Securing a work experience placement will mean being determined and resilient. The emphasis is on the student to secure a placement although we appreciate that this will often mean help and support from family, friends and teachers. This replicates the process students will go through when searching for a job in the future and so is a necessary life skill to be developed. Think about what you want to do and be prepared to think outside the box about employers that can offer the skills you may need for the future. Some work placements will have age restrictions, especially those in the health sector due to medical confidentiality and safeguarding. Not every employer will be able or willing to give you the opportunity of a placement in July. So here are some tips and advice to make the process a little easier 

Identify a list of companies you would be interested in working for, don’t rest all your hopes on one. Contact more than one placement. Emails and phone calls work well but think carefully about what you are going to request and ensure you check your spelling and grammar before hitting the send button on an email or posting a letter. It’s always good to follow up letters and emails with a phone call if you don’t get a reply. 

If you have family or friends that work in the area or business you want to work at for the week then this can be a good start as they will know who to contact to secure a placement and may be able to ask a favour.

Always make sure that you talk to the manager of the business or the person in charge who has the responsibility to authorise a work experience placement otherwise this can lead to disappointment.

Be clear on dates. Work experience week is Monday 1st to Friday 5th July 2024. If employers say that they have students completing placements on that week then you can enquire about the week before or after to help secure a placement.

If you speak on the phone, in person remember to be polite at all times even if you get a negative response. You never know you may meet this person in the future when you are searching for a job so be sure not to burn your bridges.

Be sure to show how keen you are. Explain on your email why you are interested in a placement and show how enthusiastic you are. Also try to do a little research about the business before speaking to employers as this can help in conversations. Employers like employees to be interested in the business. 

Register on Speakers for Schools at the link below. There are often local face to face work experience opportunities on this site that you can apply for.

https://www.speakersforschools.org/experience-2/

Once you have an agreement for a placement please fill out the work experience google form. Fill in all the fields accurately. We will then contact the employer to arrange a risk assessment on the placement to ensure it is safe for you to attend. This process can take weeks to complete and so we ask that all work placement proformas have been submitted online by the end of April. Unfortunately we are not able to let you attend a placement unless this process has been completed.

If you get stuck please speak to Mr Durkin as we are willing to give help and advise to secure a placement. Also remember you can also attend a drop in careers interview during break times with Mrs L. Newton our independent careers adviser. She is in school every Thursday and located in the office by CM10.

There are also opportunities for virtual work experiences. These replicate working from home and offer an alternative to a face to face work placements. These will be advertised via google classroom when they come up and some can be applied for on the Speakers for schools site.

https://www.speakersforschools.org/experience-2/vwex/

To search for work experience opportunities, sign into the Wolverhampton EBP database below and either search by job type or company to find details of companies who have hosted work experience in the past. Your login details will have been emailed to you by Mr C Durkin so check your inbox. Any issues logging in please see Mr C Durkin.
https://workplacements-student.wolverhampton.gov.uk/

For further advice and ideas try this site. https://www.pearson.com/uk/learners/fe-and-college-students/career-choices/careers-advice-topics/how-to-find-work-experience.html

GOOD LUCK and remember you may not be successful the first time but by persevering determined students usually gain a placement.