Work Experience Toolkit

Work Experience Toolkit

Introduction The science based industries are critical to the future prosperity of the United Kingdom. In order to continue to be competitive in the world market, it is important that the scientists of tomorrow are equipped with the skills to succeed. Cogent has produced this guide to provide employers with advice and best practice for providing work experience, whether through Traineeships, Apprenticeships or undergraduate placements. Work experience is defined as a placement undertaken by students as part of a further or higher education course to learn more about a chosen industry. Students or others on work experience should be given the chance to try various tasks and develop skills. In this guide, we will define a work experience placement as either a Traineeship, Apprenticeship or undergraduate placement. Work experience is crucial for young people. 29% of employers say that experience is critical when recruiting and a further 45% say it is significant. Over half of all employers who offer work experience say it is because it provides the experience young people need. These employers recognise the intrinsic value of work experience, which is that it equips young people with the skills desired when recruiting. The aim of this toolkit is to inform employers of the different work experience routes available and to increase the number of young people securing jobs in the science-based industries, helping to address the employability skills gaps experienced. 29% of employers say that experience is critical when recruiting young people Types of Work Experience Although work experience was traditionally regarded as a two week placement for school students, mainly involving photocopying and making teas, it can now encompass any period of time where a young person is gaining the work based skills required by employers. Cogent offers the following work experience and development models: Traineeships Traineeships, sometimes described as pre-apprenticeships, are government funded work and education programmes designed to help young people who have narrowly missed out on the grades or work experience to get onto an Apprenticeship or get into work. They involve a high quality work placement of at least 100 hours. By giving an insight into the science industries, it aims to attract more young people into the sector and provide them with the key skills required by science industry employers when recruiting. SMART Apprenticeships SMART Apprenticeships are a new, flexible approach to the delivery of Apprenticeship training, aimed at increasing the quality of apprentices. SMART Apprenticeships put employers in control of the training to ensure that it is in line with the developments of industry, the company and job landing role of the apprentice. The major focus of a SMART Apprenticeship is the work-based learning element. Placements Placements offer undergraduate students and graduates the opportunity to gain an insight into their chosen careers and gain an edge in the competitive graduate jobs market. They are flexible in length, ranging from summer to year long placements and are also extremely beneficial to the employer.

Ensuring a meaningful experience It is important that by carrying out work experience, the participant gets a real insight into working in the science sector and gains the experience and skills that employers look for when recruiting. Employers often worry about what constitutes as a good quality work placement, and whether they can offer the right type of placement. These tips will help you to plan your placement and provide the best possible experience. Planning Before starting their work experience, it is important to plan out what activities and tasks the participant will be involved in. This saves any worries on the day and ensures the participant gets the most out of their experience. The plan can be adapted to each candidate and should be tailored to the young person s individual abilities. Good practice includes: Have a named contact who is responsible for coordinating the placement, and for the duration of the work experience. Ask the student to undertake a project or complete a workbook which helps them identify what they have learned. Make it engaging by setting them a task such as interviewing different staff members to find out what they do. Offer practical hands-on activities (which comply with health and safety). Ask the participant to feedback to the employer and their peers at school or college - giving a presentation will increase their skills and confidence. Or maybe just ask them to design a poster saying why other students would enjoy a placement there, or write an article for the newsletter. Supervision The dedicated supervisor should have time in their work schedule to supervise the young person. This is a good development opportunity for an employee to develop their management capabilities. A separate mentor is useful to support the participant more informally. Induction For most young people, coming to work on a placement will be a new experience. An induction will introduce the participant to working life and make them feel valued. The induction allows participants to get to know the business, meet members of the team and become familiar with the working environment. An induction should include: An introduction to the organisation, its history, values and key people the individual will have contact with. A tour of your facilities, including toilets, food areas, first aid facilities, fire exits, evacuations and health and safety information. An outline of your expectations and requirements, including day-to-day activities. Be clear about what is expected in terms of dress code, working hours and lunch breaks. Variety To get the most out of their work placement it is good to give the participant an insight into different areas in the business. Invite them to meetings and make them feel like a member of the team. To enhance the work experience placement, giving the participant a project to work on lets them take real ownership of a task and gain responsibility in the workplace. Reviews Regular reviews with the individual, reflecting on their progress and attitude provides them with goals to work towards and areas they can develop, whilst being sensitive, so as not to damage their confidence. it is important to plan out what activities and tasks the participant will be involved in

