuals to stand out of the crowd on applications, training and jobs. It is an experience for an individual to gain insight into the world of work, enhance their skill set, including soft skills, and knowledge of different sectors. Young people, who are just starting on their career path often do not know what direction they want to go in and can often feel overwhelmed at this point in their lives. The more exposure to the world of work and the more opportunities they are presented with, will support them in navigating their next steps.
Chloe Johnstone, our Deputy Lead at Digital Kent designed a framework underpinned by the Skills Builder framework that allowed students to experience a range of tasks and activities and reflect on how those skills developed and how they could be transferrable in future work placements. The framework was designed with flexibility in mind, constructed to have maximum impact with little disruption to colleagues and the core function of our work. This experience was supported hugely by Brooke Huggett who did a fantastic job working with the students and keeping them engaged.
The 8 students were involved in making some fantastic suggestions. At the end of the week, they were asked to present their experience in front of the entire Financial Hardship Programme, which is not an easy ask!
Student feedback:
“I enjoyed my work experience, and everyone was really nice and welcoming”.
“It has made me open my eyes to what the council can offer for jobs. In my early career I wouldn’t mind working here as this week was very good.”
“The work experience was much more engaging and interesting than I expected.”
We look forward to welcoming more students next year.
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