Providing work experience opportunities

Work experience is an opportunity to introduce young people to the reality of working life within a willing organisation, to help them secure and sustain employment.

By taking students on work experience, you get an opportunity to engage, inspire and inform young people about what working life is really like. 

Benefits for employers

Offering work experience can bring a number of benefits to you as an employer:

• Raise your profile - being known as a business that offers work experience opportunities will raise the profile and appeal of your business and sector.
• Improve staff retention - investing in young people brings commitment and loyalty, which means they are more likely to stay with the business which helps maintain productivity and reduce recruitment costs.
• Grow your own talent - get access to the up and coming talent of the future.
• Develop employees - developing your employees by involving them in the placement and providing potential management opportunities can help employees feel motivated and loyal to the business.
• Get additional help at no cost - as an employer, you do not have to pay students on work experience.
• Achieve new perspective and ideas - young people often bring fresh ideas and approaches which may open up new and emerging markets for the business.
• Gain new understanding of modern learning - increase your understanding of modern learning processes and current educational qualifications.

Benefits for young people and society/industry

There are a number of benefits for young people and for the rest of society and industry:

• Increase in knowledge - work experience can increase students' occupational knowledge and understanding of the skills, attributes and qualifications required.
• Breaking the cycle - many young people find themselves in a situation where they cannot get a job because of lack of experience so taking part in a work placement gives them this valuable experience.
• Improvement in communication skills - work placements help young people to gain experience in working with people, enhancing their social and communication skills.
• Learning about the recruitment process - applying for a placement provides the opportunity to learn about recruitment eg how to apply for a job, prepare for job interviews and building a CV.
• Economic development - work experience contributes to economic development within the local community.
• Improve competitiveness - work experience opportunities can help industry to remain competitive.