Child Friendly Warwickshire

Warwickshire County Council is dedicated to supporting children and young people to enjoy opportunities to be heard, safe, happy, healthy, and equipped with the skills needed for a thriving future.  

One of the council's goals is to enable children and young people to excel at all levels of learning and gain essential life skills. One way it has done this is through hosting more than 100 work experience placements this academic year (September 2023 to July 2024), students from Year 10 onwards to University.   

The council seeks to match students with placements that align with their interests, favourite subjects, and career aspirations. Successful placements have been hosted across various service areas such as Libraries, Country Parks, Legal Services, Highways, Business Intelligence and Marketing and Communications. 

Cllr Sue Markham, Portfolio Holder for Children and Families, said: "These opportunities allow young people to experience the work place, pick up new skills and learn something new. Supporting children to have the best start in life and be ready for learning is paramount. I am proud of how many youngsters the council has supported this year and encourage partners to consider what they can do too - not just through work experience but also coaching and mentorship programmes." 

Darcey and Luke from Warwick shared highlights from their time at Warwickshire County Council. Darcey, who spent a week in the Marketing and Communications department valued the welcoming atmosphere and hands-on experience: "I enjoyed learning about social campaigns like stop smoking and recycling, and I respected the council’s goal of helping people through their marketing efforts. My favourite part was the office culture, which felt like a big family with friendly chats and a steady supply of biscuits." 

Luke found the experience to be supported and learned a lot from opportunities to contribute meaningfully. He said: "Starting my work experience feeling anxious, I quickly found the environment at Warwickshire County Council to be friendly and supportive. I appreciated the informative interactions with staff, attending meetings, and learning about campaign development." 

To further encourage youth engagement, parents and carers are encouraged to discuss career paths with their children and explore various learning opportunities. Students interested in joining the programme are invited to email their interests and career aspirations to wccworkexperience@warwickshire.gov.uk. 

For more information on Warwickshire County Council’s "Be Skilled" initiative and other child-friendly activities, please visit Child Friendly Warwickshire’s website or subscribe to our newsletter to read all our work experience stories.