Eleven students from Barking and Dagenham were given a glimpse into working life at the local Council as part of International Women’s Day.
The sixth form students from Robert Clack, Jo Richardson, and Sydney Russell schools shadowed a number of female senior managers at the council
The scheme was arranged through Trident, the council’s work experience programme provider.
Councillor Evelyn Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Educational Attainment and School Improvement, said: “It is wonderful that young people in our borough are being given opportunities such as this to gain invaluable insight into the workplace.
“I hope the students will be able to apply what they have learned today in the classroom and I am sure it will stand them in good stead as they continue their learning at college and in later life.”
As well as giving insight into the working world, the day also provided positive female role models for women in the borough.
Zoe Wilson, Head of SharePoint and Office 365 Solutions at Agilisys and a member of the Agilisys Women Empowerment group, said: “The mentoring event is our contribution to the ongoing debate around the representation of gender diversity within the tech industry. We want to change the image of tech forever, for the better.”
Council figures show that 64 per cent of employees were women, as of December 2017.
Jennifer Taborda da Silver, a sixth-form student at Jo Richardson Community School, said: “I have been learning about all the different policies and education that the council inputs and I have been able to contribute to these policies.
“I found today really inspirational and all the women empowering.”
Tags: Business, Education, Barking and Dagenham
