What will work experience be like?

What is work experience for?

Work experience helps you to:

• Develop your skills for work known as 'employability skills'
• Find out more about career ideas and types of work
• Prepare more for your next step after leaving school  
• Feel more focused and motivated to achieve
• Develop an awareness of health and safety, rights and responsibilities in the workplace  

What will it be like?

• You are most likely going to work a longer day than when you are at school but this helps you get a good insight into what it will be like going out to work
• There will be new people you will be introduced to and you should have one person who you report to and looks after you
• Getting to your placement on time is important so this will teach you punctuality and independence
• You may feel a bit nervous on your first day but the staff will help make you feel welcome
• You may have to watch a lot of work being done at first, but then you should be given some tasks to do
• Hopefully, it will be interesting and you can find out about what it is like to work in that area
• Be friendly and polite, offer to help and always ask if you are not sure what you should be doing

Whether you loved it or decided it wasn't what you want to do when you leave school you will have learned lots of new skills, met new people, found that what you have learned in school lessons is relevant and helped you to do things in the workplace and will have boosted your self-confidence.