Careers advice, guidance and inspiration

There are so many different jobs out there, so visit the websites below to understand what career opportunities there are.

If you run a business, have you thought about what you can do to develop your corporate social responsibility and help to get children inspired about the workplace? Find out more by visiting the websites below.

Skills Escalator Days (SEDs)

Research shows how important it is for children as young as five years old to be inspired by the 'world of work'. It is with this in mind that SEDs were developed. 

SEDs are Eastern Education Group events that are run all across the region and are designed to bring primary school children into contact with industry. SEDs offer a series of age-appropriate, practical hands-on activities for the pupils, run by representatives from business, industry, local government and the wider public sector. The overall objective is to directly link school children with the world of work, to allow them to see and talk to people from all areas and to build in them a lifelong curiosity and passion for the world of work.

In West Suffolk, SEDs are delivered annually in Mildenhall, Haverhill, Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds. Please see a press release about one of the SED Events: West Suffolk Council - West Suffolk College and West Suffolk Council collaborate to create careers event for primary schools.

The Economic Development Team at West Suffolk Council is passionate about supporting opportunities and delivering careers inspiration to young people, and so we are delighted to support SEDs in West Suffolk.

To find out more, email skills@westsuffolk.gov.uk 

Choose Hospitality

West Suffolk Council secured funding from Suffolk Growth for a project focused on changing perceptions of the hospitality sector and the visitor economy in West Suffolk. The project is being delivered in partnership with West Suffolk College. The project is comprised of several elements, including a Junior Chef competition, Junior Chef course bursaries, other hospitality bursaries, hospitality inspiration sessions with schools, a family cooking event and a hospitality business summit.

Go to Flipsnack - Choose Hospitality presentation to see highlights from the project so far.

For more information on other work that we are doing with partners in the visitor economy sector, please visit the VENI project.

Jobs and skills fairs

West Suffolk Council's Economic Development team is working in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions to deliver Jobs and skills fairs across West Suffolk. The council's support for the event is part of our drive to support our residents learning new skills as well as finding employment.

For more information, including dates of fairs, please see the Jobs and Skills fairs section here: West Suffolk Council - Supporting people to return to education training or employment.

New Anglia Careers Hub

The New Anglia Careers Hub brings together schools, colleges, employers and providers to drive forward a careers education that will support the ambitions of the business community in Norfolk and Suffolk and its young people.

You can inspire young people and prepare them for the future of work. With your help, schools and colleges can give students the skills they need to succeed. Your first step is to volunteer to become an enterprise adviser. The Enterprise Adviser Network (EAN) aims to increase employer engagement with schools and colleges and want every student to have at least one positive industry experience every year they are at school.

The EAN has created a database of virtual work experience opportunities and virtual inspirational activities from both local and national employers. Find out more at Padlet - Virtual work experience and inspirational work encounters

Find out more about the role of an enterprise adviser at New Anglia - Join the Enterprise Adviser Network or contact the Careers Hub strategic lead, David Ladbrook at: David.ladbrook@newanglia.co.uk or 07881 656856

icanbea...

I Can Be A... logoicanbea... lets you explore potential career opportunities across Norfolk and Suffolk, showing you how the organisations and job roles fit into the wider career paths of our region's industries. Businesses can add their own profile.

For more information visit Icanbea…

National Careers Service

The National Careers Service provides free and impartial careers advice, information and guidance. Their service is available to anyone aged 13 and over, no matter what stage of the careers journey you’re at.

For more information, visit National Careers Service - Get personalised careers advice and information.

Suffolk County Council

Suffolk County Council provides a variety of support, including Year 11 options, The Source: information and advice for young people and parents and carers, and local labour market information resources for schools. Find out more at Suffolk County Council - Careers advice and guidance.

Newmarket Academy students with the robots that they have programmedSchools robotics pilot project in Newmarket

West Suffolk Council has partnered with the BT Schools Outreach team and Newmarket Schools to deliver a project to using robotics to inspire young students’ passion for science, technology, engineering and maths. Please see the press release: West Suffolk Council - Robotic project to create a legacy for STEM skills.