A two-month paid internship scheme in Croydon’s housing contact centre sounds great, but applications are online only and all the borough’s public libraries – with free internet access – are closed until after Christmas
Work experience: Croydon Council is offering a paid internship for care leavers. But it has made applying fiendishly tricky
Who would want to work in customer services at cash-strapped Croydon Council?
Croydon Council seems to think someone might, because they are trying to recruit youngsters to the role.
Though they are not trying too hard, in true Croydon Council style, as they issued the announcement of a training and work experience “programme” only this morning, just as most of the country is preparing to shut-down and gorge itself silly for 10 days.
And the deadline for applications to the council’s little scheme is Friday January 3.
Croydon Council is an organisation where the meaning of the words “customer” and “service” were believed to have been forgotten long ago, even before the Town Hall went bust.
So it will surprise no one that there’s been some further word-mangling going on with the title of the council’s new scheme, which is targeted at “care-experienced young people aged 18 to 24”.
The council says the programme will help what used to be called “care leavers” to “gain skills and confidence – and a valuable first step towards a career in local government”.
According to the announcement from Fisher’s Folly this morning: “Running from February to March 2025, the part-time role also offers the young people joining it the London Living Wage.”
The council has been a London Living Wage employer since 2014 (one of the decent things that the then Labour-run council delivered). The current London Living Wage is £13.85 per hour, so youngsters accepted on to the scheme will be paid almost £2,000 per month. Just for context, Katherine Kerswell, the council’s chief executive, was recently given a pay rise and is paid more than £200,000 per year.
The council’s press office issued its release about this scheme four days after “an informal guidance session” was staged at the council offices “to provide support with application questions”.
Any care leavers who do happen to find out about the scheme will discover that during their two-month-long internship at the council they will undertake a Level 1 City and Guilds Customer Service qualification.
The council won’t be providing the training; that will be done by an outside contractor, Tonbridge-based Runway Training.
The council says: “The young people on the programme will work in the council’s housing contact centre… Here they will get hands-on experience in customer service, learning essential skills such as customer-first communication and problem-solving.
“The council will also offer opportunities for the young people to shadow other housing teams, which will give them a broader understanding of how council services operate and their role in helping residents.
“The programme also offers the young people the chance to grow and develop their careers within the council, offering long-term opportunities in public service.”
According to small businessman and part-time Mayor Jason Perry, this programme is “investing in the future of our borough”.
But if any care leavers want to submit an application for this particular “opportunity”, and they either don’t own a laptop or a tablet, or don’t currently have internet access, then they’re a bit stuck. Mayor Perry’s council has ensured that all the borough’s remaining public libraries – a vital resource for those who are, as the council might put it, “digitally excluded” – are now closed until after Christmas.
So if you want to apply, and you can get access to the online-only application form, you need to click here https://forms.office.com/e/9cKvmyeDa3 before 5pm on January 3.
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For jobs advertised for 18-24 year old, what are Croydon Council’s policies on equal opportunities and unfair age discrimination?
Sadly, I do not recall a national law about unfair age discrimination, as with other ‘protected characteristics’. `Over the hill` at 25?!
The point is that these are opportunities aimed at those leaving Croydon’s care system. They are junior roles, too. It seems entirely appropriate.
Just a shame that the council has done such a poor job publicising it.