We’re proud to be a leading organisation offering entry to work opportunities that help people develop in their careers. We’ve been awarded on several occasions for our initiatives and the work we do in supporting career development.

Below you will hear stories from some of the participants who have taken part in a T Level programme at Essex County Council.

Click on the portraits below to find out more about our T Level participants and their journeys with us:

---

Reuben

End of placement T Level success

Click on each response below to hear about Reuben’s experience:

• What attracted you to this programme?

  As I would be working predominantly in the Resourcing team, I knew I would be working with people who had great customer service skills, and who new knew how to deal with people. I thought this would give me the opportunity to learn from their mannerisms and improve my own people skills. As well as this, I thought it would helpful when applying to specific courses at university as the work experience with administration and managing projects would help me in my own application.

• What did your average day look like?

  My average day at Essex County Council was get to the office for 9:30, check and reply to emails, which had mounted as I was only in once a week. Then whoever I was working with for that day I would catch up with them and be given any work for that day. For example, one morning I was working with a colleague from the Talent Attraction team, who helped me set up my LinkedIn account and showed me how it would help me in my future work.

  I was then asked to film a promotional video for T Levels which would be shown to people who would be considering the course. I enjoyed this very much as it improved my ability to do filming and public speaking.

• What’s been your biggest achievement during your placement?

  There have been many things that I’ve been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to do while at Essex County Council. I think the biggest achievement was presenting to various staff a project I had been working on regarding retention rates at the council. When I had originally started at the council I don’t think I would have had the confidence to speak in front of these people whilst getting my point across, so personally it showed how much I had progressed since I began working there.

• Where has, or where do you hope your placement will take you?

  University! After the experience of working at Essex County Council, I decided I want to further my studies with a management degree, and I believe longer term I enjoy the idea of working in London, particularly in a role where I can help to train people to improve their own confidence and skills. I think the placement has given me an idea of how I work best and what I need to do in order to get the most efficient work out of myself.

• What advice would you give to someone considering a placement within Essex County Council?

  Say yes to every opportunity that is offered to you whilst at Essex County Council. Whether that is creating a LinkedIn profile, or being interviewed about what your course/work experience is like as well as administration tasks, it all counts for something and the work you will be doing is improving various skills which are applicable if you stay on at the council or move elsewhere.

  As well as this, if there is something that you are interested in and want to work on, tell them as more often than not you’ll be able to do it so you should make the most of your time here.

Liam

Liam’s T Level success

Click on each response below to hear about Liam’s experience:

• 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, 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 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 Essex County Council 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.

• 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 Essex County Council?

  My advice to someone considering a placement at Essex County Council is to research the different areas of the organisation you can work within. There are many different departments that require unique skill sets. Find a team that sounds the most appealing and reach out to your college teachers to learn more about the role.

Fenn

T Level Week 2024

Click on each response below to hear about Fenn’s experience:

• How has your T Level experience been in comparison to your expectations?

  My T Level experience has been better than I expected due to the opportunities I have been given to get involved with, and the amount of information I have been fortunate enough to receive. I also wasn’t expecting for the work placement and college course to link so much, and I strongly believe the work placement is benefiting my work in college.

• What have you found most rewarding about your experience so far?

  It’s great to see the projects that are taking place, the end results and how the clients are using it. I was fortunate enough to complete a visit to one of the schools after completion and the handover taking place. To see the benefit this building was having on the children and teachers using it was very nice to see.

• What do you hope to achieve by the end of your placement, and what are your next steps?

  I hope to get a clear understanding of what profession I most enjoy in construction and further pursue a university degree in this sector. Ideally a university apprenticeship degree so I can tie in the information I am receiving within the real world of construction, so I can then further expand my knowledge.

Edward

End of placement T Level success

Click on each response below to hear about Edward’s experience:

• What attracted you to this programme?

  I first discovered the possibility of working for Essex County Council as part of my placement from my college, who had been given a short, well-presented document on the opportunities there were for me and my classmates here. Before this, I had never thought of working in the public sector as an option for me; not for any specific reason, it just wasn’t an option I had been given.

  Now I have nearly completed my placement, I am very pleased to have been given this incredible opportunity to work for the Delivery Assurance team, where I have been working on a variety of projects during my time here. All of them have been enjoyable and fascinating, allowing me to see how working in the public sector can positively impact people.

• What did your average day look like?

