Introduction

Introducing students to the world of work can help them understand the work environment, increase their confidence, help them to choose future careers and prepare them for employment. 

Taking on work experience students should be straightforward for employers with just a few steps to take to enable the placement to occur. It can be a great way to find apprentices and workforce for the future and provides opportunities for existing staff to supervise and mentor a young person, therefore helping to develop their managerial and other professional and personal skills.

What do you need to do?

Insurance

Under health and safety law, work experience students are your employees. You should treat them no differently to other young people you employ. Your existing Employers' Liability Insurance (ELI) policy will cover work placements provided your insurer is a member of the Association of British Insurers, so there is no need for you to obtain any additional ELI if you take on work experience students.  If you are a family business or sole trader you may not have ELI; however, if a family business takes on an employee who is not closely related to the employer, or if a sole trader takes on an employee, then there is a requirement to have ELI in place for work experience. We will ask about this on the google form and will contact you if you do not have ELI, but this does not always mean that you will not be able to take a student for work experience.

Risk assessment

If you already employ young people or have taken work experience students before, simply use your existing arrangements for assessments and management of risks to young people, ensuring they are up-to-date.

If you do not currently employ a young person, have not done so in the last few years or are taking on a work experience student for the first time, please review your risk assessment before they start. Hopefully risk assessments you have in place for other staff will cover them but may need adjusting to take into consideration their lack of experience.

If a student with specific physical or learning difficulties which may affect their ability to participate fully in the programme chooses a placement with you, we will be in touch ahead of the placement to advise on any adjustments that may have to be made for them. Staff will take the student’s needs into consideration when confirming the placement based on the information that you give us, so please ensure you specify any physical or other requirements in your description of the placement.

Safeguarding

For adults working with young people it is important to be aware of potentially difficult situations. By following the simple guidance outlined below, it should be possible to ensure that the placement is a secure and productive environment for both the provider and the student.

Environment 

Where possible avoid being on your own in an isolated or closed environment with a young person.

Travel

Ensure that there is a known destination and check-in times with a third party in situations where a young person will be travelling alone with an adult during the placement. It is also a good idea to make available a mobile phone or equivalent in such situations. A sensible precaution is to seat the young person in the left-hand rear passenger seat, where possible.

Touch

There may be occasions when you need to touch a young person (for example, when guiding them in carrying out a technical operation) but these should be kept to a minimum.

Behaviour

While it is important to reassure a young person, who may be nervous in a new placement and reliant on your guidance, you should avoid being over-familiar. We would expect you to remain professional throughout the placement and never do anything that would lead to embarrassment or fear.

Mentor

Those placed immediately in charge of young people should be competent in their work roles, mature in their attitudes and yet, at the same time, be at ease with them.

Disclosure

Occasionally young people may disclose confidential information to a work colleague that gives rise to concern for their physical or emotional safety. In such situations you should speak to your line manager and share your concern with the school. Contact details for the appropriate person at the school will be given to you ahead of the placement.

Disqualification

You are reminded that you are required under law to protect children from harm and that any employees are required, under the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000, to declare that they are disqualified from working with children.

As part of our health and safety questionnaire we’ll ask you about your commitment to safeguarding and also about staff disqualification. If you have any questions about this please do get in touch.

Induction

An induction is a key element of a student’s first day of work experience. As well as introducing them to the role, setting your expectations and putting them at ease, it is a simple way to explain the risks of a role to young people and how risks are controlled. This is an opportunity to check that the student understands what they have been told and know how to raise health and safety concerns with you. 

It can also be used to outline fire safety and first aid procedures and inform students of other policies you may have around more general issues such as mobile phone use or confidentiality issues. 

Please remember that students should be treated the same as other employees and therefore you can say no to the use of a personal mobile during working hours.

General Information

Hours of work

Students are treated as young workers when on work experience, so it is expected that:

• Students could work for up to 8 hours each day (not including breaks / travel) but may be less than this

• Students should not usually work before 7am or after 7pm. Work outside these times would need to be agreed with a parent / carer and the school.

• Students are entitled to a rest break of at least 30 minutes after 4.5 hours worked

• Students should have a rest period of not less than 12 consecutive hours in each 24-hour period

We ask that working hours are clearly defined and communicated to the student in advance of the placement. Students are instructed to contact employers prior to placement to introduce themselves and confirm working times and dress code etc.

Payment and expenses

Work experience is part of the school curriculum and employers should make no payment for work to students. However, employers may help out with travel or meal expenses at their discretion.

Reporting of absence or incidents

Employers must contact the school immediately if a student fails to arrive or if a student is involved in an incident or accident. The main school telephone number is 01865 872441

Type of work

Students can carry out most tasks on work experience with suitable training, instruction, supervision and managed risk. Below are some suggestions about what you could arrange for them or ask them to do.

• Assign a project or task, which is supervised but allows them to use their own ideas and creativity. Maybe they can present the work at the end of the week.

• Identify some work shadowing or team working opportunities.

• Set-up a mock interview and mentoring session.

• Arrange a chance for students to speak to different employees about their roles

• Students should be encouraged to fill in a work experience diary (given to them by the school) of the tasks they do each day, and they should reflect on what employability skills they have achieved or are working towards each day.

There is a section at the back of this diary where we ask the employer to comment on the performance of the student during the placement. We would be very grateful if you could complete this please.

We’re also available to discuss any queries you may have about work experience and to help plan placements, especially if you’re doing this for the first time. 

If you would like to know any more, please contact Michelle Stretton mstretton@wheatleypark.org or Heather Atkins (Careers Lead) hatkins@wheatleypark.org