AIBU to think there should be organised work experience placement schemes for school students

[DuaNinja]

Starting to feel very frustrated trying to help DD to find a year 12 work experience placement. She completed a week in year 10 but this year the school want them to find something relevant to future studies and not just to go to work with your parents or similar. It sounds so easy in theory but in practice why would a random company want the hassle of dealing with a work experience kid? It would be great if there was a proper system in place for this. I believe in Ireland students undertake work experience in year 11 and have a vocational / transition year between lower exams and senior exams (apologies if this is not correct, I only have a very vague understanding of this). In my day the school had links with local businesses and we signed up tor a placement and the company we went to had a plan in place for us. DD's school offers no practical help, just links to websites about how to write a CV. So far she has sent her CV and a targeted email to 9 companies and has not had a single response. Also, if she does get a response, we know nothing about the potential companies offering the place. I would feel happier if I knew she was going somewhere that had been vetted in some way. Not that she is going to get a placement at this rate.

When I did work experience in the early 90s it was all organised by my school. There was a big board with all the work experience placements on it, and you choose one. Then it was all arranged for you. What changed?

I have to say I don't think it's great for social mobility to expect students to organise their own. Obviously students with working parents and connections will have an easier time finding something suitable. Students who family and friends don't have those connections will struggle.

The issue is that the organised schemes require a lot of staff and admin input and schools just don't have the time or money. We have one part timer to do all the WEX for year 10 and year 12 as well as all the other careers things like fairs and visits and assemblies. Hence the strong encouragement for parents to do some of the organising.

What changed? 15 years of real terms budget cuts.

It's awful! And it's the likes of your DD who lose out. Yes they get their course delivered, and they get support with their assignments, but I could do so much more for them if the time I spent in discipline meetings, re-arranging things for the students who have lost placements etc was spent on developing the skills of the students who want to be there and are trying.

The rest of my group are ace, my last post probably sounded like I didn't like them, but they try so hard. Mine is a sidestep between our L1 and the full L2 which they can get employed with, so a lot of them were not actually true L2 students, but they've worked so hard, they've taken feedback on board like sponges, and made really good progress. I just have this horrible guilt that it's largely due to their own efforts, not my support which isn't right. How much more progress could have been made if I'd had the time to do more than the basics of the study programme with them.

I arrange workshops and guest speakers at least once every half term, many of them are reluctant to come back as so many of the students are demotivated and disengaged. It's so hard trying to motivate young people on a course they have no interest in.

I did an Easter craft and baking session with them on Tuesday, we then spent time reflecting on how they could use those activities in placement, and what children could learn from them, and so many of them just didn't care. They were all engaged when it was making cakes, but just didn't want to know when it came to linking it with their study programme. I'm highly tempted next time I do something nice like that to stick those ones in the library with the LSA to get their assignment work done as I feel right now that they really don't deserve to do the nice activities when they make no effort with anything else.

This sounds amazing.

For DD work experience I used my own work connections. So, inequality. She did email and ask herself, but after I had asked "would you be open to them asking you"

For DS work experience he applied (off his own bat) to a local organisation that DOES run a structured work experience opportunity- a competitive application. That was really good.

DS is now doing a T level and had to find a 1 day a week for a year placement. He spent weeks sending CVs. The college did help set up an interview with a local employer and he was successful. And they are great. But I really appreciate how much investment time their supervision takes. There are other T level students who have not yet found placements.

I get asked by students if I can offer work experience. I have supervised work experience students in the past. Mainly so far in my current job I haven't said yes, including because : 1. their parent has applied. Don't do that! 2. their CV says they want to go into something that isn't my field

I definitely think it would be better if companies could access funding to offer structured work experience. Kids could still need to apply and therefore demonstrate their interest.

Civil servants do not make policy decisions, or pass laws. I know it’s tempting to blame civil servants for anything you don’t like, but it’s not actually reasonable.

@PeapodBurgundy DD would feel so validated getting to do something enjoyable and useful while the ones who are behind / don't care are sat somewhere else catching up. Eg for her a trip behind the scenes to the local zoo.

Yanbu. These days work experience is only available to children whose families have lots of contacts. The schools don't organise it.

DS never managed to find a work experience placement, not even the council would acknowledge his enquiry. My company don't do it.

I found to so hard when looking for ds when he was year 10.

I remember when we did it we used something called trident and all local places that offered work experience were listed. There were loads and all sorts of industries. I worked in Nat West!

When ds did his college one they had contacts too and he now works for that company doing software development.

O thin the issue nowadays is insurance. I wish we weren’t so tight on these things as it’s such a vital thing for our young people.

Its also the fact that she isn't getting any replies whatsoever, not even a no, just nothing. Every time we contact somewhere are slightly hopeful. Even a "sorry, not possible" reply would be nice!

That is depressing,@DuaNinja
No-one likes applying into a void.
This April is probably particularly difficult with all the tax increases for employers.

I wonder if part of the problem is employers not wanting to host work experience students? I work for a large multinational company and we do have a work experience programme, but it relies on staff volunteers to host the students for the 'face to face' element (as it is hybrid with some virtual days).

The students don't actually do any work, that would be impossible. So it's like babysitting really and it massively gets in the way of actually doing your job for the days the young people are in. I have done it a few times out of a sense of obligation and wouldn't volunteer again. No way would I do it in a smaller setting where the disruption could be more of a problem.

