THE BURGESS HILL ACADEMY

YEAR 10 WORK

EXPERIENCE

21st to 24th April 2020

WHY DO WORK EXPERIENCE?

THE BURGESS HILL ACADEMY

Provides students with an insight into different sectors and

careers.

Gives them the opportunity to use and apply their skills and

knowledge in a professional environment.

Aids the development of ‘employability skills’ -sometimes called

‘soft skills’ – that are required not only in the workplace, but in life.

These include communication, working with others and problem

solving.

Builds confidence and self-esteem by showing students what they

can achieve outside school.

Allows students to ‘try out’ an area of potential interest.

WHY DO WORK EXPERIENCE?

THE BURGESS HILL ACADEMY

Provides knowledge of the local job market and starts students on the road to building a network of business

contacts.

An opportunity to impress local business people – in a few years’ time there may be the opportunity to go back to the same manager seeking employment!

Valuable experience to add to a CV or Personal Statement.

Many employers are happy to offer a reference, which students can use when applying for jobs, either while

they are still at school or later on.

Procedure for obtaining a placement

THE BURGESS HILL ACADEMY

We will be providing access to the Northbrook MET College work experience database to students.

This database provides details of placements who have previously had work experience students and are judged to be a

safe environment for young people on work experience.

Employers need to comply with certain criteria in order to be ‘passed’ as a suitable provider, but most do have the necessary

Health & Safety measures already in place, as well as Employers Liability Insurance (ELI) and Public Liability Insurance (PLI).

Northbrook check all employers for these standards, so you don’t have to worry about this part ☺

These placements are suggestions, they are not guaranteed!

Procedure for obtaining a placement

THE BURGESS HILL ACADEMY

Unfortunately WSCC do not fund work experience. There is a charge by Northbrook MET College for the updating, maintaining and checking that businesses

comply with the Health and Safety Assessment criteria for work experience for under 16’s.

We will be asking for a voluntary contribution towards the cost of this assessment of £20 per student.

Procedure for obtaining a placement

THE BURGESS HILL ACADEMY

The most successful work experience placement is the one that the student finds

for themselves.

Students can arrange their own Private Placement (e.g through friends, family, professional contacts,

local businesses that you use/know, etc)

Alternatively, please choose at least three placements from the database.

They should be in an industry that you are interested in discovering more information on!

Procedure for obtaining a placement

• We encourage students to arrange their own Private Placement if possible, rather than searching the Northbrook database, because it may give them more chance of working in a field that they may be interested in entering after they leave school (there is a limit to the choices/options on the database).

• If the placement is something the student is interested in purely for Work Experience Week, that is still a positive move towards considering future plans. If they decide the work is not for them, that is again positive, as they can rule it out and move forward with different plans.

THE BURGESS HILL ACADEMY

Procedure for obtaining a placement

THE BURGESS HILL ACADEMY

This database is not interactive. We cannot update it when a placement is no longer available.

In addition, any student wishing to apply for work experience with the Police MUST apply separately

in writing to Mrs Dorgan by 31st October. The Police have a different system for applying for

work experience.

Certain placements such as; Vets, Sports, IT are very popular and therefore go quickly. If you are interested in these places, I would suggest that

you get your form in quickly!

Procedure for obtaining a placement

THE BURGESS HILL ACADEMY

Students request placements by completing the form at the back of the database

guidelines.

Mrs Dorgan will then contact the placements to determine whether a place is available.

Placements are allocated 1st come 1st served.

All students must provide choices from the database by Friday 1st November.

Procedure for obtaining a placement

THE BURGESS HILL ACADEMY

Once a placement has been agreed you will

receive a Work Experience Agreement Form

for signature by yourself & your parent.

This must be returned by 13th March without

it your placement will not go ahead!

What to do if you are interested in a placement outside of West Sussex

THE BURGESS HILL ACADEMY

Any requests submitted for work experience outside of West Sussex will be subject to a

charge by the Local Council for the Health & Safety Assessment to be carried out.

This charge will be between £30 & £80 dependent on the Local Authority.

Parents will need to fund this prior to the Assessment being requested.

What do we expect from students on work experience

• Remember that you are an ambassador for The Burgess Hill

Academy, out in the local community where people know who you

are and who we are.

• Be smartly dressed, punctual, polite and well behaved.

• Work experience takes place every day during the work experience

week and during normal office hours – typically 9am to 5pm (not

school hours, unless stipulated by the employer).

• Work hard and make an effort to contribute, asking questions where

you need to – you are there to learn and to experience!

• Complete your Work Experience Diary at the end of each day during

your work experience week, and hand it in to your employer to

check, sign and return to us.

• The following week, write a thank you email or letter to your

employer.

THE BURGESS HILL ACADEMY

THE BURGESS HILL ACADEMY

Any queries regarding work experience,

please contact Mrs Dorgan by email at

ldorgan@tbha.org.uk