Young people run the business

The recent 11 MILLION TAKEOVER DAY on Friday 6th November saw two young people, Katie Breadmore from Chudleigh, and Jaimie-Lee Monteiro from Newton Abbot, take over as Duty Managers at the Newton Abbot Connexions Centre.

Organised by the Children's Commissioner for England, Sir Al Aynsley-Green, TAKEOVER DAY encourages organisations across England to open their doors to children and young people so that they can see for themselves the processes behind the decisions made in the world of work – some of which affect their daily lives.

Katie, a Year 11 student of Teign School said: "I thought that the 11 Million Takeover Day was very fulfilling and enjoyable. It was great seeing how the service works and how situations are dealt with."

She said of her experience of the Connexions Service: "It was a very laid back atmosphere and the people were all friendly and helpful. It really made me think deeply into what career choices I want to make when I leave education. The experience was great and I'd definitely encourage young people to take part next year."

Katie's 11 Million Takeover colleague, Jaimie-Lee Monteiro also enjoyed the experience of seeing Connexions from the other side of the desk. In the past Jaimie-Lee has used the service to assist him with a range of matters including job search, travel, and housing.

On summing up the day, Jaimie-Lee said: "I have enjoyed today's placement and will definitely be putting this experience on my CV, and I am looking for employment in this environment."

During the day Katie and Jaimie-Lee carried out, amongst other things, reception duties, answered phones, dealt with callers to the centre, designed some marketing materials, and gave their ideas on how to improve the Connexions website.