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...
About Us
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Work Experience
We organise a range of types of work experience placements (standard, specialised and supported) to a nationally recognised quality standard.
To find out what students think about Work Experience, see this short video.
Work experience is an opportunity for young people to:
- gain practical experience of real work conditions
- observe people doing a range of jobs - some they may not have come across before
- meet and get to know different types of people
- develop confidence and personal responsibility
- find out what kind of work s/he is good at and may eventually want to do.
Young people may not receive payment for work experience. It’s about learning not earning. And they cannot work outside the hours stipulated in the job description unless negotiated by your son/daughter at interview and agreed with parents.
Most placements we organise are for 14-16 year old students from Milton Keynes schools and College who take up a one- or two-week block placement with a local employer. This could involve anything from working in the IT department of a large organisation to stripping paint in a small workshop. The possibilities are as many as the 120,000 employees working in Milton Keynes.
For these students, the main aims of work experience are understanding the world of work, developing personal and social skills and generally improving their level of employability. While for those students following vocational qualifications, the placements are more focused to specifically achieve course outcomes.
For these students, the main aims of work experience are understanding the world of work, developing personal and social skills and generally improving their level of employability. While for those students following vocational qualifications, the placements are more focused to specifically achieve course outcomes.
The most successful placements are those that are well structured and the student’s needs have been matched to the normal work activities of the host employer.
We help the employer to identify suitable tasks for the student to undertake when on placement, and carry out the necessary check and provide guidance on health and safety, insurance and risk assessments.
The one or two week block placements take place at set times in the academic year.
We also organise 'extended' placements which give young people a schedule of one or two days per week in a workplace. These are often arranged with employers in a specific sector so as to be relevant to a vocational course of study.
In Supported Placements we provide coaching for the student and suport both the student and the employer before and during the placement. This is to ensure that maximum benefit is drawn from the experience.
The key steps in the process are:
- Schools give an introduction to work experience for students
- Countec staff attend an Information Evening for parents (optional)
- Students complete an application form which must be signed by parents to show they are happy with the choices that their son/daughter has made. (Students may arrange their own placements if someone they know if prepared to take them. In such cases, an additional form must be completed.)
- Countec staff begin contacting companies to find all the placements necessary for the students.
- Once all the application forms are returned Countec completes the matching of students with employers. Every student is placed with individual needs in mind.
- Around six weeks before the placement date, placement confirmations are sent to the school. Students are given a job description.
- All confirmed placements are visited by our trained staff to ensure they are suitable and safe, and to check they meet with minimum health and safety and insurance standards. All companies are asked to complete a risk assessment.
- Students are prepared for their placements by school and sometimes by Countec staff. In non Supported placements, the student must contact their placement to arrange an interview; sometimes the employer will complete this over the phone. In Supported placements this is all arranged by Countec.
- The placement commences. Students should be visited by a member of school staff during the placement.
- The employer completes a report form at the end of the placement indicating how the student got on in their placement, and returns this to us.
- Following the placements, the school and Countec complete a review of placements and processes.
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