Finance
This team:
- Process Financial Transactions for the Council and its subsidiaries
- Provide Management Accounts for the Council and its subsidiaries with regards to Capital and Revenue
- Prepare the Annual Statement of Accounts for the Council
- Prepare and submit Government returns
- Provide Banking and Treasury Management facilities to the Council
- Provide financial guidance and advice to all service areas
Brief
The Finance function is crucial to the effective delivery of the Council’s services.
Joining the department for a week, you will get to spend time in each of the various Finance teams to see what goes on and how the Finance team supports the wider council, its stakeholders and its residents.
You will get to see how the Finance team works to support the organisation in a variety of ways and to see what opportunities there are for training and career progression within Finance.
Strategic Co-operative Commissioning
Strategic Co-operative Commissioning works to ensure we have the right services in Plymouth to:
- Improve health and wellbeing outcomes for our local population
- Reduce inequalities in health and wellbeing for the local population
- Improve people’s experience of care
- Improve the sustainability of our health and wellbeing system
We commission services for Adults and Children across the City including befriending services, voluntary and community offers, care homes and home care. We collaborate with colleagues in the NHS to ensure we align our work to focus on improved delivery of care and support across health and social care.
Brief
You will learn about what it is like to work within a multi-disciplinary team, understanding how we work with communities, partner organisations, and the Care sector to engage and empower people to make a difference. This is a unique opportunity to be part of a team that delivers transformation across social care and communities designed to improve the experience of our citizens and deliver improvements to the Plymouth care System, which in turn will lead to reducing health inequalities and keeping those we are responsible for safe.
Regeneration and Growth, Economic Development
Plymouth has an amazing past, and we want it to have an amazing future. Economic Development connects jobs and productivity, inclusive and sustainable growth and regeneration.
The Regeneration and Growth team are involved in delivering strategic regeneration and development projects, that help to deliver economic growth across the city. We manage Plymouth Market; with 150 retail and food stalls, a buzz of activity in the West End of Plymouth City Centre. As well as Plymouth Sound National Marine Park, all about giving the people of Plymouth opportunities to get in, on, under and next to the unique waters of Plymouth Sound.
Brief
With a focus on City Centre projects we can offer:
- Joining the department for a week, you will get to spend time in each of the various teams to see what we do including, project management, property management, finance and experiences related to regeneration and development.
- Opportunities to learn and work within the Plymouth Market team providing retail related, administration and marketing experience.
- Opportunities to gain experience within the National Marine Park team.
Office of the Director of Public Health
The role of the Office of Director of Public Health is to keep the population of Plymouth safe, happy, and healthy. The work of this department is very wide ranging and includes:
- Encouraging people to live healthier lives through the promotion of healthier behaviours and commissioning of services to support this e.g., smoking cessation, sexual health, mental health.
- Protecting the public from things that could damage their health including hazardous waste, food safety, pollution, and infectious diseases.
- Conducting community engagement and data analysis so we can understand our population and use this information to focus our work in areas need it most, thereby tackling health inequalities
- Working in partnership with colleagues in other council departments (e.g., planning), in organisations and charities across the city, in the NHS, and in national organisations such as The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
Brief
Joining this team for a week you will get to experience the wide range of work on offer within this department.
You will gain experience of working within a multi-disciplinary team. Everyone’s role is quite different, but we are all working to improve health and wellbeing in the city. By attending meetings and events taking place across the week, you will gain an understanding of how all the work we do fits together and how we each play a vital role to achieve our goals.
You will also learn how to engage with our communities and partners and how to access and use health data and intelligence effectively, so we can write evidence-based strategies and policies that will lead to lasting change.
This placement would suit anyone who is interested in protecting and improving health at a population level.
Community Connections
This team:
- Provide information and advice about homelessness and housing options.
- Improve homes to help people live safely and independently.
- Get people involved in their community.
- Make communities safer places to live, tackling crime and Anti-social Behaviour.
- Provide youth services in the community.
- Introduce people to services that can help them.
- Provide licences to landlords and carry out inspections to ensure properties in the city are fit for living and are maintained to a decent standard
Brief
Students who join this department will experience all elements of our service and see the full breadth of our work.
This department will give you insight into how Community Connections work to improve the city of Plymouth, you will see how we work with communities and partners to improve the lives of those who live, work, and visit our city.
