Work Experience 2016

Dates of Work Experience 2016 Monday 18 th to Friday 22 nd April

Choosing where to go…

Any local employer can be approached to provide a work experience placement as long as: The employer has BOTH Public Liability Insurance and Employer’s Liability Insurance (this will be checked) and The paperwork is returned to school by the deadline date

The choosing of an employer and the application process are important parts of the overall work experience programme Past experience has proven that placements organised by students (with or without assistance from parents), have a very high success rate compared to placements organised for students by school

Therefore, students are responsible for finding their own work experience placement (With assistance from a parent/guardian if needed)

Can students attend placements in school? Applications to Departments within school are not permitted “ Why?” Work experience placements in school lack important learning opportunities and experiences for students. Of course the search for, and application to, a chosen employer is the most obvious one, but these also include: Planning alternative travel arrangements Different (often longer!), working hours Working away from their peers Meeting and getting to know new colleagues

“ My mate’s brother stayed in school for work experience… ” In the past, students have been offered work placements in school. However, usually, these students were either the casualties of work experience placements ‘falling through’ very late in the process, or they needed to stay in school for exceptional or SEN circumstances. If students would like to work in a educational environment, there are many other schools in the area they could apply to which would give them the work placement they would like, plus all the other experiences we’ve talked about

Can students attend placements outside of Exeter? Placements outside of Exeter are possible - but only with early planning (This is due to the extra time involved in organising relevant Health & Safety checks) Students also need to consider the additional travelling time and costs involved

Work placements outside of Devon are discouraged due to the additional Heath & Safety/Risk Assessment requirements and costs Should a student choose to organise a placement outside of Devon, paperwork absolutely must be returned well before the deadline and any additional costs will need to be met by a parent/guardian These costs vary depending on the part of the Country but can range from £50 to £150+ Work Experience placements out of the country are not possible

What is Veryan Webview? The Veryan Webview database is compiled by the Devon Education Business Partnership, the organisation who ensures all placements meet current health & safety legislation The database has details of all the local employers who have accepted work experience placements in the past Students are strongly encouraged to use this database for assistance if they are unsure which local employer to contact (instructions and logon details for access to this database are included in the booklet)

How are applications made? Mail shot Some students find a ‘mail shot’ approach successful – posting application letters early then choosing which placement to attend if they receive more than one positive response (a guideline to writing a letter of application is included in the booklet) Telephone Other students prefer to telephone employers to enquire whether they could offer a placement, and then follow up positive telephone responses with a more formal letter enclosing the paperwork Word of Mouth Very often students find placements through contacts such as family friends, older siblings, neighbours etc.

Whichever approach you feel will work best for you, please ensure that you do it as soon as possible to avoid disappointment as some employers are popular choices for students, and so operate a ‘first come, first served’ system of acceptance A word of warning Almost every year there are a number of students who receive verbal agreement from an employer, but fail to ‘see it through’ and get the paperwork completed… the employers then accepted other students in their place

MAKE SURE THE PLACEMENT IS 100% FINALISED AND SECURE BY GETTING THE PAPERWORK COMPLETED AND RETURNED TO SCHOOL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE

Please be aware… There are several employers in the Exeter locality with whom students have had very little success securing placements for general work experience week. These include: ◦ The Met Office ◦ The Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital / GP surgeries ◦ Scientific placements ◦ Sporting Goods retailers This is for various reasons (including confidentiality and insurance issues) but it is fairer to point this out to students rather than have many disappointed if negative responses are sent back to school

Students should also be aware that the following services organise their own work experience weeks at various times in the school year: ◦ Armed Services ◦ The Devon & Cornwall Constabulary and the Fire Service ◦ Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital These opportunities will be advertised through tutors but students should be aware that attending these organisations for general work experience week will, very likely, not be possible

What paperwork is involved? There are two important pieces of paperwork that need to be included with letters of application to employers: Employer’s Confirmation Form and Risk Assessment Form

The student’s name and the dates of work experience are to be entered by the student prior to sending this form to their chosen employer. The employer will complete the rest of the form before returning it to school This form will give students all the information they need for their first day on placement (hours, what to wear etc.) Employer’s Confirmation Form

The top half of this form requires completion and signature by a parent/guardian stating any information about their child they feel an employer should be made aware of The employer will then complete the bottom half of this form and return it to school with the Employer’s Confirmation Form Risk Assessment Form

Paperwork continued… The final item which should be included with the student’s letter to employers is a copy of a letter from the school explaining the work experience program in more detail

Completed paperwork Once the completed paperwork is sent back to school by the employer, it will be photocopied and copies sent home for parents/students information

The deadline for paperwork to be returned to school by employers is Fri 5 th Feb 2016 This then allows sufficient time to inspect any employers who do not have current valid Health & Safety checks prior to school breaking up for the Easter break

What is a Health & Safety check? All work placements are Health & Safety checked by an organisation called the Devon Education Business Partnership (DEBP) The DEBP carry out premises inspections and ensure the necessary insurance requirements are in place for every placement These checks are a safeguard to ensure the safety and welfare of students on work experience placements and are non-negotiable

Without clearance from the DEBP, school cannot allow placements to go ahead – even with parental permission

Difficulties… Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a list of available and confirmed placements to distribute to students. Placements are found by continuing to contact employers until a ‘yes’ is received! If a student is having genuine difficulty finding a placement, of course school can assist them, however, finding ‘acceptable’ placements for all students would be a full time, year-round role. Therefore, if students require assistance, they must please appreciate that they must accept the first available placement found for them by a member of school staff, which may not be their first choice of job type, and they will be expected to attend the placement for the entire week. Point to note, it is actually more challenging for school to find placements than students/parents as some employers automatically refuse applications made by school on behalf of students!

….and finally! All the paperwork mentioned is available for you to take away this evening. There is also a checklist bulleting the basic steps of applying for a work experience placement on the back of the booklet THANK YOU for your support in attending this evening