Why choose a work placement?
Every young person in their senior phase of education is entitled to a work placement. Whilst it is not a mandatory requirement, young people should be offered a work placement as part of their curriculum at an appropriate time of their senior phase.
Work placements can be invaluable in helping your child decide which career area best suits their interests and strengths. A work placement will give your child real-life experiences of the world of work before making important decisions about their career pathway.
Employers look for all young people to be “Work Ready” and undertaking a work placement is a valuable experience to enable them to demonstrate their skills and knowledge of the workplace. It’s also useful to add to your personal statement, CV or job application. Your child could also have the opportunity to try out more than one placement in different career areas to support their decision making (dependent on school commitments and employers’ availability). The school Work Placement Coordinator will support your child to decide on the most suitable timescales that fits with their studies.
How to access a work placement
The process is simple. Your child should contact their Work Placement Coordinator or Pastoral Care Teacher to let them know that they would like to go out on a work placement.
The Work Placement Coordinator will issue your child with a log in to Workit.
What is Workit?
Workit is an online application which supports schools to manage their work placement programme.
Your child will be issued with a login by the school and they will be able to select their work placement opportunity from thousands of employers who have signed up to the programme. Workit also has a range of career resources to help your child decide which industry best aligns with their skills, strengths and career aspirations. Young people can also access a work placement qualification through Workit.
Finding a Work Placement
Option 1 – Select a work placement opportunity from the Workit system
If your child decides to select an existing opportunity they simply click on the “Find an Opportunity” tab on the dashboard. Every work placement opportunity has a job card attached, which is displayed when your child selects their chosen opportunity. The job card provides key information that your child needs to decide whether the placement is right for them. Once they have chosen the opportunity they simply, click “request a placement” and the employer will be emailed with their request. You child will then be notified once the employer has responded.
Option 2 – Finding your own work placement
If there isn’t an opportunity in Workit that suits your child’s career interests, your child can contact employers directly to ask if they would be willing to offer a work placement opportunity. If the employer agrees, your child should simply enter the employer details on Workit. Once this is completed, the new employer details are sent directly to the health and safety team to check the validity of the employer and undertake a full health and safety assessment prior to your child going out on placement.
Safeguarding
We take the health, safety and wellbeing of our young people very seriously, and of course, this still applies when they are on their work placement. We work closely with placement providers to help them provide a safe and secure working environment, and where necessary we arrange for a Health and Safety Officer to visit the premises.
All employers are contacted to ensure they are aware of their responsibilities and have all relevant information to deliver a successful work placement. We also ask every child to provide feedback at the end of their work placement. This allows us to monitor all work placement opportunities, ensuring each one is both a positive and meaningful learning experience. Please encourage your child to complete the evaluation form at the end of their placement.
Your child will only be permitted to go on placement with your consent. You will receive a form from the school to complete after your child has selected their placement.
How can I help my child prepare for their work placement?
Discuss what a work placement is: Talk about the benefits of a work placement with your child so they can understand the importance of taking part in one. Talk about their likes and dislikes, what they enjoy doing in school, and their aspirations. There are a lot of resources online that you can use to support your child to make an informed decision. Our Planit website has information and a Career Match Quiz which could support this activity.
Find a work placement: Workit has thousands of employers listed that you can use to find a work placement. Otherwise, you could use your own contacts to support your child finding a suitable placement. You could also help your child to contact local businesses in their chosen career area or ask them to speak to their Work Placement Coordinator in school if you are struggling for ideas.
Deal with relevant paperwork: Your child’s school will be in touch with letters and parental consent forms that may need filled out. To ensure your child can start the placement when they’d like to, please fill these out and send back to the school for their safekeeping.
Speak to your child: Make sure you speak to your child about the placement. Beforehand, discuss any concerns they may have and ensure they have everything they need to start the placement (travel arrangements, dress code and lunch options). During the placement, talk to them about what they are enjoying, what they are finding hard and encourage them to keep going with the placement. Afterwards, you can support them to complete their Workplace Learning Log and discuss whether this is the chosen career area for them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should my child report to school before going to the placement?
No, your child should report directly to the employer whilst on placement. They will be responsible for their own travel arrangements to and from the placement.
Should my child bring a packed lunch?
We ask all employers the lunchtime arrangements for young people and details are found on the job card. Some employers provide lunch whilst others may advise the young person to bring a packed lunch or indicate that they can purchase food locally or in the staff canteen.
Should my child wear overalls or work boots?
Your child will be provided with any necessary tools and health and safety equipment, to undertake their placement. The employer will advise on uniforms and other necessary requirements on the job card.
What if my child is late or cannot attend the placement due to illness?
It is important you or your child contact the employer to let them know they are running late or will not be able to attend. Your child will be given details of who to contact in case of an emergency, so it is important that they let the named contact know.
If the child does not arrive at their placement the employer will contact the school to raise an alert. This is a safeguarding measure to ensure we know where all our pupils are and if we need to contact parents in the event the child does not arrive at their placement at the agreed time.
What if my child is unhappy with the placement?
If your child is unhappy with the placement, please contact the Work Placement Coordinator at the school.
Can my child select more than one placement?
Your child may have the option to select more than one placement, dependent on their school requirements and timetables. If your child would like to do more than one placement, they should speak to their Work Placement Coordinator in the school.