Page 41 - Choice Magazine - Parents Edition
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WORK EXPERIENCE KEEP IN TOUCH:
AND VOLUNTEERING
Discuss the content below with your son / daughter and perhaps agree some actions they
can take in order to arrange their next work experience placement.
Applying for a work experience Approaching businesses
placement organised by your that don’t advertise work
school/COLLEGE: experience opportunities:
Your school/college might already have Don’t let the fact that a business does not
strong links with local employers. If this is the advertise work experience opportunities
case, it’s worth exploring what options are put you off from asking if they’ll take you
available to you through this route to see on. For example, small and medium-sized
if any of the placements suit you. Even if businesses account for 60% of all private
your school/college has agreements with sector employment in the UK but may not
employers, they may still expect you to apply have the time to formally advertise work
to the employer to confirm your placement. experience placements every year. If you’re
Doing this is a good way of demonstrating interested in what a business does, it’s
your initiative and will give you valuable worth contacting them to see if they’d offer
experience of applying for jobs. Advice on you work experience. How you approach
how to go about doing this can be found in contacting a business will vary from business
the next two sections. to business. It can be a good idea to speak to
the manager or owner, either in person or by
Applying for a formal phone, before making a formal application.
work experience placement: Speaking to a person beforehand should give
It’s not just commercial organisations which you an idea of whether a business is open to
offer work experience. You’ll also find larger offering work experience. Should your initial
charities and public sector organisations offer contact be positive, you can then ask the
work experience for students. business whether they would like you to make
a formal application.
The easiest way to find out whether
an organisation operates its own work Although it’s often better to speak to a
experience programme is by searching for business beforehand, don’t be afraid to
the name of the business online followed by send off speculative emails to businesses
the words work experience. This will direct you are especially keen to work for. A brief
you to a page on their website, explaining email explaining why you want to do work
how students should go about applying for experience at the business, along with your
a placement. As well as searching directly CV, demonstrates your initiative and
online, many organisations also advertise self-motivation, two qualities employers
work experience placements online. value greatly.
On the Success at School and Student
Ladder websites you’ll find advertisements
for placements covering every part
of the country.
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