What is work experience?

Depending on the particular school you attend, you will be given the opportunity to  
Under-take Work Experience in either year 10  or 11.
This is a significant opportunity for you to access 2 or 3 weeks (depending on your school) of experience, skills and knowledge of an actual work environment.
Don’t blow this opportunity!!! You have the chance to organise your own work placement in an area of your choosing.  If you are interested in areas such as Childcare, Nursing, Joinery, Plastering, Photography, Art, Teaching, Retail to name but a few, you can go out there and organise this yourself. It will provide essential knowledge of any areas of interest and provide excellent benefits for the future. These benefits are: -

• If you enjoy the experience it may guide your careers choices.
• If it’s a negative experience it can do much the same (e.g. I thought this was for me but realise after this experience it no longer is)
• Either good or bad you will learn some of the softer employment skills.
Communication / Team Working / Punctuality / Health and Safety / Responsibility / Customer Care Skills and so on…
• If you impress your work experience employer you can ask them for references (which are positive written and verbal statements about you). These can be used when applying for jobs or college in the future.

If you failed to access your own work experience school can organise this for you and in most cases young people will get what they ask for. Although it is unpaid there have been occasions where employers have asked young people to contact them after they leave year 11 and have given them employment opportunities.
Remember to think beyond your village / town and think further a-field. Broaden your horizons.

This page was last updated on the 18th of February 2008 and is scheduled for review on or before the 18th of February 2009