Client Information Hub
FAQ
Our Recruitment Process
Civil Service Career Path
Diversity and Inclusion
Accessibility
DISCOVER THE PUBLIC SERVICE, IRELAND’S LARGEST EMPLOYER
THE PITCH
THE PUBLICJOBS.IE SCHOOLS ADVERTISING CHALLENGE
ABOUT THE PITCH
The PublicJobs.ie Schools Advertising Challenge is a fun way to challenge your students to express their creative, digital and communication skills while learning about future career opportunities in the public sector.
To enter, students must create a 30 second video advertisement pitching the public sector as an attractive career pathway for their fellow students. Students may decide to:
- Pick someone you know who works in the public sector and pitch/sell their career path and role.
- Promote a specific public sector role that you are interested in, learned about or researched.
- Surprise us! Profile a role that no one expects to find in the public sector.
- Show the range of opportunities and the many benefits of a career in the public sector.
Not only will this challenge encourage peer-to-peer learning as part of a whole school approach to guidance, but The Pitch is also a fantastic team-building activity for all students to enjoy. Students can enter the competition individually or in groups of up to six.
LEARNING RESOURCES
Download the Pitch Competition Kit, where you can find teacher guidelines as well as classroom resources to assist students in preparing entries for the competition such as exploring careers, scripting, storyboarding and tip sheets for filming.
Why not check out a full suite of lesson plans, student info and careers profiles on our website such as paramedics, engineers and customs dog handlers? Designed by guidance counsellors in partnership with publicjobs.ie, these resources will help you and your students explore the public sector further, including the numerous career pathways and entry points that are possible.
CRITERIA
To give your students a helping hand here are some of the criteria we will be looking for in the best videos:
- The overall Concept for their advertisement - is it clear, factual and relevant?
- Unique Selling Point (USP). Remember the aim is to encourage their peers to further explore careers in the public sector
- Creativity - your advertisement should stand Watch Zainab Boladale's handy tips to out from the crowd!
Watch Zainab Boladale's handy tips to help create your entry for The Pitch!
PRIZES
DEFENCE FORCES
An action-packed visit to the Defence Forces at Curragh Camp DFTC.
TG4
A behind the scenes all access studio tour of TG4.
THE OPW
An expert guided tour of any Office of Public Works Heritage site plus an annual Family Heritage Card!
THE PITCH 21/22 WINNERS
Last years winners of The Pitch had incredible experiential prize days. To see more visit the 21/22 Winner’s Gallery
ENTRIES CLOSED FOR THIS YEAR!
THE PITCH - FAQs
1. What’s involved?
Students create a 30 second video advertisement pitching the public sector as an attractive career pathway to their fellow students. We understand how difficult school schedules are, particularly in the context of Covid-19, so we’ve made things as simple as possible, with self-directed learning at the heart. On this page under ‘Learning Resources’ you will find download links for 2 lesson plans, video shooting tips and ad creation tips. You will also find links to a broader set of lesson plans, student info with an extensive FAQ and a career profiles section where your students can meet representatives from a diverse range of public sector careers.
2. How do I use the lesson plans?
Guidance counsellors, teachers and TY coordinators, you'll find link to download lesson plans on this. Lesson 1 is all about students researching the diverse range of career opportunities and entry paths to the public sector, with a self-directed learning approach in mind. Lesson 2 is all about how to plan and execute your ad and includes lots of useful hints and tips for your students.
Don’t panic! We’ve included easy to use Teacher Guidelines along with the classroom slides, a workbook with lesson 1 and a brainstorm organiser with lesson 2.
3. How do I enter?
Entering The Pitch Schools Advertising Challenge couldn’t be easier. Using the easy to fill online web form on this page, teachers submit an entry on behalf of individual students or groups of up to 6. All they need to do is enter the school contact details, their contact details and include a link to the video submission – this can be hosted on a platform of your choice, such as YouTube, Vimeo or TikTok. Then give the entry a title and a brief description and hit SUMBIT. That’s it, you’re on your way to potentially winning one of the amazing prizes up for grabs.
4. What video quality are you expecting?
The aim of this challenge is to showcase the public sector as an attractive career pathway for students. Entries will not be judged on technical video production quality. Students can simply shoot a selfie video if the wish to.
Your school has every chance of winning one of the amazing prizes up for grabs if:
- the overall concept for the advertisement is clear, factual and relevant
- the content of the video has a unique selling point that encourages students and their peers to further explore careers in the public sector
- creativity is at the heart of it.