Work experience is on the mind of any student who wants to get into a competitive field of work or apply to a top university. Getting meaningful placements is extremely valuable to them, but have you ever thought of the value to employers too?
‘A chance to succeed’ is part of my 6-point plan for Loughborough, so I take on many work experience students in my constituency office to help them to improve their CV / university applications. Most weeks I have a student who either lives or studies in Loughborough working in my office for two days to get an insight into what the workplace is like, helping with administrative and research tasks. This work experience can be arranged by getting in touch via email.
The Leicestershire Education Business Company (LEBC) organises work experience placements in Leicester and Leicestershire for students above year 10. They visit employers across a variety of different sectors to vet them to ensure that they are suitable and have good health and safety practices. The have assessed my office, and the process was very straight forward and worth the time it took because the students who came for their placement at my office were excellent.
T-levels are a fantastic new qualification that we are leading the way with in Loughborough. They are vocational qualifications which have a mix of classroom learning and on the job experience. To fulfil the latter, there needs to be a place for students to undertake their work experience, so if your business relates to a T-level course that is offered locally, then why not look into taking on a student?
As I have alluded to, having work experience students can be very beneficial for employers. With some brief training and explanation, most students will be able to get on fairly independently with the tasks that you set them. This can free up some of your other staff’s time to get through other work. The LEBC also provides support to you if you take on work experience through them.
As well as work experience students, I have an apprentice in my office. Although, unlike work experience, apprenticeships are paid, the wage is less than a full-time member of staff. It is still a fair wage, because the apprentice is gaining an educational qualification, but has the benefit of being with a company full time for an extended period of time. This means that you can deliver more comprehensive training and they can undertake longer / more complicated tasks.
If you would like any further advice or support, please get in touch. Or, if you are a local business, join my Loughborough Constituency Business Club and discuss it with me at our next business breakfast meeting on Friday 20th October.