Depending on your area of interest you could work with the team to ensure we are preventing homelessness and supporting those who are.
If Community Safety focused, you will see how the team works with communities and partners to improve safety and to tackle those who are causing crime and anti-social behaviour.
We have a team of dedicated staff who work with individuals to ensure their homes are suitably adapted – this ensures residents can stay living safely and well at home. If you have an interest in Youth work, you could join our specialist youth workers. Or see how our HMO licensing works.
Retained Services and Provider Units
Retained Services and Provider Units ensure that the appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the vulnerable adults in Plymouth, including Safeguarding, Provision and supporting the oversight of Adult Social Care. Among other teams, our provision includes The Vine.
The Vine - This service provides a variety of centre and community-based opportunities on a daily basis (Monday – Friday) for up to 50 adults with learning disabilities and a range of complex health and social care support needs. We are passionate about making a difference to the lives of adults with learning disabilities and complex needs and we offer:
- Independent Living Skills
- Work opportunities
- Community Interaction
- Swimming
- Dance / Drama groups
- Cycling / Adapted cycles
- Computer / Gadget skills using the latest technology
- Art / Craft / Pottery
- Textiles / Dress making
Brief
In this placement you will learn about what it is like to work within a multi-disciplinary team, understanding how we work with communities, partner organisations, and the Care sector to engage and empower people to make a difference. This is a unique opportunity to be part of a team that delivers transformation across social care and communities designed to improve the experience of our citizens and deliver improvements to the Plymouth care system, which in turn will lead to reducing health inequalities and keeping those we are responsible for safe.
The Box
The Box is a social space for people, art, ideas and experiences. We preserve the city’s cultural collections and share extraordinary stories to explore the pressing issues of our age.
From our home in Plymouth, we nurture and support individuals to be creative and curious about the world around them, exploring the past in order to imagine new futures.
We seek to be a sustainable cultural organisation for the 21st century.
Brief
This placement will involve shadowing staff and completing task-based activities across a range of departments at The Box, including working with our collections, learning, commercial and operations teams. The placement will suit young people who may not have considered working in the creative sector before but are curious to understand more about a career in this field.
No two days will be the same – whether you’ll be welcoming visitors, helping to care for our collections or assisting with The Box’s learning projects – there will be an opportunity to explore a range of roles and discover first-hand more about the career opportunities available at The Box.
Eligibility
Due to overwhelming demand for places, the 2025 work experience placements are restricted to young people who meet one of the following criteria:
- Looked after, or previously looked after or care experienced young people
- Young people attending the following non-selective Plymouth schools, who have higher than the national average pupil premium. These schools are: All Saints, Lipson, Marine Academy, Millbay, St Boniface, Scott Medical, Sir John Hunt, Stoke Damerel, Tor Bridge and UTC
Young people aged 16 and over who do not meet the scheme criteria are encouraged to apply for volunteering opportunities at The Box.
Chief Executive’s Office
The Chief Executive’s Office works together, across the Council and with partners to:
- Deliver on our democratic mandate and make decisions in the best way and enable citizens to participate in democracy
- Communicate with our customers about the work we do and what we offer to the city
- Enhance the reputation of the Council and promote city and regional leadership
- Derive insight from organisational performance and policy impacts to inform learning and service improvement; and
- Provide expert legal advice that delivers against the Council’s objectives and keeps the organisation safe
Brief
This placement will provide an insight into Local Government and the how the democratic and decision-making processes function and operate.
Spending time with these teams will provide you with an opportunity to shadow the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor - attend some engagements, learn about city engagement and formal role of the Lord Mayor.
You will learn about the role of the Electoral Services team, the distinct types of election we deliver and role of the Returning Officer (RO) and Electoral Registration Officer (ERO).
As well as this, you will learn about the role of a City Councillor – how they are elected and how they advocate for the city and the residents of Plymouth and how they connect communities.
In addition, you will have the chance to learn about how the council undertakes:
- initiative-taking lobbying
- public engagement activities
- campaigns focused on our shared priorities for the city
- how the council supports diverse communities and ensures we fulfil our statutory equality duties
- how we engage with our residents through digital channels
Strategic, Planning and Infrastructure
Plymouth Sound National Marine Park (PSNMP) is all about giving the people of Plymouth opportunities to get in, on, under and next to the unique waters of Plymouth Sound. The project has a comprehensive activity plan, which is delivered by the Project partners, Ranger team and volunteers.
