DISCOVER THE PUBLIC SERVICE, IRELAND’S LARGEST EMPLOYER

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TEACHER AND GUIDANCE
COUNSELLOR RESOURCES

Here, you’ll find everything you need to support your students in exploring the public sector and the careers they can access - all in one section. These resources include a wealth of teachable moments for TY, LCA and LCVP classes and help to demystify the public sector in a fun, convenient and engaging way.

HOW IT WORKS

There are 6 lesson plans in the Public Jobs Schools Resource Kit. Each lesson plan focuses on a specific topic in relation to careers in the public sector and includes:

PowerPoint Slides

Teacher Guidelines

Student Worksheets and activities

All lesson plans are available to download below.

TRANSITION YEAR GROUPS

We understand different classes will have different learning objectives and timescales. For TY groups we would recommend that students could use this site for self-directed learning about the public sector. Students can then work individually or in groups to enter The Pitch Schools Advertising Challenge as a fun way to demonstrate their learning – as well as the opportunity to win cool prizes too, of course.

THE LESSON PLANS

LESSON 1: MEETING THE
PUBLIC SECTOR

In this lesson students you will learn about the public sector, how it relates to their own lives and some of the careers it offers.

LESSON 2: MAPPING MY
INTERESTS TO THE PUBLIC SECTOR

In this lesson students will use John Holland’s Career Interests profiling tool to identify roles that suit their interests and strengths.

LESSON 3: THE CAREER LADDER & ME IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR

In this lesson students will relate qualifications, training, experience, interest and motivation to progress along the career ladder and analyse a range of roles with a focus on entry point, level of education and pay.

LESSON 4: MEET ALAN IN REVENUE

In this lesson students will summarise the information from the previous lessons using a real life example and interact with video footage of a public sector employee, who shares their story.

LESSON 5: MEET NIAMH IN THE NATIONAL AMBULANCE SERVICE

In this lesson students will summarise the information from the previous lessons using a real life example and interact with video footage of a public sector employee, who shares their story.

LESSON 6: MEET VICTORIA IN THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

In this lesson students will summarise the information from the previous lessons using a real life example and interact with video footage of a public sector employee, who shares their story.

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THE PITCH SCHOOLS ADVERTISING CHALLENGE

Now Live!

Once students have a level of confidence around the public sector and the career opportunities available, we would love to see this learning put into action. The Pitch Schools Advertising Challenge is a fun competition whereby students can tap into their creativity whilst learning 21st century skills. The challenge involves creating a video pitching the public sector as a diverse career path to their fellow students. Teachers and Guidance Counsellors can discover more about The Pitch by registering for our mailing list where we’ll keep you up to date with key dates and information and by visiting The Pitch Competition page.

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TEACHER FAQs

1. What is the Public Sector?

When looking at career sectors, it is important to note that many careers are available in the Public Sector as well as in the Private Sector.

What is the difference between these two sectors you may ask?

Government-run organisations are part of what is known as the Public Sector. The public sector is made up of people from a variety of backgrounds, all working together to provide public services to the people of Ireland. We advise and assist in the running of Government Departments, Local Authorities (such as your local county council) and state agencies.

The private sector is the part of the economy that is run by individuals and companies for profit and is not state-controlled, while charities and other non-profit organisations are part of the voluntary sector.

Many careers and roles exist in more than one of these career sectors, which means that skills and experience from one sector can be utilised in the others.

2. What is the role of Publicjobs.ie?

Publicjobs.ie is the website where we advertise all Civil and Public Service jobs. It is one the main access route for people interested in joining a career in the civil and public sector. Job seekers can apply to career opportunities through publicjobs.ie as opportunities arise. Publicjobs.ie also manage the recruitment process from application to testing, interview and job offer.

3. Who is the Government of Ireland?

There are a wide variety of roles, types of jobs and important work that people employed in the Public Sector do. The Government of Ireland employs over 300,000 people to provide public services to Irish Citizens. These public services are split into three sections:

Government Departments which include Education, Health, Housing, Transport, Environment and Justice amongst others (see infographic).
State Agencies that provide services such as HSE, An Garda Síochána and RTÉ.
Local Authorities: You might know these better as your local City or County Council.

For more visit: https://www.gov.ie/en/help/departments

4. What are the Civil Service Grades?

The civil service grades, from Clerical Officer to Secretary General, relate to seniority and pay scales as opposed to specific roles and duties. Almost all private sector roles exist in the civil service, your grade determines your level of seniority within the organisational structure from operational activities up to senior leadership.