Work Experience

Work Placement Team

The Work Placement Team provide high quality work experiences and work-related activities for learners on vocational, academic and higher education programmes. We encourage learners to engage fully with local employers and the professional community.

We believe that work placements provide invaluable experiences which complement the classroom learning. Work placements also give companies an opportunity to share skills and knowledge, demonstrate best practice and showcase the benefits of a productive attitude to work; all of which will help to ensure a positive impact on the workforce of the future.

Activities

The team provide different activities to enrich the student’s learning such as:

• Work-related activities – this includes inspiration activities, employer talks, mini-enterprise activities, and educational visits, work-related projects
• Work experience – minimum of 5 days
• Extended Work Placements – this takes place over an extended period of time (45 days) – this may be in blocks, or a day a week over a number of months

Benefits

There are many benefits for the students including:

• Experience in the world of work which will increase your employability skill development
• Opportunities tailored to students’ future career aspirations
• Experience to guide future career decision-making
• Bursaries available for travel, subsistence and work-related protective equipment
• Use of a bespoke platform called Navigate – learners are supported through their journey and can easily record and evidence their workplace activity, progress and areas for development

The Work Placement Team follow a Good Practice guide in the delivery of work-related activities

Preparatory activities

• Learners are supported with researching the company that they are due to have a placement with
• Employers meet with staff and learners to better understand the learner’s abilities and needs
• Employers offer a programme of activities which allow a learner to develop their skills and knowledge

Monitoring, evaluation and review

• Employers provide feedback on the performance of learners
• Learners reflect on their experience
• Staff in the Colleges appraise the effectiveness of their offer

Identification of work experiences

• Learners are actively involved in the identification of work experience placements
• Learners are given guidance and support to help them find a placement
• Learners have a range of opportunities to engage with employers

Identification of work experiences

• Work-related activities are delivered as part of a structured programme
• Activities support: career decision making , provide experience to the world of work and help with the development of employability skills