INDUSTRY PLACEMENTS AND WORK EXPERIENCE
The Careers Hub team is a dedicated team to support learners with their placements ensuring that learners have an opportunity to try out potential careers pathways and learn skills and knowledge in the workplace environment.
Our industry placements have been designed to give students a valuable opportunity to put their learning into practice, develop excellent skills and to become truly employable. All Level 3 T Level and Vocational courses include an element of industry placement or work experience, of around 315 hours, equivalent to around 45 full days at work. If you would like to know more about this please contact the college and ask for the Work Experience Team.
INDUSTRY COMMITMENT
Yeovil College works with a wide range of employers who provide placement opportunities, work experience and apprenticeships. As a college, one of our core beliefs is the incorporation of industry into our curriculum and that is why it is so important to us to gain the views of our employer partners and why we work so hard to maintain strong and meaningful relationships. This gives our students the skills and truly be industry-ready.
We are keen to expand our employer base, so if you are a local employer, we are keen to gain your views, opinions and expertise.
HOW WE WORK WITH OUR EMPLOYER PARTNERS
We want our students and employer partners to get the most out of these experience. To this effect, along with our employer partners, we offer:
- Workshops;
- Guest speakers and ‘World of Work’ talks;
- Work experience;
- Work and industry placements;
- Apprenticeships;
- Traineeships;
- Supported Internships;
- Employer focus groups;
- Place Leadership Group;
- Mock interviews.
FAQs about Industry Placements and Work Experience:
Find out the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions here.
This will depend on the course and level you are on. A designated Careers and Work Placement Coordinator will work with your group to guide you through the process.
The Careers and Work Placement team work closely with the Apprenticeship team and the employers. Learners can be offered employment or an Apprenticeship as a result of a successful placement where they have become an asset to the business.
For work experience you are unlikely to be paid by your employer. During an Industry Placement, employers may choose to pay a learner but that is their discretion.
While on placement you will be learning from professionals who will be able to share knowledge and skills to support your learning at College. The Careers and Work Placement team will discuss with the employer the kind of activities they you will be able to complete taking into consideration your safety and wellbeing.
The Careers and Work placement team will work with you to share ideas of placements and the various tools available to support your search. We have a great deal of knowledge about local employers and will be able to support you through this process.
The placement will be with an industry that has some connection to the course you are completing, or it will be related to your future career choices. The skills and knowledge you will learn will help you to better understand options available to you after College.
This will depend on the kind of placement you are attending. The Careers and Work Placement team will discuss activities that you will be able to complete looking at the skills you have learnt at College and how these can be developed during your time on placement.
We would always recommend that you try to find a placement that you can easily get to. Sometimes this is not always possible, and you may need to travel to your placement, we will work closely with you and discuss any support available where applicable.
The vast majority of placements will take place in your hometown or surrounding areas. There may be an opportunity to complete your placement in a different country and the Careers and Work Placement team will need to engage with the employer.
We encourage learners to use contacts to help them find meaningful and relevant placements and would therefore support a placement at a relative’s place of work as long as you are working in a different department and will be supervised by staff who are not related to you. If you have an opportunity of a placement and you are not sure if it meets placement requirement you can check with the Careers and Work Placement team.
At the end of every placement your Supervisor will be asked to complete an Assessment. This is a great opportunity to gain valuable feedback. Employers can be asked if they would provide a reference and many are happy to support learners on their career journey.
Yes, definitely! The experiences and learning are all valuable and it is always worth adding these to your CV as it shows an understanding the working environment.
We would always encourage learners to visit their placement and meet the team before you start. This will help you to feel prepared. Many employers will ask to meet learners for a catch up or informal interview to check that the learner is really interested in the placement opportunity.
All placements are checked to ensure that they are a safe environment for learners. We also check that employers have the correct insurances in place (Employers Liability Insurance). If a placement does not have the necessary insurance and does not meet the safety requirements, we would not authorise the placement. We would however support you to find an alternative placement.
Sometimes going to a new place can be daunting. The Careers and Work Placement team are here to support you. If you have any concerns, please come and speak to us. It might be something little and we can chat to your employer or if the placement isn’t the right one for you, we can look to find an alternative.
Unfortunately, the placement will need to have relevance to your College Course. Work experience rules mean that the placement cannot be paid and this would therefore mean that your place of work could not be used. Industry placements have slightly different rules and if the employer is happy to engage with the college and give feedback on agreed targets, we may be able to use your job.
If you feel unwell and are unable to attend your placement you will need to contact your employer so that they know you won’t be in that day. You should also contact the Careers and Work Placement team as it could be a day that they were planning to visit you on your placement.
The Careers and Work Placement team have the paperwork and can help you to complete the application form. You will need to have various pieces of ID and we can help you with this. The cost for the DBS is £45.00. Some course such as Early Years and Health and Social care will need you to apply for a DBS and the course fees already include the cost of the DBS.
Yes that is fine, if you are struggling to find a placement for a second week we can help you.