Work Placements

SUPPORT FOR EDUCATION & BUSINESS TO DEVELOP MEANINGFUL WORK PLACEMENTS 

A work experience placement can be flexible based on the mutual needs of the pupil and business. It could last anywhere from full-time for one week or take a flexible format e.g. one afternoon per week, for a set period of time.

Once you have decided that you can support a work experience placement considering the following will assist you in ensuring a quality and meaningful experience which will be motivating and inspiring for all involved. 

Identify the opportunity that you are offering. This means deciding:

• Which department the placement will be with
• The job role(s) that the individual will gain an understanding of
• Typical activities they will be involved in
• What knowledge or skills they can expect to develop during the placement
• What skills, experience and personal attributes you expect individuals to bring to the placement

Virtual work placements

We live and work in a much more virtually accessible world and it is vital that young people understand and can adapt to the way we now all manage a proportion of our daily work life. A work placement should now include the opportunity for virtual experience, whether built in as a part of a broader work placement or designed as a wholly virtual experience.

This document has been created to support the delivery of high quality Virtual Work Placements in accordance with a set of national expectations. It offers some practical advice and exemplification to those involved in the planning, running and evaluation of Virtual Work Placements and may be useful for employers to use when considering how they adapt work placements to meet the needs of our changed circumstances.

Alongside essential requirements, the guidance also refers to safeguarding procedures, certification and recognition of learning and achievements.

More information, including guidance on how to make the experience meaningful as well as how to support a young person throughout a work placement is available in the DYW Work Placements Standard document below.