Work Experience
At Rivington and Blackrod High School, we have a comprehensive work experience programme for Year 10 students. This enables them to spend five working days within a real working environment. We offer a further week in Year 12. Many local companies have been involved in the programme and offer excellent placement opportunities for our students. Through work experience, we aim to give students an insight and an appreciation of the world of work and assist in helping to manage more effectively the transition from school to employment. Students are encouraged to find their own work placements as it is a way of building communication and encouraging students to take initiative.
In addition to this, we encourage students to take part in virtual work experience opportunities in their own time that are relatable to the area in which they wish to study further or go on to have a career in. Please find some links below that offer virtual work experience opportunities.
For all of our students to be able to go out onto work experience, essential insurance and health & safety checks need to be completed. For this, Rivington & Blackrod use Unifrog as a platform for work experience. The employer will receive an email requiring essential insurance information, risk assessments and health and safety information in order for the placement to be accepted.
Work Experience Contact
If you require any further information, please contact Miss S Aspen via email at saspen@rbhs.co.uk or by telephone on 01204 333 266 (ext. 7752).
Year 10 Work Experience
Year 10's Work Experience Week is from Monday 15th July to Friday 19th July 2024.
More information about this week, including deadlines and process will follow in November to coincide with the Y10 Work Experience Launch. The process for work experience is completed online. The responsibility of finding a suitable work experience placement is with the student, to promote independence, organisation and communication, all skills essential in the world of work.
All students will receive a work experience pack during the launch, which includes:
- Letter to student, parent and employer
- How to Unifrog guide - one for the student and parent, and one to be given with the employer letter to the work experience provider upon agreement of the placement guiding all through the Unifrog process
- Work experience booklet - with any additional information required
Work experience letters to student, parent/carer and employer
Year 10 Student Letter Year 10 Parent/Carer LetterYear 10 Employer Letter
Work Experience 2024 Process
How to use Unifrog Guide for:
Year 12 Work Experience
Year 12's Work Experience Week is from Monday 8th July to Friday 12th July 2024.
More information about this week, including deadlines and process will follow in November to coincide with the Y12 Work Experience Launch. The process for work experience is completed online. The responsiblity for finding a suitable work experience placement is with the student to promote, independence, organisation and communication, all skills essential in the world of work.
All students will complete a work experience pack which includes:
- Letter to student, parent and employer
- How to Unifrog guide - one for the student and parent, and one to be given with the employer letter to the work experience provider upon agreement of the guiding all through the Unifrog process
- Work experience booklet with any additional information required
Work experience letters to student, parent/carer and employer
Year 12 Student letter Year 12 Parent/carer letterYear 12 Employer letter
Work experience 2024 process
How to use Unifrog Guide for:
Work Experience Inspiration
A work experience placement should give you:
- An understanding of the world of work
- An understanding of an occupation or industry
- Career direction
- Improved employability and soft skills
- Networking opportunities with employers
- An opportunity to put classroom learning into practise
- Increased motivation at school/sixth form
For Employers offering work experience
Benefits of hiring a work experience student and how to make the most of it.
- Offering work experience allows you to inspire and influence the future leaders of your industry and the local community, and do your bit for society and the economy
- Offering work experience can be used as a low-cost recruitment channel
- Work experience student can be a welcome extra pair of hands
- Your staff can benefit from management experience
Tips for getting the most out of offering work experience.
- Make an activity plan
- Find meaningful tasks - choose tasks that will benefit the student and business
- Take the time to learn about what the student really wants to get out of the experience
- Give them the chance to work in different aspects of the business
Tips for parents/carers - How can I support my child?
Work experience is a fantastic opportunity for our students. The purpose is to allow students to develop key skills and knowledge required to be successful in the world of work., and to allow them to experience a work environment. We aim to encourage students to think of an area of interest to them within industry and aim for a placement that is either directly linked to that industry or a placement using transferable skills essential for that industry. Other ways to help your child:
- Talk to them about subjects they like and dislike
- Use the National Careers Service webpage tool to explore and generate job ideas
- Encourage them to speak to their careers advisor
- Pass on any contacts who could help your child
- Encourage them to start their search for a placement early
- Make sure they try to arrange their own work experience
- Rehearse telephone calls they may need to make to an employer
- Proofread emails they send to employers
- Think about the location of placement and how they will get there
Tips for teachers - How can I support my student?
Whether you are a form tutor or subject teacher, you play a vital role in assisting with your students work experience. You may be a person for them to speak with or be able to give them suggestions on where to go. Ways you can help your student are:
- Frequently check in with your students - Ask them how they are getting on with work experience
- Direct them to a nominated person within the school who can help them further
- Give any suggestions you may have for the area they want to go into
- Allow them time in form to search for a placement
- Be positive and encouraging about work experience
- Use your subject knowledge to discuss job roles linked to that subject
- Refer any students whom you feel need additional support to Miss Aspen saspen@rbhs.co.uk