Behind the Scenes at Yarra Ranges Council: Work Experience Week 2026

Fifteen Year 10 students traded the classroom for the Civic Centre this June, taking part in Yarra Ranges Council's Work Experience Week – delivered by OELLEN. A cornerstone event, now firmly proving its worth in its second year.

Building on a successful 2025 pilot, the program grew by 50% this year, drawing students from seven government schools across the region: Yarra Hills Secondary College, Healesville Secondary College, Upwey High School, Monbulk College, Upper Yarra Secondary College, Lilydale High School and Lilydale Heights College.

Over five days, students got a genuine, behind-the-scenes look at how local government works. They heard directly from Yarra Ranges Council's CEO, sat in on a Child Safety Advocate presentation, toured the Governance Chamber and Customer Contact Centre, and even helped plant trees at Cambridge Road. A standout day saw the group board a bus for a tour through the Yarra Ranges - stopping at a Depot, Rochford Event Space and Queens Park in Healesville, before drafting a reflective memo over a working lunch.

Students also rotated through Council departments including Planning and Urban Design, Parks, Trees and Trails, and Information Technology, giving them a real sense of the breadth of careers a council can offer.

The week wrapped with a creative twist: rather than a conventional report, students were set a "Tell Your Story" brief, free to capture their experience however they liked: video, photo story, social media reel, or blog post, as long as it was authentic to their week. The program closed with student presentations, certificates and afternoon tea.

For OELLEN and our school partners, this program is a model of what genuine industry connection can look like: structured, supported, and scalable. For Yarra Ranges Council, we believe it’s a chance to introduce a new generation of locally connected young people to the many careers local government has to offer, and to bring fresh energy and curiosity into their teams.

With growth like this in only its second year, the future of the program looks bright.

Want to hear it in their own words? Watch our video below, featuring students and Yarra Ranges Council staff sharing what made the week so valuable.