Meden School

Introduction

This year we are taking the opportunity to inform parents, carers and students well in advance of our Work Experience Programme, a valuable part of life in Year 10.

Work Experience will take place over 1 week:

Monday 11th-Friday 15th May 2020

Please read the booklet and feel free to contact Mr Gibbon (located in the Admin Office) or Mrs Knight, should you have any concerns or questions.

Why do Work Experience?

Work Experience is an opportunity for you to spend 1 week outside of the class- room, learning about a particular job or area of work. It can play a key role in help- ing you to develop an understanding of the world of work.

During the placement you will be able to find out what skills employers look for when they are hiring someone to fill a job vacancy and it will give you an insight in- to what going to work is really like.

You will also get the chance to develop your self-confidence and communication skills. This will help you to work better with other people in further or higher education, as well as in your future career.

Getting as much work experience as possible in your chosen career or areas that you are interested in will help you in the future. It will look good on your CV and be useful to include on job applications.

Do not forget, all experience is valuable to your development, even if it is not directly related to what you would like to pursue as a career in the future. Employ- ers like to know that you are capable of working hard and working with others and will often use your work experience placement as a reference. How will I benefit from Work Experience?

Everyone who completes their placement will benefit in many ways that will help them when they return to school, and later in their career. For example:

 Having to attend an interview  Experiencing what it is like to be an employee  Starting and finishing at different times  Different travelling arrangements  Meeting new people and learning new things  Being treated like an adult  Being given new responsibilities  Some placements issue projects to be completed during the placement  Some students are offered part time or holiday jobs at the end

Finding a work placement

We are expecting students to find and arrange their own work placement. You will also receive guidance and support from Tutors, teachers, Mr Gibbon and Mrs Knight.

Students can apply to any business/organisation. We have 100’s of placements in the Nottinghamshire area, already with detailed job descriptions and contact information. This is however not the only way to find a placement. Placements not previously used can be approached however these placements will need to be health and safety checked prior to you going on work experience. Family, friends and neighbours may be really useful in identifying other possible placements. This year students will also have access to the work experience database which has de- tails of thousands of pre-checked placements across the county. Students can use this to get the details of relevant positions, including contact information, enabling students to secure the right placements. Log on details are found at the end of this booklet. There will be opportunities provided to use school facilities (e.g. computer rooms). Stu- dents should use their own initiative in gaining access to computers in school (e.g. breaks, lunchtimes and after school). Don’t worry if you do not have internet access at home just let Mr. Gibbon or Mrs Knight know and they will look to provide extra help if needed.

All placements must be cleared for Health and Safety by “Safety Measures” and for them to do this we must pass on details of employers to them as soon as possible. All placements must be arranged by: Friday 3rd April 2020 Applying for a work placement

You should identify the kind of work you would like to do.

Use the internet/Yellow Pages/ or check on the work experience data base. Consider local businesses in Warsop, Shirebrook, Mansfield etc. the chances are we’ve used these placements before and they will therefore be more willing to take students again. Have a couple of ideas just in case. Some work placements may be popular and you may not get your first choice. Before you apply for a position, please let Mr Gibbon or Mrs Knight know your intentions. This ensures only 1 student application per vacancy. Do it early to avoid disappointment! Once agreed with Mr Gibbon or Mrs Knight it is a good idea to telephone the employer to confirm your interest. You should then, if required, apply in writing to the employer. Students should use the ‘Model letter’ at the back of this booklet to help. This letter can also be accessed on the school computer network.

School DrivesStudent SharedYear 10 Work Experience

Letters should be checked by your Tutor before you send them out. (NB Your Tutor is the key member of staff when organising your work experience placement.)

If a letter is to be sent this should be accompanied by:  Placement Confirmation Form (see example at back of this booklet)  Stamped addressed envelope

For all confirmed placements, we will need a Placement Confirmation form from the employer and where possible a copy of their Employers Liability Insurance.

All of the above forms are available on the shard drive from Mr Gibbon or Mrs Knight.

Keep a record of when letters were sent. If you don’t hear anything after 2 weeks, chase it up with a phone call. Don’t give up after one attempt! You may need to apply to several companies before you get a placement. Most replies from employers will be sent back to school in the sae provided. As soon as the school has a reply, students will be informed. If you receive a reply directly from the employer please let Mr Gibbon or Mrs Knight know as soon as possible so the placement can be arranged.

Dear Employer

Thank you for considering offering a work experience placement to a student from Meden School.

We are working hard at school to ensure that the students of today become the well qualified and skilled workforce of the future. Your co-operation and generosity is invaluable to us and we hope that by working together in partnership we can both reap the rewards in the future.

I recognise that you are very busy but would request a prompt response to enable students to finalise details or seek alternative placements.

Please complete the enclosed Placement Confirmation Form and return to me in the stamped addressed envelope provided. We will contact you shortly to arrange any requested inter- views and complete the required paperwork.

Thank you for your help,

Yours sincerely

Mr T Gibbon Work Related Learning Co-ordinator (Work Related Learning/Information, Advice and Guidance)

Example of a Functional CV

STUDENT John Smith - Meden School, Burns Lane, Warsop, Mansfield, Notts, NG20 0QN

PROFILE I have been interested in sport since a very young age and have been taking part very seriously for the last 2 years. During this time I have become involved in the Junior Sports Leadership program at school. I believe this has helped me to become better organized in both my school and personal life. My sporting strengths and interests are in both golf and football. I would consider myself to be a strong-willed, positive person with the determination succeed. My ambition is to do well and progress to a professional role in Sports Leadership.

