The council has opened its doors to 14 and 15 year olds from Elmgreen School for their week of work experience. The students took on a variety of roles, working with teams in planning, libraries, legal services and in the Leader’s office.
All the students were invited to meet Chief Executive, Derrick Anderson, Leader of the Council, Lib Peck, Cllr Rachel Heywood and Deputy Leader, Jackie Meldrum, who said: “It’s through meeting people in the workplace that young people can find out the kind of jobs that exist. I’m glad the council was able to help – it’s a tough job market and work experience is a great way to help young people prepare for it.”
What did they do?
Six students braved the elements working in the borough’s parks. They helped with a presentation to the Clapham Common Management Advisory Committee and with a river clean-up day at Streatham Rookery. Their supervisor, Dr Iain Boulton said “We were all delighted with their commitment, patience and hard work. Although it was wet, windy and cold, they stuck at it and never complained. I think they now have a good idea of what it’s like to manage and maintain open spaces.”
Other students undertook research with businesses for the Your New Town Hall project and for the council’s Enterprise team. Fatima, who spent the week with the legal team said she’d learnt that she should “always be on time, always wear smart clothes and look presentable”. Although she’d not previously thought of a legal career she was now considering different career choices.
Providing a young person’s perspective was a benefit recognised by council staff and members. Councillor Lib Peck encouraged all the students to feed back any thoughts or ideas they had about the council.
National Careers Week
National Careers Week takes place 3-7 March. We’d like to celebrate your activities that support Lambeth young people into careers. Let us know what you’re doing below.
If you’re a business or professional who would like to volunteer to talk to young people in schools about careers then you could sign up to Inspiring the Future.
