Who was involved?
Alfred East Gallery
Ductu Work Experience Provider
4YP Personal Guidance Provider
Kori Construction
Weetabix
Willmott Dixon
Novotel Hotels
Wellingborough Town Council
Leicester and Leicestershire Careers Hub
Kier
Wrenn School
Intent
In anticipation of the Government’s ambition of delivering Modern Work Experience (2 weeks’ worth of work experience for every student by the end of Year 11), the aim of the showcase was to expose Careers Leaders, employers and wider stakeholders to various successful models and approaches to work experience, that they could replicate or use for inspiration.
Implementation
Planning and Preparation
The Careers Hub invited 10 local employers and providers to take part in a workshop at our annual conference, ensuring a diverse mix of sectors and work experience models. This variety allowed delegates to explore varied approaches to work experience that have been tried-and-tested for different age groups of students.
Employers and providers were briefed in advance, and asked to prepare to talk about work experience they have delivered, including:
- How it supports the meaningful criteria of work experience for Benchmark 6
- The Equalex Theme it can support
Delivery
The interactive workshop ran as a carousel, allowing delegates to rotate from table-to-table three times during the hour to listen to our employers and providers. This approach encouraged deeper conversations, practical insights, and shared learning.
Impact
Delegates shared feedback after each workshop, including any areas for support they feel they need from the Hub with the delivery of Modern Work Experience, which has fed into Hub-wide CPD plans.
Given the positive reception, the hub runs termly ‘Employer Showcases’ online to our stakeholders, inviting employers and providers to share their work experience offer to inspire wider educators and employers, and help them recognise how they can deliver meaningful work experiences for students.
Top tips
Using the ‘meaningful checklist’ for Benchmark 6 helps employers, providers and educators reflect on their activities to ensure they are meaningful.
Quotes from stakeholders
“It’d be great to have more events like this and more opportunities to network”
“I feel reassured about current practices/ provision we deliver for work experience. We liked the format, it was meaningful in small groups.”
“I can see how some of these models could work in out setting – would like to develop a similar idea with local employers”