This document provides information about the work experience program at Highcliffe School. It explains that work experience gives students the opportunity to learn new skills in a workplace environment and helps them explore potential career paths. The key aspects of the program are outlined, including searching and applying for placements, completing necessary paperwork, and ensuring health and safety requirements are met. The document emphasizes that work experience is a learning experience for students, not just a break from school, and helps develop important skills for future employment.

1. Work Experience at
Highcliffe School
Year 10 Work Experience in
context

2. WORK EXPERIENCE
“Work experience may be defined as
a placement on an employer’s
premises in which a student carries
out a particular task or duty, or a
range of tasks and duties, more or
less as an employee, but with the
emphasis on the learning aspects of
the experience”
DfES (Feb 2002)

3. WorkExperience is not….
• cheap labour
• a skive from school
• a holiday for your teacher
• a path to a sure job

4. WORK EXPERIENCE – a
chance…….
• To meet new people.
• To find out more about
industry and commerce.
• To experience travelling to
work.
• To exercise more self-
discipline and responsibility.
• To improve your self-
confidence.
• To improve your social skills.
• To learn the importance of
punctuality.

5. Why go on work experience?
• To understand the pros and
cons of working.
• To get more information
about jobs.
• You might be offered a job.
• To see what working would
be like.
• To learn new skills and work
with people of different age
groups.
• To do something different.

6. Why work experience?
• Effective work-based and work-
related learning can help you to
become:
• successful learners,
• confident individuals,
• responsible citizens,
• effective contributors to society
and work.

7. • Work experience is often the first
opportunity for you to operate in
an adult working environment.
• A potentially powerful experience
that can improve awareness of
different surroundings, behaviours,
practices, cultures and attitudes.
• A chance for employers to help
young people understand
employability and core skills.

8. • Work experience is a major part of
most secondary schools’ enterprise
in education programmes.
• It is a statutory entitlement for all
young people at Key Stage 4.
• It offers students the opportunity
to develop a range of skills and
knowledge they might not
otherwise have a chance to
explore.
• It enhances your understanding of
the world of work.

9. Effective work experience
• A partnership approach – involving the
student, parent/guardian, school and
employer.
• Placements are well planned and
prepared.
• Clear objectives are defined for the
student and supported by
parents/guardians.
• There is an effective debrief and self-
evaluation to reflect on the experience.

10. Effective career guidance
• A meaningful work experience can help
influence career direction.
• You should be using the KUDOS careers
software to help assess what type of
career path would most suit you.
• Matching students to relevant work
experience placements add value for
entry to HE and FE courses.

11. The placement
• Ideally matched to individual
career aspirations.
• YOU should be pro-active in your
search for a work placement.
• YOU should be viewing work
experience as a learning
experience – not a holiday!

12. Work Experience
Programme 12th
– 23rd
July
2010
1. Access Website www.learnaboutwork.net/dorset
Type in ‘Highcliffe student’ where it says ‘name’
and the school PIN is 1234.
2.Search and identify the job you want to do.
3.Complete the Initial Selection Form (lilac) with 2nd
& 3rd
choices also.
4.Return lilac form to Mrs White or Mrs Bower by 7th
December.

13. 5. Once you have been initially allocated a place, you
will receive an official application form (via your tutor)
and a covering letter.
You will need to complete the application form and
send this to the employer WITH A COVERING LETTER.
Allow 2 weeks and if you haven’t heard from them
please chase with a polite phone call.
6.When the employer has replied you MUST give the
reply to Mrs White or Mrs Bower to enable your
placement to be removed from the data- base making
it unavailable to other students. Until this is done other
students could apply for your job.

14. 6. 7. If you receive a negative reply you will need to
repeat the process with your second choice that is on
your lilac form. You MUST inform Mrs White or Mrs Bower
about the outcome of your application and of your next
choice.
8. Once you have informed us of a successful
application, an employer agreement will be sent out. A
parent/student agreement will given to you. This must
be signed by both yourself and your parent/guardian and
returned to Mrs White or Mrs Bower as soon as possible.
The employers will also be sent an agreement form.
YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE UP YOUR
PLACEMENT UNTIL BOTH FORMS HAVE BEEN
COMPLETED AND RETURNED TO SCHOOL.

15. Placements not on the
database
• If you wish to organise a placement that
is NOT on the database you must fill in
the bottom section of the lilac form.
• The school will notify DES who will
complete Health and Safety Checks –
which can take up to 12 weeks!
• You must ask employers who are not on
the database if they have Employer
Liability Insurance. They need this
for you to be able to work there.

16. ALL PLACEMENTS SHOULD
BE FINALISED BY 31st
MARCH 2010
If you need any help with you
work experience please see
either your tutor, Mrs White,
Mrs Bower, Mrs Finch.