There are 4 key components:
- Reconnecting citizens to the sea, A programme of activities designed to inspire people to experience the richness of the PSNMP through engagement.
- Activating communities, The purpose of this programme is to build neighbourhood pride.
- Creating marine volunteers and Ambassadors, The volunteering programme is an important way to involve priority audiences with the PSNMP.
- Inspiring marine learning and future careers & stimulating blue enterprise, developing a set of innovative learning resources, including the delivery of live digital tours aligning to curriculum teaching needs. A focus on STEM activities is designed to engage pupils in active learning. There will be a small programme of mentoring support for start-up enterprises, exploring and entering the marine sector.
In addition to these 4 components there are additional strands including: Nature Boost, Digital and Interpretation as well as a large capital improvements program at gateway sites around PSNMP.
Brief
The PSNMP is focussed on reigniting a passion for Plymouth Sound and it’s natural and cultural heritage. The Coastal Ranger team are the ‘boots on the ground’, engaging communities and running fun and inclusive events focusing on the marine environment, history and culture.
Joining this department of marine enthusiasts and conservationists you will see how varied our role is, with no two weeks the same. This opportunity will be a hybrid mix of outdoor and office-based work and will provide an insight into how a large scale city-wide project works highlighting the importance of collaboration for the benefit of the people of Plymouth. Examples of activities include:
- Summer marine park festival
- Beach cleans and rockpooling activities
- Water safety lessons at Tinside lido
- Coastal ranger patrols
- Opening historic buildings (e.g. Mount Batten Tower) to the public
- Community engagement events
Customer and Corporate Services
A placement with the Business Support Service will:
- Provide admin support to wider council services
- Support customers through the customer hub to access council services
Brief
Experience the variety of service on offer by working with various parts of the Business Support such as receiving and scanning post, preparing court bundles, supporting face to face appointment in libraries to access, experiencing the public Council meetings and the preparation of these, supporting election services.
Health, Safety and Wellbeing
The Health, Safety and Wellbeing Team have two core functions:
Keep People Safe: Just like how you wear a helmet when you ride your bike or use a seatbelt in the car, health and safety make sure everyone has the right tools and rules to stay safe at work.
Help People Stay Healthy: It’s important to eat good food and wash our hands to stay healthy. Health and safety helps remind everyone to do things that keep our bodies and minds strong and fit for the place that we work
So, one part is making sure nobody gets hurt, and the other part is helping everyone be as physically and mentally healthy as possible.
Brief
Joining the Health, Safety and Wellbeing team for a week you will get to experience how we help over 300 services across Plymouth, Britain’s Ocean City and keeping our staff safe. From our City Farm, our crematoriums to Mount Edgecumbe and our National Marine Park.
You will get an opportunity to work alongside our HSW advisors across the council, undertaking site visits and complete workplace inspections, understand the training the team provides for PCC staff (eLearning and face to face). You will also learn about general admin duties and dealing with data that HSW professionals undertake to keep people safe.
You will also develop an understanding of:
- What we do in Plymouth City Council
- How we assess the risks our staff face
- How we manage Health and safety
- How we support the health and wellbeing of our staff
- How we use IT and data to monitor health and safety and keep people safe
- Health and safety Law
- Accident, near miss and hazards
Human Resources and Organisational Development (HROD)
HR&OD is about looking after all aspects of our workforce. This includes planning for the future workforce needs of the organisation.
The department has a number of distinct functions:
- Supporting staff and managers with all aspects of being an employee of the Council including policies, procedures, and individual performance.
- Provide leadership guidance and support to of our staff and service users.
- Develop our existing workforce and plan for the future needs of the organisation through structured training and learning activities and through targeted support across other Council departments.
Brief
Without people, the Council could not deliver any of its services. The HR&OD department is there to support all aspects of our workforce.
Joining the department for a week, you will get a good overview of how an organisation works and the many different ways its people are supported and developed in whatever role they hold.
You will get to see the importance of good working relations with managers, staff and Trade Unions and you will gain an insight into how HR impacts on organisational effectiveness.
