Mayor Tom Wootton was the first person to be interviewed by young people about his job as part of a new series of Careers Conversations.
The Mayor met with Bedford Borough Council’s Supported Interns a programme hosted by Bedford Borough Council in partnership with Bedford College. The young people are all aged between 17-20 and all currently have an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) and want to work but need extra support to get there.
Their internships help them to gain the skills needed to enter the workforce – and over the coming year they will be meeting staff from across the Council as well as people who work in a wide range of other roles in the Borough.
Mayor Tom told the group about his childhood growing up on a Bedfordshire farm, what an average day consists of as leader of the Council, and how and why he became mayor.
Meanwhile the interns quizzed him on topics ranging from his favourite subject at school to the most interesting person he had ever met (Terry Waite, the former special envoy for the Archbishop of Canterbury who spent 1,763 days in captivity, most of it in solitary captivity).
Mayor Tom said; “I’ve always enjoyed meeting our Supported Interns at the end of their year with us, so it was a new experience meeting them at the start of their journey.
“We have a really spirited intake this year, and they had a lot of questions to fire at me. I know that they are all have a lot to offer every employer that can offer them a placement, and will make the most of every opportunity that they are given.”
Aimee Fowler, Bedford Borough Supported Internship Team Leader said; “Thank you to Mayor Tom for taking time out of his busy schedule to meet with our interns.
“Our young people grilled him at length about a wide range of subjects, and he was happy to answer every question they threw at him.”
The Supported Interns team are looking for guest speakers from across Bedford Borough to meet interns and talk about their careers, helping them to learn about the many exciting career opportunities available to them as they take their next steps towards meaningful employment and independent adulthood.
If you would be interested in sharing your career journey with our interns, please contact Joanna Erickson at joanna.erickson@bedford.gov.uk or Aimee Fowler at afowler@bedford.ac.uk for more information.