Whitehall departments are once again offering a unique opportunity for a number of budding politicians by giving them the chance to gain a valuable insight into the workings of government.

Ministers have announced that 60 adolescents aged between 16 and 18 will be able to undertake a two week internship to experience the goings on in offices such as the Treasury, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC), the Cabinet Office and the Foreign Office.

The scheme is designed to allow talented individuals from less privileged and misrepresented backgrounds the opportunity to work in the job they are aspiring to within their studies.

It is the second consecutive year that the government has run this type of initiative and a number of ministers have been quick to praise the scheme in terms of encouraging young people to get involved with politics. Baroness Warsi, minister without portfolio, has already hailed the internships as being able to give students "a real insight into working in government and the confidence to believe that anything is possible".

Sir Bob Kerslake, head of the civil service, also backed the running of the initiative, adding: "The civil service should reflect the society it serves and for that reason diversity is important. We've made real inroads over the last few years but we can and must do more. I hope the students embarking on this year's internship will find it a useful, engaging and eye opening experience, and that for some it will mark the start of a long and fruitful career."

Officials have chosen the 60 candidates from over 130 high-quality applications and they are looking to build on the success that the scheme brought to the departments over the last year.

The first of its type was piloted in summer 2011 and the feedback from the internships was highly positive with nine out of ten successful applicants stating that it had either met or exceeded their expectations.