Exploring Work Experience Opportunities and Preparation Steps

PREPARATION FOR WORK APPLYING AND PREPARING FOR WORK EXPERIENCE

WORK EXPERIENCE: WHAT IS OUT THERE? ACTIVITY1:TYPESOFWORKEXPERIENCE What is work experience? Do you know anyone who has done work experience before? What do you think are the benefits of a work experience placement? Think about What skills might you gain? How could you use these skills? How will work experience support you in the future? Applying and preparing for work experience | 2

WORKEXPERIENCE:WHATISOUTTHERE? ACTIVITY1:TYPESOFWORKEXPERIENCE Worksheet What does a day doing work experience look like? Have you heard of these types of work experience? Conduct your own research to find out more and complete your worksheet School or college work experience placement Placements on work-related courses Traineeship Work shadowing Workplace safaris Internships Year placements Insight events Gap year and year abroad experience Applying and preparing for work experience | 3

WORKEXPERIENCE:WHATISOUTTHERE? ACTIVITY1:TYPESOFWORKEXPERIENCE Do you understand what virtual work experience is? Explore these websites to find out more about online placements: What skills are needed for a virtual work experience?Are they similar or different to an in- person placement? prospects.ac.uk/jobs-and-work-experience/ work-experience-and-internships/virtual- workexperience What are the benefits of a virtual work experience? E.g. building on your communication skills, helping you learn the importance of collaboration careerready.org.uk/what-we-do/virtual- work-experience/ springpod.co.uk/virtual-work-experience/ Applying and preparing for work experience | 4

FINDINGAWORKEXPERIENCEPLACEMENT Worksheet Research a specific work placement. Think about what you enjoy and where you might find the widest range of opportunities Complete your work experience portfolio step 1 on your worksheet Can you list your top three dream places you would like to work? Do some research to find some possible jobs in the sectors you are interested in icould.com/ prospects.ac.uk/ job-profiles careerready.org.uk/ contact-us careerconnect.org. uk/services/#engag- ing-young-people Think about the subjects you enjoy the most and your top skills or strengths Applying and preparing for work experience | 5

FINDINGAWORKEXPERIENCEPLACEMENT Write a short paragraph requesting your placement, explaining why you should be the one to get this work experience. Think about what you want to learn and the key skills and strengths that might help you stand out. You can use the examples below as inspiration Highly motivated and hardworking young person, who has recently completed their A-Levels, achieving excellent grades in both Maths and Science. Seeking a traineeship in the engineering industry to build upon a keen scientific interest and start a career as a maintenance engineer. Eventual career goal is to become a fully-qualified and experienced maintenance or electrical engineer, with the longer-term aspiration of moving into project management. I am applying for a work experience placement in your social media team. Having volunteered in a charity before, I have gained strong communication and teamworking skills, which I make me a good candidate for this role. I am passionate about digital communications and social media and want to gain experience in this sector to progress and build my career as a social media specialist. Applying and preparing for work experience | 6

GOALSETTING Worksheet Complete the Work experience portfolio Step 2 Look at the work experience statement and think about Performance indicators you think you will do well on and which ones you think you will have to work on If there is a particular skill you will be looking to develop or build on, or a particular area of knowledge you will want to build Applying and preparing for work experience | 7

GOALSETTING Complete the Work experience portfolio and write down SMART objectives (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) around what you want to achieve. This could relate to a skill, knowledge of the sector, a personal goal or action By the end of my traineeship, I want to be able to confidently use three social media platforms By the end of my placement, I want to understand the health industry better and the range of careers available During my work experience, I want to develop my teamworking and communication skills to be able to confidently look for a job in the future Applying and preparing for work experience | 8

PLANNINGTRAVELANDATTENDANCE Worksheet Research how you are going to travel to your work experience placement List the different routes you could take, choose which one you would prefer and record this on your Portfolio Step 4.Also think about the time you will need to leave your home Applying and preparing for work experience | 9

KEEPINGYOURSELFSAFE Health and safety at work is important! Think about Health and safety at a desk: how should you position your chair and computer? What risks are there if you get this wrong? Health and safety clothing: what clothes might you wear as a firefighter; construction worker; factory worker to make sure you stay safe whilst you re working? Health and safety in different settings: you might be required to do some lifting or some amount of physical activity; do you know how to keep yourself safe whilst doing this? Health and safety awareness: what should you do if there is a fire or an accident at work? Every workplace should have a person responsible for first aid and a fire marshall; do you know what these people do? Are there any other risks or health and safety issues that might come up in the specific industry or workplace you are hoping to go to? Applying and preparing for work experience | 10

WRAPUP Worksheet Read Luke s story and think about: Hi, I m Luke, I m 16 and I live in Greater Manchester. My favourite subjects are Physics and Design Technology. I m obsessed with understanding how things work and fixing things! After a bit of initial research, I decided that a career in manufacturing would be a good fit, as it matches a lot of my skills and interests, like hands-on design, mechanical skills and problem solving. What were some of the main benefits Luke got from his placement? What skills and new things did he learn? I looked up on a job website what manufacturing jobs were available in Greater Manchester, and came across a Production Engineer role. I knew that I wanted to do a work experience placement centred on manufacturing and managed to get a placement at The Manchester Manufacturing Group. What did Luke do to makes sure his placement was a success? What can you learn from Luke s work experience story to make your own placement a success story? During the placement, I got to learn so many new skills. I also made some great connections, people who will both be great contacts to have for work in the future and real friends for life! They taught me so much about the industry! I now feel so much more confident about getting into a job. Knowing more about the sector and seeing that it really is the right fit for me has made me really excited about the future. Applying and preparing for work experience | 11