Work experience is a stepping stone into the world of work, helping to connect learning to real work situations.
For young people with additional needs, it can be life-changing. Offering opportunities tailored to individual needs and aspirations builds confidence, develops essential skills, and prepares young people for their next steps.
At Shaftesbury education’s specialist colleges, work experience is embedded in learning. Students transfer skills learned in class to work-related tasks on-site at college and through external work experience. This approach enables students to build their understanding of the sequence of steps needed to complete a task.
Building confidence
Blending education with enterprise, Shaftesbury Mille College, near Poole in Dorset, works to bridge the gap between academic learning and meaningful pathways to employment.
At the college’s 350-acre site, students are immersed in tasks across animal care, catering and retail, conservation, horticulture and events, helping them identify areas of interest.
For student Liv, it sparked an interest in animal care. With the support of college staff, she secured work experience at Margaret Green Animal Rescue, where she spends a morning a week.
Building on knowledge and skills learned at college, she is involved with providing enrichment and companionship for animals waiting to be re-homed, as well as helping with cleaning out enclosures.
‘I work with the goats, pigs, sheep, rabbits, guinea pigs and cats. I also visit the horses a lot.
‘I enjoy the site at Margaret Green, it’s beautiful and quiet and I love being surrounded by animals.
‘I would love to continue volunteering there and am interested in seeing their other site for dogs, too. It’s a career path I’m interested in, but I don’t have a definite decision.’ – Liv
After completing work experience off-site at a golf club, student Seb was interested in further developing his knowledge at the college.
Since the start of the year, he has been doing work experience with the maintenance team, helping with set up of public events, learning about health and safety, and carrying out general maintenance tasks around the college site.
‘I enjoy learning new skills and they are a great team to work with.
‘I have done many tasks; drilling, building, and digging are just some of them.
‘College has helped me with setting up maintenance shifts.’ – Seb
Mutual benefits
The college works with external partners to provide opportunities for students to gain vocational skills.
One example is its partnership with the National Trust, with two students about to embark on a six-week work experience placement, spending a day a week at the National Trust’s Studland site.
With the support of college and National Trust staff, they will undertake a variety of tasks, from meeting and greeting visitors and helping with car parking, to litter picking and site management. The students will also have an opportunity to get involved with project work at the site during their placement.
The National Trust team developed social stories to help students prepare for their job roles, which the college’s education, enterprise and visitor services manager Annabelle Pearsall says were invaluable.
Annabelle hopes the next step is for the college to support National Trust staff to adapt resources to share with students and other groups they work with. This will help people taking part in work experience placements break down tasks and work through them at an appropriate pace for them.
Annabelle said: ‘Big changes are not required to work with students with additional needs. By offering a work experience placement for a short period of time, businesses can understand the needs of the individual and adapt or carve out tasks.’
Supporting transition to further education or employment
Supporting students to develop employability skills also plays a crucial role in their preparation to move on to further training or employment.
With new opportunities to be involved in work-related learning at the college’s on-site café, Faith’s Kitchen, and shops at the Courtyard Craft Centre in Lytchett Minster, students were encouraged to apply for positions.
Through the recruitment process, students learned what is required in applying for and getting a job, from filling out an application form to shortlisting candidates and mock interviews.
Combined with their college learning, these internal and external work experience placements play a crucial part in building students’ skills and confidence, and help them decide future pathways.
Looking for a college placement? Get in touch to find out more about our college offer here.