Isle of Anglesey County Council will be offering young people the opportunity to gain valuable work experience, as its’ Denu Talent Môn placement scheme returns this summer.
Denu Talent Môn is an innovative work placement scheme offered by the County Council, where those aged over 16 years have the opportunity to undertake up to 12 weeks paid work placement. Placements are offered in various services, such as; Human Resources, Social Services, Regulation and Economic Development, Housing and Transport.
Anglesey received over 100 applications for last year’s pilot scheme, which proved to be a great success. Ten young people were successfully appointed between June and September 2018.
Anglesey’s Head of Corporate Transformation and Human Resources, Carys Edwards, said, “We look forward to welcoming more young people to take part in the scheme this year. Interviews are currently on going and the demand for places has again been high. Our aim is to provide young people with a chance to gain new skills and also develop confidence in the workplace. It also provided an insight into the diverse range of careers working in local government can provide. I’m delight with the success of the Denu Talent scheme to date and hope to see it progress over the coming years.”
Lauren Evans, 18, was one of those who took part in the scheme and spent her placement with the Council’s Human Resources Unit. She really enjoyed the experience and went on to gain a full time job there.
Lauren said, “The placement greatly exceeded my expectations. Before beginning my placement, I was prepared to be on tea-making duties, along with scanning and photocopying. Yet, the reality of my placement was totally different – I was granted a great deal of responsibility and freedom to manage my workload. I gained a deeper insight into the day-to-day operations of the department, which confirmed my interest in pursuing a career in HR. I highly value my experience of the Denu Talent scheme, as it developed my current skill set and gave me the experience required to be gain a permanent role within the Council. I now work as a HR Assistant and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity that I was provided.”
As well as the tasks and duties given by their placement services, the Denu Talent team also took part in a high profile cross-service project to research and recommend ways in which the Authority could reduce its use of single use plastics. They went on to present their findings to senior managers and councillors.
Corporate Transformation portfolio holder, Councillor Dafydd Rhys Thomas, added, “The Denu Talent scheme and placements provide valuable experience of working in a professional setting, and developing new and existing skills. Denu Talent Môn has already attracted interest from other organisations, and Workforce Development leads from public bodies across North Wales have been eager to hear about the structure and impacts of the scheme. I’m delighted that the scheme will be returning this summer and that we’ll be providing more of our young people with valuable work experience.”
Ends 5.6.19