At a time of so much change in Local Government this would be a fantastic opportunity to join a department to see how we support our colleagues through change.
Some of the types of things you may be involved with over the week include:
- Induction to the council and HR&OD
- Understanding the workforce through data – support preparation and checking
- Understanding the HR system and how employees can view their own data – help promotion of employees using self-service on phones
- Apprenticeships – help with administration and get a full understanding of all the types of apprentices the council has to offer
Planning and Sustainable Development
The Strategic Planning and Infrastructure Department is all about understanding the places that we live and work, gathering evidence about the city, engaging with the community, and creating policies that will guide the development of the city into the future.
An important aspect of that future relates to the climate change emergency and Plymouth’s journey to being carbon net zero by 2030. The carbon reduction challenge relates to a range of factors, the type of energy we use, the way we use it as well as embodied carbon in the material we consume in our day-to-day business. As well as reducing the Council’s carbon footprint we have the challenge of influencing wider reduction across the city.
Our teams also oversee the forward planning and policy for the development of Plymouth. The work of the wider department covers a number of topics including Retail, Housing, and Infrastructure Planning, as well as administering the Community Infrastructure Levy and City Change Fund. We also have staff who support the planning service with specialist graphics, mapping, and data skills. One of our specialist teams tackles empty homes in the city to bring them back into occupation.
Brief
Joining us for a week will give you a wide set of experience across various planning policy functions and supporting activities that allow us to guide development in the city.
You will learn what it is like to work across close working teams and the several types of skills and behaviours that people in the Carbon Net Zero Team need to do their job. Our expertise includes skills related to partnership working to achieve carbon reduction in; buildings, transport and the efficient operation of council services. As a department we also promote and procure green technology, such as heat pumps and renewable energy generation. Another aspect of our work involves promoting low carbon lifestyles and we have a range of programmes supporting this objective. You will see some of the specific process that we employ as well as getting the opportunity to work with the team and try your hand at some of our specialists’ tasks.
By the end of your experience, we would want you to have a broad understanding of the net zero programme within Plymouth City Council and what that means for the city.
Library Services
The Library Service provides free resources and activities to meet the needs of individuals and groups in respect of learning, information, personal development, culture, recreation and leisure.
The Service operates 11 libraries across Plymouth, and also an HQ building.
Resources include physical books; eBooks and Audiobooks, eMagazines, eComics and eNewspapers; books, maps, articles, illustrations, physical newspapers and ephemera of local history and family history interest; online reference tools; and puzzles and games.
Activities include rhymetimes; Lego clubs; the Summer Reading Challenge; outreach at major city-wide events; and hosting talks, presentations and exhibitions
The Library Service supports the Council’s climate emergency, public health, and VAWG agendas; and provides warm, safe and welcoming spaces.
The Library Service lends music and choral sets to customers across the country.
The Schools Library Service provides expert support and reading material to 55+ Plymouth schools.
Brief
During your time with the Library Service, you will:
- Discover how libraries operate throughout the city
- Support staff providing services to customers on the front line
- Learn how to provide customer information needs, and deliver customer service to a high standard
- Support children’s activities, including outreach events
- Participate in ‘back office’ support functions, such as music lending; running the Schools Library Service; and stock acquisitions and processing
- Become familiar with specialist collections, and reply to customers making reference, local history and family history enquiries.
Children’s Services
Contract manage external and internal funds to deliver positive outcomes for young people.
Support young people to find the right pathway Post-16 with statutory and bespoke opportunities
Research, write and secure funding applications for external grants to bring in additional resources to the Council.
Hold events to promote the work we do and engage with stakeholders to maximise potential opportunities
Work to maximise skills and opportunities within Plymouth by seeking opportunities with partners, stakeholders, businesses and Government.
Brief
The placement will give an overview of how the Post 16 team work within the Children’s Service Directorate.
It will give information about funding, statutory obligations of the Council and the opportunities that are available to young people.
It will give a particular insight into the work that happens support SEND and vulnerable young people in Plymouth.
It will also cover project management, and the skills and knowledge needed to ensure work is successful and how to keep projects on track.
It will also cover general admin tasks and diary management, email, filing and GDPR. We may also be able to do some event management as well.