Could your business offer work experience to a local student?

Could your business offer work experience to a local student?

In 2010 over 1,780 year 10 students (age 15) were given the opportunity to join a local organisation or agency for five days of work experience. This supports their work-related learning, which is a statutory requirement within their curriculum.

Offering opportunities like this to young people holds a wealth of benefits for local employers. You are able to make a contribution to the local community, support your own organisations’ corporate social responsibility programme and sometimes use the placement for development of your own staff, for example delegating to and supervising other staff. You would also be making a contribution to a young person’s future job prospects.

Having a student on your team for a week is an asset to your business. They should be given live project work to undertake and can contribute to new ideas about improvements and new ideas within your business. Most of our pupils have excellent IT skills and can undertake some project work using the usual IT systems. Most of them really enjoy Internet research and tasks like this will help them develop a range of ‘employability skills’ which are so valuable to employers.

The expectation is that a work experience student would become part of your team for the week. This will help them learn about work priorities, teamwork, deadlines, interaction with staff at all levels, tasks that range from basic to complicated, planning and organisational skills and most importantly, practice their communications skills.

Brighton & Hove Education Business Partnership would be more than happy to hear from any local employer or agency wishing to accept a student on work experience.

If you are a local employer and would like to offer a work placement, email Therese Cole at the Brighton & Hove Education Business Partnership: therese.cole@brighton-hove.gov.uk

If you want to contribute to the Chamber blog, contact us on hannah@brightonchamber.co.uk