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Within Kent County Council, we have a staff group representing younger employees called ‘Greenhouse’. Greenhouse aims to be proactive in empowering younger members of staff to fulfil their potential by encouraging them to take part in projects outside of their normal day jobs. Being a younger employee of KCC myself, I am a Greenhouse member and currently helping to start up a new project called ‘Skill Sharing’ which I wish to share with you all.

‘Buddying’ and ‘mentoring’ are two recognised resources for staff within KCC. However, these schemes are rather formal and limited in their scope and it was thought that younger members of staff have specific needs that could be better met through mutual support networks. Initially it was suggested that this could be achieved through more experienced members of staff offering support and advice to newer staff members, however following a recent meeting the idea of a more informal network could fulfil a number of different outcomes was born.

The ‘Skill Sharing Project’ will be similar to an online matchmaking service. Members of all ages will advertise the work-related skills they can share and wish to learn on the Communities of Practise website. They will then, after seeking approval from a line manager, arrange a time and date in which to do so. For example, a researcher may wish to learn how to speak in public to communicate ideas more effectively, and a public speaker may wish to learn about new methods and tools of research to construct presentations efficiently.

We are hoping that this project will not only allow members of Greenhouse to learn new skills, but also create more social interaction and a greater interest in what Greenhouse has to offer. Perhaps one day the scheme will be adopted nationally (we have ambitious dreams!), but for now we are working on testing out the project ourselves and building case studies to generate interest.

If you would like further information about the project, are conducting a similar project or would like to get involved, please contact Kirsty Russell at kirstyjoannarussell@kent.gov.uk.

If you would like more information about Greenhouse please visit here (for KCC staff).

Picture: The Greenhouse logo, a green outline of a house with two figures in the middle with the words 'Greenhouse, helping younger staff grow' beneath.

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Getting young people 'skilled up'

Kent Youth County Council (KYCC) is a non-party political organisation, focusing on the issues of young people. KYCC members work closely with officers and elected members of the KCC, informing them of young people's issues and concerns. Each year there are 10 formal sittings of KYCC that take place in County Hall. There are also optional work groups and other meetings including KYCC meetings that take place at a district level encouraging the members to campaign and work on issues that affect young people in their constituencies.

Kent members of the UK Youth Parliament (UKYP) are elected for the KYCC by the members to take Kent issues to the national sitting.

The 2009 elections for KYCC will take place at 160 Polling Stations in the schools, youth centres and projects across Kent from 14-22 November.

This year sees the launch of the Communities of Interest seats where 12 young people will be elected to represent their communities in KYCC and bring a greater awareness of the issues that face young people in Kent.

The results will be announced on Saturday 28 November at a ceremony in Sessions House, County Hall.

Recent events:

National Youth Takeover Day - More than 500 organisations and 5000 children and young people joined the Children’s Commissioner for England to take part in the 11 MILLION Takeover Day in November. From chairing the Head Teacher conference to planning the County Council’s budget - children and young people took their place in the decision-making hot seat!

Positive Activities Select Committee Report - KYCC members recently joined the County Councillors in the chamber to discuss and advise on the provision of activities from young people around Kent.

Kent Cultural Summit - Invited to share and exchange views on the strengths and needs of culture in the County, as well as agree on the process of working with other agencies and have a consensus on high level issues.

Intergenerational Cohesion Seminar Meeting with 30 EU commissioners and members of the European parliament, KCC officers and researchers from the University of Kent. KYCC were invited to discuss the relationships between young and older people and how they can be developed.

- A special thank you to Marc Burrett for the blog post and the image. For more information please visit the KYCC homepage here.

Picture: KYCC cheering on the stairs in Sessions House, Maidstone.

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Are you a young politician in the making?

Most people have seen the hit TV series, The Apprentice. Well Robert Bromley is an apprentice within our team and wishes to share his journey so far and invaluable advice to all those who are unsure of what step to take next on the career path.

'After finishing my GCSE’s I had to make a decision that would change my life completely, a decision that thousands of young people around the world have to make each and every year. I had to choose what to do next, how to go about it and who to contact to do it.

Unsure of the options I began my search. I instantly thought about A-Levels and college, I knew that neither of them were right for me but the only other option (or so I believed) was to go and find a job that would most probably be very hard repetitive work for very little money.

I searched high and low for an option that involved working as well as gaining qualifications. Just as I was about to give up, I received a letter from my local Connexions about an opportunity called the “Kent Success Apprenticeship Scheme”. It involved working 5 days a week but also completing an NVQ Level 2 in 'Business and Administration'.

I sent in an application form and within a week I had been invited to an interview for the next day. The interview went really well and the Kent Success team were very kind and welcoming. They explained that I had got through the interviewing stage and that they would now try and find me a position within the KCC for a year. They told me that the process may take several weeks to several months but to be patient and a position will arise.

After only 2 days I received a phone call telling me that the Technology, Research and Transformation Team would like to interview me for a position, and if it went well, I could start as early as one month away. I was so excited that the interview date came in no time and I was offered the position to start on January 6th, I gratefully accepted.

My first day came around quickly and I was really nervous. I hadn’t done anything in almost two months and was now going back to the early starts and late finishes. Thankfully, everyone made me feel at home and I was shown the routine tasks I would be asked to do daily. The main tasks were sorting out the post, photocopying, making phone calls on behalf of various people and answering the phones for various people. Once I had learnt the phone shortcuts I was set loose and given normal work as if I had already been there for several weeks. This really helped as it showed that just because someone is on the Apprenticeship Scheme they are not treated differently from the other staff in any way.

After a couple of weeks I was introduced to my NVQ assessor. She told me that I would have to complete five units throughout my NVQ; two of them compulsory and the other three would be my choice. She also told me that I would have to pass two general office exams, and she arranged some dates for us to have our reviews.

I am now 10 months through the Apprenticeship Scheme and have become good friends with several people in the office. I have been offered a permanent position to start when my NVQ ends. Since starting I have never looked back. I now have a promising career in front of me as well as an extra qualification, and therefore would recommend the Apprenticeship Scheme to anyone leaving school.'

If you would like some more information on the apprenticeship scheme, you can find it here or by emailing info@kentapprenticeships.com

Remember: Your future is in your hands.

Picture: Sir Alan Sugar, Nick Hewer and Margaret Mountford, with thanks to Goatee for publishing on Flickr under a Creative Commons license some rights reserved.

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