Employers’ guide to work experience
How to get involved?
What formats can you offer?
Project 1: Social action project/community volunteering
Project 2: Career/employability workshops
Project 3: Marketplace meeting the organisation.
Project 4: Employer talk linked to the student’s scheme of work
Project 5: Employer based work experience/workshop programme (traditional WP)
Project 6: FE/HE visits workplace trips
Employability programme 2023.pdfEvidence has shown that YOU as the employer can really benefit from a work placement. Running effective work experience programmes can provide great opportunities for developing staff, engaging with new ideas and future customers – as well as providing a pipeline for future recruits. This guide will help you explore ways to offer something really meaningful that meets your own needs.
(Contact Sian Roberts for more information sian.roberts@blackpoolsixth.ac.uk)
What should you do and offer?
Ask yourself the right questions as an employer and you’ll be well-placed to deliver top-quality work experience that will benefit not only young people in real need of your support but also you, your staff and your business.
Who will you offer it to? How many opportunities can you create?
Not all young people are the same, and some marginalised young people will be in desperate need of the glimpse of the working world you can offer. If the student is not completing a work placement as part of a course you are free to decide what is mutually beneficial.
Is the experience for a specific role or more generally within the business?
Think about where the young person will work, and what you have the capacity to deliver. Manage expectations from the start to ensure no-one is disappointed.
Why do you want to offer work experience?
Your answer might be driven by Corporate Social Responsibility, responding to requests, future talent pipelines, or developing existing staff. Knowing why you want to offer work experience will help your organisation shape and tailor it to meet your goals and expectations.
Do you plan for work experience students to stay engaged with your business and potentially apply for future roles?
Consider how you may want to use work experience as a future recruitment tool. What qualities are you looking for in a future employee? Could you give the student an opportunity to showcase these?
How does it benefit the student?
Work experience plays a vital part in preparing young people for their future careers. It’s an opportunity for them to step outside the classroom and, for many, a chance to see the world of work for the very first time. It can build confidence and be the first thing to go on a CV.
If you are already involved?
FIRSTLY, thank YOU FOR OFFERING A WORK PLACEMENT TO A STUDENT AT OUR COLLEGE!
When done well, work experience can have a really positive impact on all involved.
Before the student arrives with you you should consider
Who needs to be involved in the process within the organisation?
Who is the lead contact?
Do line managers need to be engaged and supported?
Can someone act as a work experience buddy to help young people acclimatise to the working environment more smoothly during their experience?
How will you manage and support the student?
Research, document and action:
Induction
Clear tasks
Learning outcomes (please click here for full details)
Feedback
References at the end of the experience
Dealing with problems that may arise
Have you considered all the practicalities of the shifts required?
The following elements are vital to consider:
Health and safety
Risk assessments
Insurance
Do you know what you have in place, and what a business of your size needs to have covered?
Please ensure to have the relevant documents in a place where you can easily locate them. When you join us as a new employer we will visit your business and this will be a key opportunity for you to ask us questions and address any concerns.