Careers

Work Experience – What’s it Like?

Watch this film of students on work experience and see what they think:

Year 10

This year is split into two parts:

Part one is all about confidence and focuses on the preparation for Work Experience. A large focus on interview techniques and ensuring students have the best communication and assertiveness skills needed to be successful. This should prevent students from being discriminated against and hopefully allowing them to deal with any tricky situations both on placement and beyond.

Students also spend time looking at the importance of interviews whilst on their work experience placement. It is expected that all students will have a mock interview with an employer whilst on their placement. Students should also have a conversation with the employer about likely career choices.

Part two focuses on applying for jobs. Students will all create a professional CV, write a suitable covering letter and application form. All leading to the chance to practice their interview skills in class before they have a chance to use these in the real-world.

Students will spend time in this unit looking at Labour Market Information (LMI) locally to ensure that they are aware of the likely job opportunities when they leave school. This should also help them to consider future pathways and option choices to make sure they are going into an area which has a strong likelihood of employment.

Useful PDF files for Work Experience:

Year 11

Year 11 is all about the next step in the student’s life. Whether the student is applying for a Sixth Form, a College, An Apprenticeship or any other route; it’s about making sure they have the skills and attributes to enable them to be a success. Students will look at the different routes, the possibility of University and also the pitfalls of unemployment and how best to avoid it.

Students will also look at the importance of saving, budgeting and the potential dangers of borrowing. Students will have the opportunity to update their CV from Year 10 to ensure they are as ready as they can be for the next step in their lives.

Years 12 & 13

The sixth form have various core sessions and speakers in to help broaden their knowledge about specific careers. Some of these are for the whole year group, some are targeted to small groups of students and some are based on subject-specific content. Examples of these are:

• Mark Bowden – Agincare – Discussing careers in the care sector
• George Parker – Political Editor of the Financial Times
• Dr Mikdadi – Educational Consultant, specialising in discussing the Palestine conflict
• Richard Hogben – Met Office

Year 12 also complete a week’s Work Experience at the end of the summer term in an industry that interests them and are encouraged to choose one which benefits them for their applications for the next steps. The students are responsible for sourcing their own placement to help them get to grips with the real world of work and rigours of modern employment. Students should then return to Year 13 with a better sense of the next steps after Woodroffe Sixth Form.

Useful PDF files for Work Experience: