Liam has now come to the end of his Management and Administration course at South Essex College and Essex County Council, but before moving onto his next opportunity, we spoke with Liam to get his final thoughts and overall experience of the T Level programme:
What attracted you to this programme?
“I had an interest in digital marketing at first. There were a range of opportunities at Essex County Council (ECC), but the Sustainable Growth Engagement Placement really piqued my interest.
The placement enabled me to work on skills such as data analysis, communication and content creation, which aligned with my passion. Before this, I had not considered working within the public sector; however, it was a great experience and extremely useful to develop new skills in a supportive environment.”
What does your average day/did your average day look like?
“I typically worked in County Hall (Chelmsford HQ) every Thursday. Occasionally, I had the opportunity to work extra placement days on Fridays at Ely House in Basildon.
My routine tasks consisted of content creation for the Ambitious Essex LinkedIn page and working on a subscriber data analysis project for the Ambitious Essex newsletter. I also had the opportunity to work with other colleagues in ECC on different tasks and to demonstrate leadership and partnership working skills.
Throughout my placement, I also had many opportunities to attend team meetings. This helped to develop my subject knowledge that I could carry over to my independent work. I was also able to network with new people and learn about different areas of the organisation.
I always looked after my wellbeing by getting away from my screen at lunch and going for a walk.”
The placement enabled me to work on skills such as data analysis, communication and content creation, which aligned with my passion.
Liam, T Level Student
What’s been your biggest achievement during your placement?
“My biggest achievement during my placement was leading the Ambitious Essex subscriber analysis project. This was a great opportunity for me to develop leadership and communication skills, as well as boost my confidence. I had not had the chance to lead a project before, and for it to have a tangible use for my colleagues made the experience more worthwhile.”
Where has, or where do you hope your placement will take you?
“The placement has enabled me to work out areas I do and do not like. This will help me on my hunt for an apprenticeship and potentially open new industries I may have not looked into before.
I now need time to investigate options and establish a career path. I see myself in a different industry next to help further develop my skills.”
What advice would you give to someone considering a placement within ECC?
“My advice to someone considering a placement at ECC is to research the different areas of the organisation you can work within. There are many different departments that require unique skillsets. Find a team that sounds the most appealing and reach out to your college teachers to learn more about the role.”
Interested in doing a T Level course? Your local college may be able to support you. Our Entry to Work team may also be able to help also, you can get in touch with our award-winning team by email at work.placements@essex.gov.uk
We’ve shared a number of other T Level blogs too – you can view these on our blogs page.
Our Entry to Work team have their own page, you can see this here.
