How to deliver incredible work experience

How to deliver
incredible
work experience

Getting them settled in

To help students settle into what's likely their first experience in
the workplace, we do a full 'getting comfortable' session. 

This includes:

Full introductions to the people the students will be working with
Supplying access fobs so that they can move comfortably around the office
Doing a site walk around to show them where everything is
Settling in to their workstation including their own mouse mats, mugs,
pens etc
Going through their full week plan so they know what to expect
Having a full health & safety, information security and NDA debrief with
relevant staff
Setting expectations of behaviour and being clear about the dos and don'ts
that apply to your organisation and office.

TOP TIP

It's natural that some students will see work experience as a fun trip away from
school. You're investing a lot of time and effort to deliver a week's work
experience, so agree a verbal contract with the students so they know what's
expected of them and understand the implications of not behaving properly.

It could be worth spending some time doing a clean setup session with them.

Making sure you're prepared

Organisation is key to things going smoothly during work
experience week.

Have you...

Set up the right equipment?
Informed relevant staff of their arrival?
Booked them in with reception?
Completed a risk assessment?
Got NDAs and consent forms ready to be signed?
Planned out each day in full?
Sorted IT support for any equipment needed?
Thought about their additional needs?
Communicated with their school?
Collected their contact details?
Arranged start times?
Communicated uniform expectations?
Communicated whether they need to provide their own
lunch/refreshments?
Told them where to arrive on day 1?

And most importantly, have you considered what a successful work
experience week will look like for both you and them?

Understanding your organisation

Ensure you start your work experience week by getting to know
your students. You can ask about their career aspirations and tell
them about you as an individual and how your role fits into the
business.

Giving a company overview at this stage will give them context for
the rest of the week.

Who are your customers?
What do you do?
What is your product or service?
What is your company goal/vision/mission?
What behaviours do you expect from staff?
How many people work in your organisation?
Show them your website
Show them your social media
Show them around your office
Get them to speak to staff

TOP TIP

People learn in different ways, so rather than lecturing to students, let them
figure things out for themselves. Let them try things, find information online or
ask members of staff.

Be clear with the objectives

Make a detailed plan to give to your students so they know what
they're doing, who they report to, and where they need to be
throughout the day.

This will also help you organise the week too – you can use the
same plan to make sure you're on track.

Provide a timeline for them to understand the full day.
Inform them what area of the business or topic they're focusing on that day.
Include who's looking after them and where they need to be.
Break down each day into bite-size chunks.
Separate from the timetable, provide another sheet detailing and projects or
tasks, and use this additional page to provide more detail.
Make your communication as simple as possible and include specific
instructions for any projects or tasks you're asking them to complete.
Make it personal

TOP TIP

It may seem like overkill, but this is likely to be your students' first
workplace experience, and they may be overwhelmed. They'll be able to
refer back to their tasks to make sure they're on track and meeting
expectations.

Example day plan:

Monday

Business overview

Hello and welcome to OneFile.

9:30 -

10:00 It's time for your Induction and a quick tour around our office!
Who with? - Katie  | Where? - Citrus Lounge.

10:00- Health and safety, and all the other legal bits and bobs.
10:30  Who with? - Ceren  | Where? - Citrus Lounge.

10:30- Let us show you to your new home for the week (desk!)
11:00  Who with? - Katie  | Where? - Customer delivery room.

11:00- Product overview!
12:00  Who with? - Ashley  | Where? - Queens Lodge.

12:00 Lunchtime!
- 13:00 

1133::0300 Customer overview - who uses OneFile?
--1134::3000   Who with? - Adam & Alan
Where? - Customer Delivery room (round tables).

Example project page

Monday's challenges

Business overview

Task 1 Imagine your ideal job, perhaps it's working in a technology company
like OneFile, in a highstreet mega store, in an operating theatre, or
maybe in a school?

Perhaps you want to run your own business? Either way, there are some
key things to think about that will form the foundation of your ideal
organisation. 

We want you to create a mood board of what you think makes a great
company...

From that, create an inspirational poster advertising the vision, values and
company mission, as well as defining the culture of your organisation.

Where? - Your desk | Customer delivery room.

Task 2 Write 500 words on how your first day of work experience has been. Tell
us what knowledge and skills you hope to have gained at the end of the
week.

If you have any particular areas of interests then now's the time to tell
us so that we can support you as much as possible with getting some
experience in that area!

Where? - Your desk | Customer delivery room.

Health and safety, and all the other legal bits and bobs.
Who with? - Ceren  | Where? - Citrus Lounge.

Involve your team

When you've created your timeline and task sheets, you're ready to
get your team onboard. Make sure you speak to all staff to let them
know a little background about your students – what school they're
from, their year, what they're interests are. This will help your staff
ask questions and start conversations with the students when they're
working together.

The final thing to think about is fun: how are you going to reward your
students for hard work, well done?

Printed certificates of completion
Branded giveaways from your company
Personal messages from staff they've worked with
Thank you cards for them to keep

And that's a wrap!

By following these guidelines, you'll deliver meaningful work experience
to your students... help them develop their confidence... bring fresh
ideas into your business... increase staff engagement... and shape the
students' futures.

To find out more about OneFile and the impact we have on learning
and development in the UK, sign up to one of our webinars.

www.onefile.co.uk @OneFileUK [email protected]