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USING WORK PLACEMENTS

Work experience and work placements are both situations that will mean that you have a stranger in your business, if only for a short period of time.

The first of these is a relatively new scheme called Work Trial operated by the Employment Service through Jobcentre Plus. Work Trials are linked to the New Deal scheme and give an employer the opportunity to take on a new recruit for a period of up to 15 days (usually three working weeks) at no cost, and without the need to complete any paperwork. At the end of the period, you will either find you are both happy with the situation and you have a new employee, or either party may decide that it’s not right for them, in which case the candidate has had at least two weeks valuable work experience.

Please contact your local Jobcentre Vacancy Service Manager for more information or go to http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/ and follow the links for employers.

The other situation where you may have someone working alongside you for a few weeks is if you offer work placements for school pupils, further or higher education students. The reason why we’ve included information on work placements in the section on new recruits is that they take just about the same amount of thought, time and energy! It’s also important to remember that given the potential – and increasing – shortage of those willing and able to work in the tourism industry, providing a good work placement experience could be ensuring that at least one young person is keen to sign up when they’ve finished their studies and they may, of course, become a permanent employee of yours!

Most secondary school pupils have a period of one-week placement, most FE students a minimum of 2 weeks. You may have been asked by a school college or placement provider such as the Education Business Partnership to take a placement already, but if not, here are some hints and tips to getting it right:

Try to find time to talk to the teacher/lecturer involved in advance of the placement if you can – they will know the student well and can help advise on suitable activities

Have realistic expectations! This will not be an extra pair of hands but will take up time and involvement. Your placement student may not be as keen as a new employee, or have the confidence to ask for help and information.

Use the procedures you have in place for new recruits – try to have them into the business before their placement starts, use your basic induction programme with them, give them a staff handbook

As the owner/manager, make sure that you schedule some time for them – perhaps to conduct an interview with you to find out what it takes to run a business, very helpful in developing budding entrepreneurs!

Explain why there are restrictions on what they can do, particularly where these are related to health and safety issues (the placement provider will check that you have a health and safety policy in place)

There is advice and guidance on placements from the DfES on www.dfes.gov.uk/ebnet/business

If you take placement students from Higher Education institutions, the placements will usually be of a longer duration – from 6 weeks to a whole year – and may take place during or after their course of study. You will usually have more involvement with the placement organizer, who will discuss with you both your and the placements needs.

There is a scheme where you can receive a contribution towards an undergraduate or graduate placement, linked to the completion of a specific piece of work, such as the development of a web site, called Graduate Opportunity Wales. Many of these placements go on to be permanent employees. For more information, please contact GO Wales at www.gowales.co.uk.

The benefits of taking a placement student are:

  • It can influence the quality of future employees
  • Develop recruitment channels through links with schools and colleges
  • Influence career choices
  • Help to create a positive image of your organization within the community
  • Help you to understand changes in the education system and feedback into the development of vocational curriculum

But also be realistic – if you don’t have the time, or enough for someone to do, it is better to say no than risk you, the placement student and placement organizer feeling disenchanted with the whole thing.

If you would like to download this document please click on one of the links below:

Work Placements (Word Document 116Kb)
Work Placements (PDF Document 104Kb)

FINDING STAFF

 

 

 

 

 

 


Work placement and work experience can help you develop new recruitment channels

It can enhance the quality of employees and your business but it takes time

If you don’t have time then don’t take the risk of you and the placement/experience person getting disenchanted