This team take out the rubbish and promote the economy! Not your average mix, but they do it in style. From managing the contract that ensures waste and recycling is collected they also make sure our parks are amazing, the toilets are clean and our communities are thriving.

Our work in the community focuses on getting people active, leading the economy, events management, tourism, sports and the arts and lots of other fun things.

What is your job role and what does that mean?

I’m the Youth Bus and Outreach Officer for Wychavon so the main part of my job is running our youth bus. You might be wondering what that is as there are not many youth buses across the country so it’s quite unique. The bus is a 57 seater Dudleys coach which we have converted into a multi-use drop in space for young people – like a youth centre but on wheels!, The bus provides a range of activities such as gaming, IT, arts and sports alongside offering a range of information and advice for 8-17 year olds. The ‘outreach’ aspect of the job covers the fact that we work in different parts of the district supporting young people, events and community projects. With over 100 villages we aim to reach out to as many as we can, it’s quite a lot for one bus though!

What does a normal day in your role look like?

My days are about ensuring we have the right ingredients to keep the youth bus running and deliver the service. This means that I check in on our bus schedule - where we are going to and at what time, ensure we have the right equipment and the bus is all set to go and of course that we have the people to staff the sessions. The people make the job really varied as I work with casual staff who all have busy lives with lots going on, students and volunteers who are studying as part of their education who want to learn new skills and I also spend time with parents and young people in our villages when we are out and about. This is important to ensure the bus is a regular part of our communities. We set off in the bus ready for the after school sessions, which involves me driving the bus, setting up equipment, signing people in on-board, talking to young people, encouraging them to take part in activities and promoting the service to parents and community members. Other days can be more office based when I’m writing reports and doing funding applications to help keep the service going as we rely on grants to make it all possible.

Why did you choose to work for the Council?

Because Wychavon is there to help people, that’s our agenda. We provide loads of great services and always have exciting projects going on. In general communities couldn’t keep going without their local councils and they are uniquely placed to encourage people to work together. The youth bus is a great example of this as we rely on parishes and residents to support what we do and help provide a place for young people in our villages. Our role is to help to develop communities to make them better places for everyone.

What advice would you give to a person considering a role at the Council?

Go for it, I think you’d be surprised at just how many opportunities there are, we do much more than just empty people’s bins! I would encourage people to find out more about what we do – check out our website, our social media or our annual report or ask to chat to someone who works here and find out a bit more about what goes on. Our communities are more diverse than ever as are the services we provide.

We offer a great setting to develop and learn new skills as you build a career path. I’ve been fortunate to train lots of people in my role who have gone onto a wide range of careers from social workers through to teachers and police officers. Wychavon offers a great platform to get new skills and experiences and learn more about the communities in which we live.

Rob Mace

Youth Bus and Outreach Officer

Economy and Communities

This service represents the face of the council through our customer service centres as well as handling our publications, online messages, social media and the press.

We use our customer feedback and insight to guide our strategic direction. We also monitor council performance and lead community initiatives to deliver our corporate promises.

What is your job role and what does that mean?

I am currently one of two graphic designers in the Strategy and Communications team at Wychavon District Council. In simple terms, a graphic designer is a creative role that involves producing design work for a range of different projects such as: posters, magazines, corporate reports, presentations, leaflets, animated gifs, social media items, maps, branding, logos and advertising – you name it we do it!. Generally, a graphic designer is a visual-thinking problem solver and communicator. You have to have knowledge of the relevant design software, as well as skills in layout, branding, colour theory, printing techniques, typography, sub-editing, and marketing strategy. You also have to stay on top of what’s on trend and be continuously learning new techniques and software.

What does a normal day in your role look like?

No day is ever the same in this role! A normal day starts with checking emails and looking to see whether there have been any new jobs booked in. I will then review my schedule for the day and check which projects have the highest priority or the closest deadlines (you have to be great at prioritizing and project management in this job); generally I can be working on 10-20 different projects at a time. Once I have finished with any admin I will begin the design portion of the day, which involves working on my Mac using programs from the Adobe Creative Suite (e.g. Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator). I coordinate layouts, select and manipulate images and choose typefaces, around the text that the customer has provided. I may also do a little proofreading or suggest re-wording things to make something more marketable. I design for both printed products and web media, and tend to work on several different projects at once. I may produce a poster for one customer, while designing several options for a logo for another. The job might involve developing a whole new brand and style concept, so I will meet with the customer to discuss the details. If a project (for example, an event flyer) is to be externally printed, I might speak to a few different printers to get the best quote for the job. I will switch back and forth between projects throughout the day, and pick up new jobs and schedule them in. I might look online for some inspiration (Pinterest is totally brill) and check out what’s currently on trend, or sketch out some ideas on paper before designing on screen. As there are two of us, I also have to keep track of what the other designer is working on and be able to pick up anything should she be out of the office. I will finish each day by updating our project log, backing up all of my work, and filing away emails.

Why did you choose to work for the Council?

When I was 18, I did some work experience at Wyre Forest DC with their graphic designer. She had image inspiration stuck all over the walls and was working on some vehicle livery design, which I’d never seen done before. I’d always wanted to be an illustrator or graphic designer, and working with her really cemented it for me. Working for a council seemed like it could be a lot more varied and seemed to give the designer more ownership of her work – which is not what it would be like when working for a design agency. The range of different projects I work on at Wychavon is amazing and gives me a chance to communicate so many different messages and ideas. Wychavon has a great reputation for being a creative council, so it’s brilliant to have the freedom to design for so many different projects that are seen by so many people in the district. Designing for the council means my work has a real use and can inform, instruct, and entice people to get involved in their community. Not all graphic design jobs have that range – it’s very rewarding.

What advice would you give to a person considering a role at the Council?

The best advice I can give is to research the role and the council as much as possible, to decide if working here would be the best place for you. You should also have an understanding of the local area, the community and its people as, after all, that is whom we serve!

Wychavon is a friendly yet hard-working council and can be a very rewarding place to work, whichever role you are in. It offers a variety of different services but everyone is working towards a common goal. My advice to anyone considering a role here would be that you need to be fairly adaptable, flexible, and a team player. You need to be willing to get stuck in and most of all be driven to deliver the best service you can.

Gemma Lewis

Graphic Designer

Strategy, Democratic and Customer Services