The business benefits of providing work experience Work experience is not only valuable to increase young people s employability but is also extremely beneficial for employers. Introduce science career choices to young people Introduce young people to the range of roles available in science. This will encourage more people to enter and stay in the science based industries. Secure a strong talent pipeline for the future By offering work experience, either through Traineeships, Apprenticeships or placements, you are providing the scientists of the future with the skills necessary to succeed and ensure that there is a strong talent pipeline for future employment. Energy and enthusiasm Inject new enthusiasm and energy into the workplace by introducing talented, motivated members of staff with new ideas and a positive working attitude. Staff development opportunity Allocating a member of your staff as a mentor is a low risk and cost effective staff development opportunity, helping them to step up into a managerial role and develop their communication and coaching skills. Additional capacity Get extra capacity for everyday work or projects which you may not have the permanent workforce to fill. The people carrying out the work experience are willing to do most types of work in order to gain more experience. Improve your corporate social responsibility Taking on young people for work experience helps to show your commitment to helping young people find work and helping to address the STEM skills gaps. Brand Loyalty Offering work experience will give your brand greater exposure amongst young people, schools and universities. This will increase the number of candidates applying for roles and will build a greater relationship with the local community. Grow your Own Growing your own is an important way for employers to future proof their business, and is a great way for employers to secure talented and loyal employees. Through work experience, businesses can shape their workforce according to organisational needs, and train them up to plug specific skills and experience gaps, making the candidate ready for a landing role in the company. Risk Free Recruitment Providing young people with work experience placements allows employers to try before you buy before offering a long term position. There are no commitments to hire the participant once the work experience is over, yet if they have impressed or exceeded expectations, work experience has provided a risk free recruitment method. Once trained up, companies often hire the candidates longer term. You are providing the scientists of the future with the skills necessary to succeed Offering work experience will give your brand greater exposure amongst young people, schools and universities

Recruitment To aid employers in the fast-moving science industries, we have developed a number of recruitment solutions, to support you in offering work experience. Our managed recruitment service will significantly reduce the time and cost of recruiting young people, and improve the quality of candidates you attract. Our managed recruitment service involves: Preparation of a job description We will prepare a job description for you based upon your specific requirements and agreed criteria. Advertising your vacancy We will advertise your vacancy online through our extensive channels and capture all candidates who apply for a vacancy in a job specific database. Screening Candidates Our recruitment team, made up of recruitment experts, will screen CVs and applications, identify the most suitable candidates for interview stage and advise unsuccessful candidates. Engaging with candidates We will arrange interviews, confirm arrangements, prepare and coach candidates before their interview, and if required by the employer, we will also attend interviews. Informing candidates We will advise successful and unsuccessful candidates on your behalf. I have spent most of my time working on my project but I have also attended external meetings, events and site visits. My supervisor has also arranged 1:1 meetings for me to meet and talk to all other members of staff about their job roles and experiences. I have had discussions with senior scientists and I spoke to pharmacovigilance managers from major pharmaceutical companies and got some really good job interview tips. Jen Lin Placement Student Our recruitment team will arrange interviews, confirm arrangements and prepare and coach candidates before their interview

Concluding the work placement After a young person has completed their work experience, there is no requirement from the employer to offer them a long term position (although if you are impressed with the participant, and there is a full time position available, that is great!) Feedback For the participant to get the most out of their work experience, it is important to provide them with feedback about their strengths and any areas you think they could still work on. This is also an important opportunity to ask the participant to rate their experience so you know whether there are any areas for you to improve on for the future. Interview Although there are no obligations to hire the participant, an exit interview is useful to help them to develop their interview skills, and offer them feedback. Reference After the placement has concluded, providing a detailed reference will help the participant when seeking work. Evaluation After the work experience has finished, self-evaluation allows you to keep note of any aspects that ran well or any areas you would improve. This will ensure the smooth running of the placement for next time. An exit interview is useful to help them to develop their interview skills Working with Cogent was a flawless experience. Their professionalism and expertise was invaluable in the preparation of an amazing short-list of candidates that, in turn, led to the recruitment of a fantastic placement student. I would highly recommend use of their recruitment skills to other employers in the search for top quality placement students. Nigel Corns R&D Chemist and H&S Coordinator, Vivimed Labs Europe

If you would like to discuss the work experience options available to you, please don t hesitate to give us a call: 01925 515 200 or alternatively email: info@cogentskills.com www.cogentskills.com