Published: Wednesday, 30th September 2020
The Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk has hosted their first skills-based academy.
The national initiative was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to help young people, aged 18 – 24 years old, back into work.
Cllr Brian Long, Leader of the borough council, explained: “Training sessions were held in a Covid-secure environment at the Town Hall in August for the benefit of King's Lynn Jobcentre clients aged 18-24.
“Our personnel team organised and delivered the two-day event that was aimed at enabling young people to be prepared for entering a competitive recruitment process.”
The first day was centred on understanding core skills required in most jobs and linking delegates to these roles. Basic grammar, filling in an application form and how to approach an interview were all covered.
Council officers were able to give an account of what skills a manager is looking for, as well as presenting a ‘day in the life of’ for three very different council jobs – giving a flavour of the range of roles and career paths undertaken in the council.
Mock interviews were held on the second day, followed by feedback on how each delegate had done.
King's Lynn Jobcentre and the borough council have received positive feedback from the sessions with one client saying: “It was interesting to find out about the scope of jobs available within each council sector. Very inspiring!”
Further sessions are planned throughout the year.