Millions of TV viewers woke up to see students from one of our schools discussing the benefits of work experience after a visit from BBC Breakfast.
A new national study has revealed less than half of all GCSE pupils go on placements, with the findings from The Key Group suggesting cost and changes to working practices after the pandemic were important factors in why so few students were getting opportunities to experience working life.
The BBC interviewed a number of Year 11 students at Perryfields Academy to get an insight into what they’d done, what they’d learnt, and how the school had supported them through the experience overall.
Frederick Asante spent two weeks learning design skills, contributing to two mobile phone apps for major companies:
“I chose engineering as a GCSE so it’s helped with how I think about the subject and how I use things like CAD and 3d Design. I will consider Product Design as a future career but there are still other things I’m interested in too. I think people shouldn’t be negative towards work experience, just give it a shot, even if its something you think you won’t want to do in the future at least you gave it a go and now know it’s not something for you and you can look into other things. It’s really beneficial for yourself to experience other things, I really enjoyed the challenge of making something the best it can be.”
Broadleaf Partnership Trust Chief Executive Claire Pritchard says it’s an area both Perryfields and the other schools within the Trust feel passionately about:
“There is so much our children can learn in the classroom but equally, so many valuable experiences that we need to make sure are afforded to all of our students to complement this – work experience and career insights are top of that list. Across Broadleaf Partnership Trust we take this responsibility seriously, particularly as we know that our families don’t have equal access to the professional networks and connections that generate opportunity. It is a ‘must’ for us that all students are exposed to the workplace during their time with us in secondary education and we work incredibly hard to achieve this, through cultivating networks across alumni, Chambers of Commerce and LinkedIn to name a few. The obvious benefit to our learners is the exploration of a career pathway but we also see them return with an appreciation for how this has developed their employability skills, maturity, resilience and confidence.”
If you think you or your business can help provide a work experience opportunity for any of our students please get in touch via enquiry@broadleafpt.co.uk
We’re looking for a wide range of employment opportunities, with previous students working in industries as varied as the service sector, construction, education, healthcare and graphic design.