Work Experience – Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is work experience?
A. Work experience is:

• a placement on an employer’s premises
• each placement is usually for one or two weeks
• students carry out tasks much as an employee would but with the emphasis on learning about the job/organisation

Q. What’s the point?
A. Work experience helps young people to:

• experience work and the working world
• find out about the skills and attitudes needed in particular types of work
• learn about changes to the world of work and how these might affect their choice of career
• provide “real examples” for coursework and develop their job-related skills to support any vocational courses they study
• develop maturity, motivation, self-confidence and “people skills”
• develop their understanding of business, economic and social issues as part of the national curriculum

Q. How do I know it’s suitable?
A.

• every employer offering a placement will have been visited to check insurance and health and safety
• your son or daughter, with the help of the work experience co-ordinator at school, should discuss with the employer what they would like to gain from their placement. Some things may not be possible, due to age restrictions, confidentiality, or the type of work not being available in your area. They should agree a suitable programme and discuss significant findings from the employer’s risk assessment.

Q. How can I help?
A.

• if you know a suitable placement, or if you can offer one yourself, please let the work experience co-ordinator know
• make sure the employer knows of any individual circumstances affecting your son or daughter so they can get the most out of their time (e.g. disability, medical condition, whether they are taking medication or on a special diet). This is especially important where it might affect their safety, or where the employer will need to organise particular support.
• encourage your son or daughter to think about questions to ask e.g. what training is needed? Is the job changing? Are these sorts of jobs increasing or decreasing?
• check practical details such as travel, hours, dress, lunch arrangements
• encourage them to talk about their experiences with you.