Work experience and work placements
Lancashire County Council offers a range of work experience and placement opportunities. These can help you gain valuable experience in a real workplace.
Opportunities are available for people at school, college or university, as well as people looking to gain experience to support their career.
You can request a placement at any time of year. Whether we can offer you a placement will depend on the workload and availability of our teams.
Work experience
Work experience gives school and college students the opportunity to find out how council services work.
During your placement, you can gain practical experience of different teams and roles. The length of your placement will depend on staff availability in the service hosting you.
Work experience can help you:
build your confidence
gain valuable experience for your CV
develop new skills
build a professional network
understand what it is like to work in a professional environment
T Level industry placements
T Level industry placements are for college students completing a T Level qualification.
You will spend at least 315 hours, around 45 working days, gaining experience in a real workplace. Your placement can take place through day release or block release arrangements over two years.
Previous placements have supported students in areas such as:
Occupational Therapy
Digital Services
educational settings
These placements have helped students develop practical skills and learn more about careers in the public sector.
Opportunities depend on the requirements of your T Level programme and whether our services can provide a meaningful and supportive placement. Availability can vary depending on how closely your course relates to our work and whether a team can host you at the relevant time.
Graduate placements and internships
Graduate placements and internships are project-based opportunities for students and graduates. They can help you develop professional skills and gain experience.
Placements may:
take place over the summer
form part of a longer two-year programme supported by the Local Government Association
We consider opportunities individually. This helps us make sure the placement provides a meaningful learning experience, meets the student's needs and can be supported by our services.
Return to Social Work placements
Return to Social Work placements support qualified social workers who are returning to the profession.
The placements provide practical experience to help you meet Social Work England's restoration requirements.
The length of your placement depends on how long your registration has been lapsed:
2 to 5 years out of practice: 30 days (120 hours)
5 or more years out of practice: 60 days (240 hours)
Apply for a placement
To apply for any of our placements, complete our application form.
If you have questions before applying, email workexperience@lancashire.gov.uk.
How we use your information
For information about how Lancashire County Council processes your personal information, read our privacy notice.
We will only use the information you provide in your placement application to organise and support your requested placement.
We will delete any personal information contained in your application one year after you submit the form.