YOUNG people from across Cumbria will have the chance to persuade the county’s top employers why they should be given the opportunity of a lifetime and be chosen for Dream Placement 2018.

Dream Placement, organised by the Centre for Leadership Performance, is now in its fifth year of enabling 16 to 18-year-olds to spend a week rubbing shoulders with business leaders and discovering what it takes to become one.

Host companies get to connect with the county’s brightest young people who will be the leaders of tomorrow, and give them a flavour of the career opportunities that exist in Cumbria.

The selection event takes place on Thursday at Energus, near Workington, and is the next stage in the intense competition.

Almost 200 young people have applied for around 50 Dream Placements in 2018, and almost 100 of them will attend the day-long selection event. Students take part in exciting business exercises designed to give them a taste of the challenges within the workplace. They get put through their paces in Dragon’s Den-style interviews conducted by the companies to determine which students go through to the next stage and gain placements.

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Dream Placement has grown year on year since it was launched in 2014, and almost 1,000 students have taken part in the activities around the competition.

An important element of the competition is the fact that every entrant gains huge benefits from the experience of taking part, and can consider it a valuable investment in their future, whether or not they gain a placement.

More than 30 companies are offering Dream Placements over the February half-term in 2018, ranging from major players in Cumbria’s nuclear, engineering and manufacturing sectors to small and medium-size specialist companies, local authorities, and the county’s health trusts – all determined to give the teenagers a genuine taste of leadership.

The line-up of companies and organisations hosting the young people includes Amcor Flexibles, Balfour Beatty, Bendalls Engineering, Carlisle City Council, CN Group, Costain, Coulson Associates, Cyclife Groupe EDF, Direct Rail Services, Doosan Babcock, , Gen2, GSK Ulverston, James Fisher Nuclear, Mott Macdonald, National Nuclear Laboratory, Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust, North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust, NSG Environmental, Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Nugeneration Ltd, REACT Engineering, Sealy Ltd, Sellafield Ltd, Story Homes, Story Contracting, Westlakes Engineering and Wood (formerly Amec FW).

Sarah Glass, CforLP marketing and business development manager, said: “CforLP is all about collaboration and Dream Placement demonstrates that when businesses work together great things can happen. The extraordinary relationships and trust we have built with education providers and companies within Cumbria drives Dream Placement and its life-changing impact on young people in the county.

“It is immensely satisfying to see how the students progress and grow during the various stages of the competition, and how they respond to the challenges and the engagement with businesses and organisations.

“Companies taking part benefit from getting to know the young people during the established and well-managed selection process and the placement itself. Many of the employers have gone on to recruit their placements or continue their relationships as their candidates move on to university or training."

Organisations supporting the scheme include Cumbria Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Britain’s Energy Coast Business Cluster, Energus, Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership, Choose Cumbria and Carlisle Ambassadors.