Work Experience

In Year 10 students have the opportunity to gain valuable work experience with an employer. They will spend one week outside school learning about a particular job or area of work. The placement is an experience of the world of work and although ideal, it doesn't have to be in line with a long term career plan.

Finding your own placement

You may already have a personal contact and employer in mind, or wish to approach an employer you are interested in working for. There are tips on how to telephone employers in your work experience pack. Once you have made contact with the employer and they have agreed to offer you a placement, fill out the Work Experience Contact Details form in your pack and return to Miss Hinchliffe. The employer will be contacted by school for more details about the placement and a Health and Safety check completed.

You can use job sites such as indeed.co.uk to find out which employers are recruiting in this area or yell.com to find out who the employers in this area are. One of the best sources of employment comes from your own network of contacts. What organisations do you belong to outside of school who you are interested in getting some work experience with? What about friends or relatives from your wider family? Do they know anyone who works somewhere where you would like to get some experience?

Once the placement is confirmed you will be given a log book to help you prepare for your placement and keep a record of the tasks and activities you undertook. All the documentation students need is attached at the bottom of this page.

See Miss Hinchliffe if you are having difficulty finding a placement. The school has a list of employers that support school events who you can approach.

Health and Safety Executive guidelines

Schools, colleges and others organising placements need to satisfy themselves that an employer has risk management arrangements for placements, including for higher risk environments.

We will do this by asking for details of the employer's Employer Liability Insurance, Risk Assessment and Health & Safety Policy if there are more than 5 employees in the organisation.

This information will be passed to an Assessor who will contact the employer to ensure all the necessary requirements are in place. This may include a site visit for higher risk placements.

The HSE document Young people and work experience: A brief guide for employers is available at the bottom of this page, along with Safeguarding on work experience guidelines.

If you are a parent or an employer and would like more information about the work experience programme please email J.Smith@aldevalley.suffolk.sch.uk

National Citizen Service (NCS)

NCS is a government backed programme of activities for 16 and 17 year olds wishing to develop work related skills and take part in a social action project in their local area. Participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance from the Prime Minister which is recognised by Academic institutions and employers. The young person will pay no more than £50 to take part, although funds are available from the school if money is a barrier. https://www.ncsyes.co.uk/