EDUCATION Meden School and Technology College - currently studying for my GCSE’s. For my options I am studying Sport, Food and Music.

EXPERIENCE In early 2016I spent some time gaining professional experience, working at Sportsworld as a Sales Assistant. Whilst there I had the opportunity to develop my experience and understanding around sports and aspects of retail work. This experience was both challenging and rewarding and helped me to improve my customer service skills.

COMPUTER I have a good all round understanding of computers and experience of most SKILLS Microsoft Packages.

ADDITIONAL As well as sports I enjoy film, socialising with friends and all aspects of music, INTERESTS including playing the guitar.

FURTHER ED- Post 16, when I have completed my GCSE’s, I plan to attend college to study sports UCATION and sports leadership. Thank You Letters

There’s no doubt that sending a letter of thanks to your placement provider will mean a lot to them. Every placement provider has made an effort to make your placement successful. They deserve more than just saying thank you on your last day (though you must do that too). Send your letter as soon as your placement’s over. You can buy ‘Thank You’ cards but because they don’t take much time or effort from you they don’t mean as much. Write your letter sincerely so that people reading it feel as if you were there speaking to them every time they read it. There’s a layout for a suitable letter below, but remember it’s the personal touch that matters. Don’t just copy this one; compose your own.

1 Sherwood Street Write to the person in charge Warsop e.g. the Head Teacher or Mansfield Branch Manager Notts NG19 7QQ

Mr J Smith BT Building Limited Kestral Lane Mansfield NG18 5TT Include something that meant a 10 November 2019 lot to you; it will make your letter seem real

Work Experience For Meden School 2019/20

Dear Mr Smith,

I would really like to thank you for the opportunities given to me last week on my work experience placement. Your staff were all so welcoming and friendly. They made me feel like part of the team and that all the work I did made a real contribution. I see how the qualifications I’m working for now will help me later on, so my enthusiasm to achieve the grades I need is renewed.

Please will you pass on my thanks to everyone who made my work experience so worthwhile, I am particularly grateful to Mr Jones who helped me so much. Mention anyone who was particularly helpful to you; it may help them in their Yours sincerely career.

John Smith

John Smith Put a copy of your letter in your portfolio. Don’t forget to put a stamp on the envelope, it spoils the effect if the employer has to pay for the letter.

Emergency Details

It is important that you fill ALL of this in. If you are taken ill at work your parent (s)/carer(s) may need to be contacted so the emergency number is especially important. If you are unable to attend your placement, you must ring both your school and the placement to let them know.  Your emergency contact person…  Contact telephone number…  School…  Relevant person in school …  Health problems that may be relevant…  Placement address…  Placement Telephone number…  Email address…  Name of main contact…  Name of supervisor…

Planning & Preparation Checklist

Before your placement you will need to complete a number of tasks related to planning and preparation. Each task is quite straightforward. Work through them carefully. Use the checklist below to help you.

 Read through the pages in this folder carefully

 Confirm with the Company you will be going to, dress code and lunch ar- rangements

 Look at the opportunities for the development of skills

 Discuss the placement with your parent(s)/carer(s) and your teacher(s)

 Telephone your work supervisor before the placement. You should in- troduce yourself and confirm your pre-placement interview, if you are having one.

 Complete the ’ Emergency Details…’ questions in the PLACEMENT section.

 Calculate your travel costs

 Calculate what time you will need to leave home to get to your placement

 Plan to arrive ten minutes early

 Organise your teacher/adult visit

Meden School Burns Lane Warsop Mansfield Notts NG20 0QN Mr J Smith BT Building Limited Kestral Lane Mansfield NG18 5TT

10 January 2020 Dear Mr Smith The Meden School Work Experience 2019/20

I wish to apply for a one week work experience placement at BT Building Limited from Monday Monday 11th-Friday 15th May. I am 15 years old and a Year 10 student at Meden School. As part of the Work Related Learning Programme all Year 10 students need to gain experience in the work place.

I am very keen on practical work and would enjoy working in this area. I am reliable, punctual and have an excellent attendance record at school.

I am studying seven GCSE subjects. I have particularly enjoyed the practical work in Design and Technology.

I enjoy an active social life and play football and cricket for the school teams and at local league level for Market Warsop. I was also selected to represent the school at cricket in the Mansfield District Cricket League.

I would be happy to be interviewed for a placement if required. If I am successful could you please complete and return the enclosed ‘Placement Confirmation Form’ to the school in the stamped addressed envelope provided.

Thank you for considering my application.

Yours sincerely

Paul Smith Enc. My CV, s.a.e

Mon 11th -Fri 15th May 2020

The Meden School Burns Lane, Warsop, Mansfield. Notts. NG20 0QN Please contact Mr T. Gibbon Telephone 01623843517

Student Process to look at placements on the Work Experience Database.

 Go to: http://safetymeasures.work-experience.co.uk

 Click on Student Login

 User Name: medenstudent

 Password: Meden33! (Note this MUST be a capital M)

 Click ‘Search for Placements’

 Enter information into as many fields as required:  e.g. Choose ‘Retail Business’ from the category Drop down box, and enter the first part of the postcode, eg. NG20

 The results will show in a list at the bottom of the page.

 Click on the Job Title (e.g. Retail Asst)  This give you more details of the job including address and contact details.  On the left hand side you can click to view the location on a ‘Google Map’  Also a link is given to a Travel line Journey Planner to plan the route to get there.  At the bottom of the page it lets you know if the placement is Approved for Health and Safety and what date it expires.

 There is also an option to print the page from here (prints Black and White).

Please note agreement must be made with the employer to take you on placement. Just because they are on the database does not mean they will take you on a place- ment.