Year 10 Work Experience Programme 2010-11 - Great Torrington ...

Year 10 Work Experience Programme 2010-11
Year 10 is an important time in the life of a student at Great Torrington Community School with lots
of events taking place, one of these events is Work Experience, an exciting week for students which
we all take very seriously. Work Experience should help pupils to:
Make more informed decisions about career plans
Work alongside adults as part of a team
Understand what employers expect from employees today
Clarify their expectations and understanding of employment
Assess training and educational demands of different occupations
Learn new inter-personal, practical and cognitive skills
Grow maturity and self-reliance and become more confident in their abilities
Students are encouraged to arrange their own placement. The year is split into three groups (see
student list); this should give students an enhanced probability of gaining the placement of their
choice. Should students require assistance they should speak to the Work Experience Coordinator,
Mrs Pateman.
We encourage students to opt for placements that will be challenging rather than working in very
familiar places with familiar people. Therefore students will not be authorised to undertake
placements working with members of their own immediate family or at the primary school that they
attended.
All pupils who complete the Work Experience programme will receive a certificate for their Progress
File. In order to receive this certificate, students must have completed the following:
A CV and letter of application to the employer
Full attendance on Work Experience placement
A well written, complete diary
A student debrief
Due to insurance procedures and responsibilities, any student who arranges a placement without the
prior knowledge of the school will be prevented from taking part in the Work Experience programme
and will be expected to attend normal school lessons during the weeks that the placements are taking
place.

How can Parents help?
Begin discussing work experience over the summer holidays so that when students
return to school in September they already have an idea of what they would like to do
and have perhaps even started contacting employers.
Discuss the implications of the job they choose, including the practicalities of getting
there and the hours of work (students won’t be finishing when school does)! The
responsibility for travelling to and from the placement rests with the student, GTS
cannot pay travel expenses.
Ensure the student attends the placement each day and on time. Please avoid making
appointments during the work experience weeks.
Ensure that both the school and the employer are notified if the student is unable to
attend.
Inform the school of any difficulties experienced during the placement.
Discuss the placement with the student and encourage them to complete their work
experience diary.
Encourage the student to have a positive approach to the placement, even if it isn’t
quite what they had expected and help them to understand the goodwill of employers
offering the placement opportunities.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON SECURING
WORK EXPERIENCE PLACEMENTS
HEALTH & SAFETY CHECKS - All work placements need to have a Health &
Safety check carried out before students are authorised to undertake the placement.
All in-area placements (Devon, Cornwall, Somerset & Dorset) are covered under our
agreement with Devon Education Business Partnership who will check the placement on our
behalf before students go out.
All Out-of-Area (anywhere else in the country not mentioned above) placements will need to
be checked by the relevant organisation in that area and will incur a checking fee. The
current fee is £35 and an invoice will be issued to parents prior to a check being requested.
Once payment has been received the relevant organisation will be asked to carry out a health
& safety check. Once the placement has been checked and approved, then, and only then,
will students be authorised to undertake the placement.
SOLE TRADERS
Quite often, sole traders do not have Employers Liability Insurance. All employers MUST
have Employers Liability and Public Liability Insurances in place before the placement will
be approved. If possible, employers should provide a mobile phone number if they will be
working out on site.
TETANUS VACCINATIONS
For farms, garden centres, veterinary clinics, stables and associated placements, students
should ensure their vaccinations are up to date.
PRE WORK EXPERIENCE H&S BRIEFINGS
Before students go out on placements, briefing sessions will be held for students undertaking
placements in the following areas; Construction (to include architect, surveyor, etc),
agriculture, equine/land based.

STUDENT LISTS –
the following tutor groups will undertake Work Experience on the allocated weeks:
Phase One
Monday 7 th – 11 th March 2011
10DH
10FR
Phase Two
Monday 14 th – 18 th March 2011
10GT
10HD
10HE
Phase Three
Monday 11 th – 15 th July 2011
10JS
10BD (formerly 9NGD)

Attached is a sample letter of application which you may wish to amend and use when
requesting a work experience placement.
YY oo uu rr ll lee tt tt ee rr oo ff aa pp pp ll lii icc aa tt ii ioo nn ss hh oo uu ll ldd bb ee :
Concise and to the point including your name, the school you attend and your dates of
work experience. Briefly outline why you want to work with the company, what you
like about the company and what you hope to draw from the experience.
Well written in terms of grammar and spelling - use spell check and get someone else
to proof read it before you send it off
Enthusiastic and personalised - make sure the employer knows you're interested in
this job.