Work experience for the next generation

Sixth form pupils from borough secondary schools have just completed a week’s work experience program with Ealing Council.

The scheme has been shortlisted for ’employability project of the year’ in the Young Ealing Foundation Awards 2024 – a significant achievement and testament to the council’s work in partnership with Spark! charity to create work experience opportunities for local students.

Work experience is a great way for young people to see a career. We talked to 2 of the 16 students who participated in the board program to find out what they thought about it.

“I wanted to see what life is like after school”

Shiyaanth Rajasegaram attended Greenford High School and recently graduated from there in Mathematics, Economics and English Literature. He plans to go to university to study politics and economics.

I asked him what attracted him to his work experience at the West London Alliance. He said: “The first thing that came to mind when I applied was that I would get a taste of the professional workplace. Spending time at school, you want to move on, you want to see what life is like after school.

“Would I consider working for Ealing Council in the future? Absolutely, it’s something I’d be interested in.”

Stay tuned for Shiyaanth’s video interview.

“The council has more power than we thought”

Ashvinie Karunaharan is a student at Dormers Wells High School, Southall. He is currently pursuing his BA and, like Shiyaanth, plans to go to university to study criminal law.

Ashvinie told us what her favorite part of the work experience program was. She said: “The council has more power than we thought. They don’t just deal with things like parks and transportation. We are giving a presentation on the laneway in Haven Road, Ealing, to design the laneway to make it more child-friendly and to help prevent crime such as sexual assaults and robberies.

“I found this project interesting because it’s about murder, and that’s what I want to do in the future.”

Stay tuned for Ashvinie’s video interview.

intending

The work experience program was also an opportunity for some of Ealing Council’s current apprentices to ‘step up’ and become supervisors for the week.

Employment, Learning and Skills Apprentice Rachel Daniels shared her experience. She said: “I found being a supervisor challenging as I had to step up and take on additional responsibilities.

“I really enjoyed this experience. It was amazing to see the students’ confidence and professional growth. For example, by the end of the week, a student who had ambitions to improve his interview confidence was able to create and film a promotional video and give a presentation with another student.”

Now that she has experienced management, I asked her if she would like to become a manager in the future. She said: “At a later stage, if the opportunity arises, I could see myself being a supervisor. However, hats off to the managers, it’s not easy.”

Next generation development

Councilor Kamaljit Nagpal, Cabinet Member for Decent Living Income, said: “It was fantastic to meet some of the sixth form students and hear their stories, which really brought home to me how valuable our program is of work experience.

“As part of our plan for good jobs, we will continue to support young people with employability skills, knowledge development and experience through programs like this so they are better prepared for effective transition into the workplace.

“If hearing Shiyaanth and Ashvinie’s stories has inspired you to find out more about jobs and apprenticeships at the council, visit the jobs section of the council website.