Work experience

At West Northamptonshire Council, it is all about our people. People who are curious, eager to learn, and ready to explore new possibilities.

That is why we created the West Northamptonshire Council Workplace Safari - a unique work experience programme designed to open your mind to the many careers in local government that help our communities thrive.

Discover a different kind of work experience

The Workplace Safari is designed for you if you’re in years 10 to 12, offering something very different from traditional work experience.

Instead of spending a week shadowing one team, you become part of a cohort and take a journey through the wide range of careers that make a council work.

Across the programme, you will meet passionate professionals from different services who will share their own career journeys, the skills they use every day, and the pathways that led them there.

It is an opportunity for you to ask questions, try practical activities, and discover careers you may never have considered before - or gain more insight into careers you are already interested in.

Explore the careers behind your community

You will gain insight into a wide variety of roles that keep West Northamptonshire running. 

Sessions include different council areas, such as:

• Democratic services and elections
• Legal services
• Project management
• Adult Social Care and social work
• Digital, Technology and Innovation
• Community Development
• Waste and environmental services
• Human Resources
• Libraries, museums and heritage services

Each session is led by experienced managers and professionals who explain what their role involves, the qualifications and skills that are helpful and what a typical career pathway might look like.

Learning beyond the classroom

The Workplace Safari also takes learning out into the community. 

You will visit key council locations to see how services operate in the real world, including:

• County Hall, where you can tour the historic courtrooms
• The Museum and Art Gallery, exploring artefacts from local archives
• The Central Library, discovering how libraries support learning and communities
• A tour of town centre regeneration projects to understand how places are designed, developed and improved to better the futures for young people in West Northants

Building confidence and future skills

Alongside career exploration, you’ll take part in sessions designed to prepare you for your future.

These include:

• CV and personal statement writing
• ‘Presenting with impact’, helping you build confidence when speaking and sharing ideas
• Team activities and practical challenges linked to real council work

For you, your parents and teachers

The Workplace Safari provides a structured, safe and engaging work experience that helps you understand the breadth of careers available in local government and the skills that employers value. It supports you in making informed decisions about your future education, training and career pathways.

For schools and parents, it offers reassurance that you are gaining meaningful exposure to the working world while developing confidence, communication skills and an understanding of how public services shape your community.

At West Northamptonshire Council, we believe that the future of our communities depends on the next generation of thinkers, creators and problem-solvers.

The Workplace Safari is one way we open the door to those possibilities - giving you the chance to explore, learn and imagine where your ambitions could take you.

2026 dates and how to apply for the Workplace Safari

Our 2026 Workplace Safari will run from 6 to 10 July and 13 to 17 July.

You can apply if you are in school years 10 to 12.

Email [email protected] with the subject line ‘Workplace Safari enquiry’.

In your email, include your:

• full name
• email address
• phone number
• school name
• year group

Places are limited. We will contact you to confirm if you have been offered a place or added to the waiting list.

Ad hoc work experience placements

We may offer a limited number of work experience placements outside the Workplace Safari weeks. These are not guaranteed and depend on service capacity.

To enquire about alternative dates, email [email protected].

Include the following information in your email:

• your name
• contact details
• school name
• year group
• the dates you would like work experience
• up to 3 council service areas you are interested in

We will forward your request to the relevant service areas. They will contact you within 2 weeks if they can offer you a placement.

Last updated 10 March 2026