Cumbria’s unique Dream Placement leadership and business experience programme is co-created with the county’s employers by the Centre for Leadership Performance, to give 16-18 year olds the chance to learn about careers and gain life-changing opportunities. Here, we look at two students whose lives were changed by their Dream Placements.

Emily Hagan:

“It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.” That’s how Emily Hagan sums up her experience of Dream Placement in 2018-19.

Aged 17 and in year 12 at the Nelson Thomlinson School in Wigton, Emily already had her sights set on a Sellafield apprenticeship in project management – like hundreds of other young people who applied for the role. But Emily is absolutely certain that Dream Placement gave her an edge.

Now she is in the third year of her four-year project management apprenticeship which will lead to a degree and a highly sought-after professional qualification, while having the time of her life.

She said: “I love what I’m doing, I’ve already learned so much and I think it was Dream Placement which gave me the boost I needed.”

The application process itself gave her vital skills in how to present her application and herself to prospective employers. Emily actually gained a week’s placement in 2019 with Direct Rail Services (DRS) learning about their style of leadership and found huge value in meetings with managing director Debbie Francis who took time out from her busy schedule to talk to Emily about DRS and careers.

Emilysaid: “I learned so much about the career opportunities in Cumbria, things that school simply can’t teach us. When I delivered my Dream Placement presentation there were people in the crowd that I now work with. That sort of exposure and experience is invaluable, and it has helped me to secure the career I love right here in Cumbria.”

Ebony Ritchie:

Communications is a notoriously difficult area in which to get a job and Ebony Ritchie was on point of giving up her dream of finding that role within a company in Cumbria. But Dream Placement changed all that when Ebony gained the chance to spend a week working with the comms team at Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership.

They were so impressed with her work that they invited her back during the holidays and when she told them frankly that what she really wanted was a permanent job, that’s just what they offered her.

Now Ebony, aged 18, has gone from the sixth form at Workington Academy to working in the Cumbria LEP office.

She said: “Dream Placement was definitely the springboard to my dream job. Without the programme I would not have been sat in front of the LEP team telling them about my ambitions, and the difficulties I faced.

“School simply cannot prepare you for finding your ideal role in the workplace, and it is often impossible for the many companies that offer careers to connect effectively with the young people who are their future workforce. Dream Placement bridges that gap, and gave me the confidence to really go for it when I got in front of an organisation that could offer the opportunity I wanted.

“Dream Placement opened my eyes to opportunities in Cumbria and now I am networking and collaborating with people in all these fantastic companies through my new job.”

YOUR CHANCE TO TAKE PART

Applications close on October 25 for students who want to gain their own life-changing experience during the 2022 February half term break. For more information go to www.dreamplacement.org.uk

The Centre for Leadership Performance is an award-winning not-for-profit private limited leadership development company which works to develop Cumbria’s Leaders for today and tomorrow. It works with leaders already in place to develop leadership skills and believes that supporting the talents of young people is vital to the future economy of Cumbria.