Wirral pupils take part in 'eye-opening' Modern Work Experience event
School pupils have been given an interactive insight into the wide range of careers available at Wirral Council.
A total of 35 children from Clare Mount Specialist Sports College, St Anselm's College and The Mosslands School took part in a Modern Work Experience event designed to showcase opportunities across local government.
The approach moves beyond traditional work placements, offering a flexible and ongoing journey of learning. It is structured, inclusive and progressive and gives young people meaningful opportunities to develop skills, knowledge and confidence for future careers.
Pupils received an overview of the more than 1,500 roles available at Wirral Council. They then took part in activities with the Leisure, Trading Standards and Regeneration services at Mallory Building and Europa Pools Leisure Centre.
The event, delivered in collaboration with the Careers & Enterprise Company, proved highly successful. Feedback showed that:
- 100% of pupils said the sessions helped them understand the skills needed in the workplace and found the day engaging.
- 97% of pupils said they had a better understanding of careers at Wirral Council, compared with 36% before the event.
- 97% of pupils rated the event as excellent or good.
- 77% of pupils reported an increased interest in working for Wirral Council.
The Trading Standards session was the most interesting because it showed me hidden aspects that we are privileged to have.
An eye-opening experience on how much the council does. Very interesting.
I found the leisure centre session the best because it showed me how many opportunities you can experience through your love of sport.
Modern Work Experience enable us to introduce and inspire the next generation of talent to explore careers within local government.
There are so many different career opportunities in local government, from lawyers to lifeguards and everything in between.It is a way to inspire children towards careers they may previously not have been aware of.
Moving forward, we can open up opportunities to more departments to help us inspire future generations around the amazing careers available in local government and aim to give pupils projects and tasks linked to the curriculum.
The event provided an opportunity to explain council decisions and responsibilities, including recent enforcement action against illegal vape sales by Trading Standards and the reasons behind road closures and infrastructure works.
It also raised awareness of career opportunities in professions currently facing skills shortages.
The day focused on providing career pathways within sectors that young people may not always align to local government jobs. We highlighted different career roles throughout the day, with a focus on inspiring students to look at these as future careers, embedding knowledge of both the apprenticeship or university routeways into these roles.
We included both national and local role shortages within the sessions, including Trading Standards and Town Planning so it was a great way to raise the profile of those careers.
For schools interested in taking part in a Modern Work Experience event, email phillipkane@wirral.gov.uk
Click here to see the current list of vacant jobs available at Wirral Council.