  My average day is six hours long, starting at 9:15am and ending at 4:15pm, with an hour lunch at my time of choice. During these days I have attended meetings, worked on projects, been trained, had conversations with my colleagues and replied to messages/emails on Microsoft Teams and Outlook. This has provided me with a broad experience of the workplace and Essex County Council, allowing me to work through my projects at my own pace and arrange meetings with colleagues when I need assistance.

  During every day there has been one or more colleagues in the office to ensure I have the help I need and can be provided with the most beneficial experience for me and my course.

• What’s been your biggest achievement during your placement?

  My biggest achievement while working at the council has been the project I am currently working on, which is an induction pack for a team of 150 people. This is nearing completion, with the only part left to do being handing over this project for implementation to my colleague for after I leave in a few weeks. This project has allowed me to develop my project management skills far beyond what I had expected from this work placement, with my knowledge of Excel, SharePoint, dealing with stakeholders and so much more being the main areas I have improved in.

• Where has, or where do you hope your placement will take you?

  After this placement I am planning on going to university or doing a degree apprenticeship. Because of this placement I have already received a conditional offer for my first choice of university, which I am on track to meet following my success in my current T Level qualification, which included this work placement at Essex County Council.

  Following my education, I will likely apply for a job in the council or the public sector and follow the broad career path that a job here can make possible.

• What advice would you give to someone considering a placement within Essex County Council?

  If someone wanted to work at Essex County Council, I would highly recommend it. This experience has given me such a good foundation to my career, with many transferable skills if I were to apply to a job in another industry/sector. Because of this I am on track to achieve my desired grade for my T Level qualification and have so many options that it is overwhelming to decide which I go for.

Connor

My first year as a T Level student

Click on each response below to hear about Connor’s experience:

• How has your T Level experience been in comparison to your expectations?

  I didn’t expect my T Level experience to be so different from what I’d imagined. I thought it would be just like school, strict and confining, but it’s been much more professional and adult-like, with a lot more freedom. Honestly, T Levels have gone way beyond my expectations.

• What have you found most rewarding about your experience so far?

  I have found that the most important lesson I have learned was about the working environment. I would have expected the working environment to be more stressful and stricter – however, this was not the case. The working environment is freer and more chilled out than I’d expected and this has inspired me to think of going into a working environment sooner. If I did not pick T Levels I would have not known this.

• What do you hope to cover when you return in September?

  I would like to cover a wider variety of work at my work placement and also get settled into a working environment for a longer amount of time. I would also like to cover more coursework in college and gain more knowledge and expertise. This would allow me to get ready for my future career.

• What challenges have you faced and how have you overcome them?

  I originally struggled to settle into the work placement and my college course, as it was a huge change from school, but as I got to know more people and settle in more, I have become comfortable at my placement and at my course. I have met lots of new people and gained valuable knowledge and experience. As I am working now in a placement, I shouldn’t have an issue with settling into a working environment and it will benefit my career.

Daniel

End of placement T Level success

Click on each response below to hear about Daniel’s experience:

• What attracted you to the T Level programme?

  I was attracted to do a T Level because I would be gaining in-class knowledge as well as having an industry placement. The industry placement allows you to be able to gain the experience of working in an office. My placement at Essex County Council has significantly helped me understand how to present myself correctly in a work environment.

• What did your average day look like?

  For my industry placement I would come into the office once a week, which for me would be a Wednesday. The average day for me would consist of doing a vast variety of research tasks. This has helped me develop my Excel skills, as I was inputting all my information on to a spreadsheet. Recently I was able to book in clients for interviews as well as calling clients to arrange the dates and times for the interviews.

• What’s been your biggest achievement during your placement?

  At the start of my placement, I was given a task to research all 317 UK councils and find out what recruitment system they were using. As a result of my work, I was able to help Essex County Council get connections with different councils and helped to be able to choose the best system for the council.

• Where has, or where do you hope your placement will take you?

  Doing my placement at Essex County Council has helped me find out more about recruitment. This has made me more eager to find a career in a recruitment firm. However, I would prefer to work in a private sector recruitment firm rather than in the public sector e.g. councils. This is only because I would prefer a more fast paced working environment.

• What advice would you give to someone considering a placement within Essex County Council?

  The best advice I could give to someone considering a placement within Essex County Council is to try to work with everyone within the team. This is because it will allow you to find out more about their experiences with working for the council and lots of new techniques that you can implement when going into work after college.

Ready to discover more?

To find out more about the entry programmes we offer at Essex County Council, visit the Entry to Work team page.