During Year 10 or 11 you might get the chance to go on work experience.
Work experience lets you see how:
- people work together
- things get done
- work differs from school.
It'll help you look at your ideas of work:
- Is it what you imagined?
- Would you like to do that job all the time?
- How do you feel about the training that might be involved?
Getting your placement sorted
Your school should get you a placement; and even if you find your own placement through your family, the school will need to approve it for health and safety reasons. Your school should prepare you for work experience, so that you know where you're going, who to ask for, what time to arrive each day. Hopefully you'll get a placement in a career area that interests you, but it's not always possible.
Getting the most out of your work experience
Your school should give you a diary to complete, and get you to find out about the company too. Even if you don't have to do this for school it's in your interest to:
- Ask questions - people will expect you to be finding things out
- Be interested - people will tell you more if you're keen, and might give you the chance to do more too
- Think about the work, the company and how you fitted in. What did you like, and why? Were there some things that you didn't like or found difficult?
Remember it's work experience so many of the tasks you'll be given will be routine. Don't expect to be able to do the full job without any training. You can learn a lot by just seeing what other people do, from being in the workplace and helping other people.
If you have problems - well, hopefully you won't, talk to the supervisor and explain the problem. They’ll be keen for you to have a good work experience, and would rather you spoke up. However, if this doesn't resolve things, talk to your parents, and contact your school.
Hopefully you'll enjoy your work experience, and find that it affects the decisions you make about your future, so make the most of it!Read what one student did
I have now done my work experience at better choices for two weeks. I have enjoyed my time here as I have now learned how to do new things and experienced how a job in this field would be like. At first I was very nervous as I didn't know what I was going to do or what to expect, however, as the week went on I got more confident and was less nervous.
Each day I encountered a new task to do for my two weeks here for example photo copying, ring binding and laminating. I have been to various Connexions Centres: Moss Side, Longsight, Openshaw, Ashton and Harpurhey filing CLIPS at those offices. On my first week I went to the Resources exhibition. I met new advisers and staff from other connexions areas. While I was there I showcased the connexions easy read website.
Today I was asked to write a report on two careers programmes which one I would buy for my school and the careers programme I would buy for my school is the Kudos careers programme because it gives you a wide range of options; for example in Jed you cannot adjust the text size and the colour and it looks better more colourful. It attracts young people to look and find out. I have enjoyed my time here and I would recommend another person to do work experience here.
A student from St Paul's RC High School, Wythenshawe
You can use the library in your Connexions Centre too as it has information for you to read or take away. Visit Education Weblinx for more useful websites.