DST reflect on the work they do in the community to be more youth friendly. Exert from a blog originally posted on the DST website.

We have a proud history of engaging the community and undertaking charity activities at DST. From sports days and social events through to charity fundraisers and community presentations, there’s so much more to working here than simply the day job. Resourcing Expert and community engagement extraordinaire Tara Simpson spoke to us about what’s currently going on in the world of community engagement.

Supporting students around the United Kingdom

“We work with local schools, colleges, universities, job centres and Councils, we actively go in and support students in their own environments. Our activities in this area range from mock interview sessions and poster presentations through to debates and hands-on workshops. We’re also regularly involved in school, college, university and job centre careers fairs and one of my aims for next year is to host tours of DST offices for final year college leavers and undergraduates to show them life at DST and the fantastic opportunities we have.

We recently worked with Anglia Ruskin University in Chelmsford, launching a one-year undergraduate placement scheme based at our Chelmsford office, and in the past we’ve been part of a business studies panel debate at Havering College and mock interview sessions at local schools. Occasionally I’ll also be asked by lecturers/tutors to go into college classes and present DST and the Apprenticeships we offer, as this is a great opportunity to engage directly with students and encourage them to think about alternative options to university. One of our Directors – an alumni of Southend High School for Boys – recently went in to give an inspirational talk there too. We are pretty much open to anything!”