You’re all going to be delighted to know the the “careers and enterprise company” has decided students should have two weeks of work experience, (but not to give schools any money to help facilitate this). Although students’ own part time jobs will count towards it.

work experience needs the paperwork side sorting (by providing greater clarity on schools’ responsibility for students during the week - it’s currently interpreted differently by different schools), companies encouraged to participate (and not by offering virtual Wexp aka an online course, but by CEC facilitating development of off shelf packages that companies can tailor to them. - eg for architects firms a design brief students can work on, for law - materials for students to review and comment on), CEC careers hubs to provide regional databases of places that have previously hosted students.

interesting that comments here about people who used to offer support to schools / placements but have stopped due to attitude of students. Is schools sort Wexp for students, they have less ownership and are more likely to cause problems during the week. It needs to be student led, supported by parents and school. Too much or too little support both cause issues.

https://www.springpod.com/virtual-work-experience just remembered one of the virtual provider names.

We’ve had schools and individuals get in touch at work about arranging WE but any placements are organised centrally by HR and definitely not children of staff, as it just perpetuates inequality.

Mostly we can’t take them as don’t have at least two people in consistently for safeguarding purposes (staffing numbers are far far leaner than they were even a decade ago). The placements that have worked have rotated around different teams to get more of a taster of the work. So they might spend two afternoons in a week with my team. That’s far less onerous time-wise. HR handles all the paperwork but that must take up significant time. We do have contacts with local colleges and host young people with learning disabilities on placement too.

It’s better 18+ especially for longer paid summer internships as you can get them to do something meaningful.

It is so hard now because for office type jobs, you won't find many where there is someone in the office all week to supervise, plus most things rely on business laptops and there's the faff of getting someone on a system temporarily.

Oldest DC managed one in Y10 because we pulled some strings at a theatre charity we had a long family connection to and got them some stage management experience which is obviously something that has to be done in person. They are trying to organise their own now in Y12 but because they're looking for museum/archiving there's a lot of demand and even though they have quite a lot of contacts in the area it's hard going.

I will have to do it for DS next year and dreading it a bit - my employers might do something but I can imagine there might be H&S/insurance issues with an under-16. I think the school does have some back up slots they organise because they do recognise not everyone has contacts to arrange it, in retail and childcare (oldest was determined to sort something as they absolutely did not want to end up with a placement in a nursery!)

We did something at my work a couple of years ago for employees children. We got around the DBS checks etc by insisting the parents accompanied them. The format was not really work experience but "explanation of the different fonctions of the organisation " . But the kids were able to call it work experience on their CV. Do you or DH or a relative work for a company that may be prepared to allow DD to accompany them for a day or two?

DS has already got a part time job that he's found himself, so I wouldn't say he needs the job hunting experience. But can he find a work experience placement that would prepare him for his chosen career - no, he can't. I got him a placement at my workplace, but it's pretty pointless as we are wfh so at most I can arrange for a few zoom chats with my colleagues, and it's not something he wants to pursue at uni either. Waste of time, he'd rather get a few extra shifts at his job during that week.

CV and job application wise I wouldn’t take any notice of a week of WE. It shows very little about what the applicant can do and often just indicates they have a relative working in that industry.

A part time job is much more valuable, work behind a bar, waitressing, working in a cafe. We’re not in the hospitality sector but those jobs demonstrate someone can turn up on time and reliably, has some understanding of customer service and following procedures/working to standards. Along with time management to juggle the job alongside their A levels.

Can he not use his actual job as work experience? It's a pity if not. I don't think schools really expect you to find work experience in your chosen field, not really. Its great if you can but not all professions can accept students for a week due to the nature of the job. However, you can learn so much in an unrelated field if you are looking for opportunities rather than shrugging it off as pointless.

This is a very good point. One of my son's friend's (from a low income household) was meant to give up his part time job so he could go on work experience!

Ds was lucky because his college was flexible in when he could do the work experience. He got a place with the National Youth Music Theatre as an Assistant Musical Director and they agreed to class it as work experience.

We've just had to refuse the daughter of one of our workers. It's such a shame as she wants to go into a traditionally male industry but we can't get her onto some of our work sites and our workers travel to sites in two seater vans. None of our workers are prepared to be alone with a young female all week.

She also can't come into the office to work with me as she's not at all interested in office work and everything I do is confidential.

Technically he could, but why would he ask his employer to deal with the paperwork required by the school when he's already working there (and getting paid for it). The only way he would benefit from the work experience week would be to get a placement in a professional environment (he works for a leisure centre), he'd welcome the experience so it would be amazing if the school could help with that. I certainly think work experience placements are valuable, but kids need help to get the most out of it.

I know of two very large organisations which no longer do work experience for under 18. In both cases I believe it is related to insurance purposes.

"It's great when students have relevant work experience to put on their UCAS/Apprenticeship application"
becomes
"It's hard to find work experience during the summer holidays when employers are stretched, schools should allocate some term time to it"
becomes
"School allocate a term time week for Y12s to do relevant work experience, they should encourage all Y12s to take this opportunity to find something suitable"
becomes
"Schools need to organise relevant work experience placements for their Y12s".