Student Experiences of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme

96 ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE?Most of them I got through myself, just writing out to companies looking to get aweek’s work placement, but with the last one me Mam kind of got me that one.(Niamh, 21, completed LCA, employed)Ronan mentioned that students in his school had to get their own workplacement otherwise they would fail that module:Basically you had to find somewhere to work, or that’d be a part you’d fail. I waslucky at the time because my sister was working for an architect, so this wasbasically why I wanted to get into architecture, because of that, so I was able to getwork experience in an architect’s office, which I loved now, that’s why I lovedLCA because it gave me the opportunity of actually doing this and I never wouldhave got that in school like. (Ronan, 25, completed LCA, apprentice)6.5SchoolInvolvementDuring WorkPlacementsFrom the interviews, it appears that schools vary in how they offer workexperience to students, as placements were either divided into blocks oftwo weeks or one day a week for ten weeks. As recommended in theprogramme guidelines, many of the students had an opportunity toexperience a number of different work experience placements. Derek andRonan, however, were the exceptions to the rule because they returned tothe same placement:They’d [the school] want you to move around but I think they seen that I reallyliked working there I don’t think they [the school] were too bothered… mostpeople who went to my school weren’t very committed to school, they just wanted toget in there and get out as fast as they possibly could. (Derek, 21, completedLCA, employed)About half of the students interviewed had held a part-time job as wellas having work experience as part of the LCA. Ronan believed that someof his class who were working part-time simply took an extra day for theirwork experience. He recalled how he was lucky with his placement as it wasthrough his sister who worked in an architectural firm:You know, some people took the easy option and just took a job, maybe if theywere working in a shop they done it there, you know. (Ronan, 25, completedLCA, apprentice).It was also evident from the interviews that schools differ in the extentto which they monitor student work placements. School staff wouldgenerally monitor work placements by a phone call or visit to theiremployer:And did they monitor, did they have any contact with theemployer or…?They called in, we’d be out for four weeks, and then they’d call in one day duringthe first week and then they’d call in another day, you never know when like, soyou had to be there all day. They’d get a letter off the employer at the end of thework experience and see then how you were getting on and stuff like that, so.(Sarah, 21, completed LCA, employed)