Student Experiences of the Leaving Certificate Applied Programme

98 ENGAGING YOUNG PEOPLE?as they saw I was one of their staff. (Aoibhin, 22, completed LCA,unemployed)Many respondents thought that the work experience improved theirconfidence and ability to communicate with others. Sandra felt that hercommunication skills were vastly improved because of her workexperience:When was in first to third [year], I would have been very quiet, but then saywhen I was leaving school I wasn’t quiet… with work experience, things likethat, it got you mixing with people inside and outside school. (Sandra, 23,completed LCA, home duties)Do you think that work experience has helped you since you’veleft school?Yeah, I suppose it prepares you anyway for going into, and looking for jobsanywhere or even getting into jobs, meeting new people and trying to work in withthem and learn more about what you’re actually going into, you know that kindof way. (Sarah, 21, completed LCA, employed)Barbara recalled that she was very shy in school and found working inan office improved her confidence:So do you think that work experience, any of them, helped youwhen you left school?Yeah, very much so. They all did in their own way like, simple little things like,you know, answering the phone, taking messages, I would have been very, very shynow on the phone, I was nearly afraid to pick up the phone, you know, just littlethings like that and just kind of, you know, before I probably would have, I’d bevery nervous and panic nearly. It was a boost in confidence and just experience,you know. (Barbara, 23, completed LCA, employed)Derek had worked in a garage for his work experience placement andfelt that he had learned something from it in two weeks:I got skills, doing things on your own, working with a team.Do you think then that stood to you when you left? That kind ofexperience?Oh yeah, definitely, yeah, big time, I thought that was the best thing I ever done.(Derek, 21, completed LCA, employed)Graham was planning on finishing school and getting a trade, he knewthat he didn’t want to go to college and thought that he would not needpoints. He did all of his four different work placements in the tradesplastering,carpentry and bricklaying. He also believed that he had learnedspecific skills from his work experience placements in the trades:I learned how to slab walls and how to do it properly like, start at the top andwork down and fill buckets of water, I learned how to mix dry-wall, hard enoughlike.So in a two week period you learned.Yeah in a two week period I learned how to do that now. (Graham, 22,completed LCA, apprentice)