Testimonials
- "We had a very positive experience working with Countec, whose staff are friendly and always willing to help make the process as clear as po...
Employers
Investors in Education Partners
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Host
Host a young person ‘as an employee on Work Experience.
- Standard Work Experience (1-2 weeks) – help a student demonstrate generic employability skills in your workplace.
- Specialised Placements (1-2 days per week over six weeks or more) – as part of a specialist study programme, e.g. A-level or BTEC, achieving work-related learning outcomes specified by the syllabus.
- Supported Placements (1-2 days per week over six weeks or more) – with a student who is disengaged from school or has special educational needs at school.
Feedback
Feedback is VITAL to each student's learning. Independent and genuine feeback allows them to assess how they performed, improve on any weak areas and can provide material for later CVs if positive. We expect the Host to complete a short Employer Report form at the end of the placement for each student marking them against the CBI Employability competencies (such as communication, teamwork and attitude) and optionally, to supply a free-from comment on the learner's effectiveness.
We understand that this assessment can be tricky sometimes and suggest that it should be done considering the following points:
- Performance should be assessed taking into account the age of the young person. Sometimes this can be difficult if the assessor does not not have a lot of experience in dealing with young people. Trying to recall what you were like at their age can help!
- Assess the students on the basis of the length of time they have been with you. I.E. compare their performance to that which you would expect from a permanent member of staff who had been with you for the same period - not employees who have been with the organisation for months or years.
- It is better to assess each student against the tasks they have been set, rather than against other students you may have hosted on work experience in the past as they may have had different circumstances such having been older or having been with the organisation at a busier time of year for example.
Nominations
In addition to the feedback above, we also encourage hosts to consider nominating those exceptional students who arise from time to time for one of the Investors In Education Student of the Year awards.
It is up to you, the Hosts, to tell us a little bit about the students who have made the biggest impression on you and why.
When you circle a student as nominated, we add them to a list to be shortlisted by a panel of employers and teachers. We will then contact the hosts of shortlisted students to ask for any more information they may wish to provide.
Because students undertake such a wide variety of placements it is difficult to list examples of what constitues outstanding performance. Good communication in a nursing home may be very different to that expected in a mechanics garage for example. However, some criteria for nominating a student could include
- Self Management - Always punctual. Perhaps asking to extend their hours or volunteering for further experience at a later date. Achieving tasks on time. Understanding accountabilities and expectations.
- Team Working - Contributing to discussions whilst attending internal meetings and team briefings. Working closely with a ‘buddy’ - moving from just learning to helping out.
- Problem Solving - Investigating and responding to real customer queries. Assisting an IT helpdesk. Setting up useful spreadsheets. Interpreting diagrams to give new views on a situation.
- Business and Customer Awareness - Learning about the organisation’s business strategy and performance, observing or assisting with answering customer queries face-to-face, over the telephone or by email and drafting letters of response.
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