East Sussex County CouncilServices for Schools TEST Online Ordering System

  • Work Experience Service

    • Service Code: S105_sesp
    • GL Code: 32370
    • Cost:

      • Work experience supports young people to make career decisions, develop employability skills and support successful transition into FE, HE, apprenticeships and the workplace.

        Research shows that work experience influences admissions to the Russell Group universities, and this trend is increasingly shared by other HE institutions. The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) states that 70% of employers want to see the development of workplace skills among young people at school and college made a top priority, and that it is ‘hard to overstate the potential importance’ of work experience for young people’s future employability.

        Key Benefits

        • Access to an online database of employers across Sussex
        • Health and safety assessments undertaken on all work placements
        • Ongoing support for work experience coordinators, including training and access to guidance and paperwork online
        • Support to meet statutory responsibilities to keep young people safe on work experience, including management, investigation and collation of data for all reported accidents and incidents that occur during a work placement
        • Further consultancy support for young people with additional needs, employability provision and work experience preparation and debrief.

        Testimonials

        The response and support from the Work Experience Team is second to none, totally outstanding.

        Bishop Bell and Causeway Schools

        Service Details

        We offer three levels of support:

        SI05-1 Work Experience: Health and Safety Assessment and Support

        • Access to an online database of employers across Sussex
        • Work placement health and safety assessments undertaken on behalf of the school
        • Ongoing support for work experience coordinators, including database training, three meetings per year and access to guidance and paperwork online
        • Management, investigation and collation of data for all reported accidents and incidents that occur during a work placement.

        SI05-2 Work Experience: Matched Placement Service

        Everything included in the SI05-1 service above, plus:

        • Students choose placements through the online database of employers
        • The Work Experience team calls employers and matches students to placements on behalf of the school
        • The team confirms the placement with the school and employer.

        SI05-3 Work Experience: Bespoke Matched Placement Service for learners with complex needs

        The bespoke placement matching service is for learners with more complex needs, and ensures that they are placed in safe and appropriate work placements. Support is provided for both the learner and the employer. The service includes all of the above plus:

        • The Work Experience team will meet with the learner to discuss vocational interests and what to expect from work experience
        • The student will be matched to an appropriate employer. The team will work with the employer to ensure that they are properly prepared to support the student on placement and undertake a risk assessment that takes into account the young person’s additional needs
        • The team member will meet with the student and prepare them for the placement and provide a work experience diary to capture learning.

        Consultancy support:

        We can provide additional support for your staff or learners. This includes:

        • Training on delivering a high quality work experience programme to support learning and careers education.
        • A work experience preparation session for learners, including understanding the benefits of work experience, choosing a placement, employer expectations and health and safety in the workplace.
        • A work experience debriefing session for learners, including feeding back experiences from work placements, what was learned, applying employability skills and career planning.
        • A ‘health check’ for your work experience scheme to ensure that your programme is effective and meets health and safety legislation and quality standards.
        • Training for your work experience coordinator including the opportunity to shadow an Employer Liaison Officer on workplace visits.
        • Work placements for staff members to gain experience in specific vocational areas.