Year 12 Work Shadowing

A key part of our Higher Education and Career guidance programme is the opportunity all Year 12 students are given the opportunity to participate in work shadowing placements. Our experience shows that work shadowing is as essential as gaining the correct A-level grades when applying to university and for employment. All students benefit enormously from what they learn from such placements since they:

• Develop interpersonal skills
• Act as means of researching potential careers
• Prove genuine commitment to a particular course or career
• Enhance UCAS personal statements and CVs

We use Unifrog (www.unifrog.org) to manage the administration of our Work Shadowing Programme. It supports us to collect relevant information from the employer, including their risk assessments and health & safety policy. It is through this platform that we obtain the consent of parents and guardians.

• Autumn Term – Students receive an introduction to the Work Shadowing programme and are encouraged to start looking for placements.
• Spring Term – Students must confirm the placement with the employers first and then, once a placement is agreed, the student can then add the placement to their Unifrog account. The Unifrog system will then email the employer, the parent/guardian and the school to collect the necessary information and permissions.
• Summer Term – Placement takes place in July.

After each placement, there is an opportunity for employers and students to reflect and provide feedback.

Please click on the below links for further guidance:

This year our students have undertaken work shadowing placements in a wide variety of sectors such as law, education, marketing, medicine, politics, pharmaceuticals, finance, retail, engineering and much more!

Here is what some of the employers had to say of the experience:

“The student was one of the most involved work placements we have had. Nothing was too much trouble for him. He showed initiative and was very involved and keen to learn everything.”

“The student participated in helping Fee Earners with their cases. She was given an introduction to the Law, the Court Systems in England and Wales, and the different areas of legal practice.”

“the student worked across various departments within the business including manufacturing, planning, internal sales, HR/Wages, Accounts, the laboratory, the innovation centre and engineering. Each person responsible for the student gave positive feedback on her great communication skills and ability to perform the tasks given.”

“The student has been a credit to himself, his family, and his school whilst here and has proved the merits of the work experience scheme. His attitude and work ethic will stand him in good stead as he progresses in life. It has been a pleasure to have him here.”

If you are interested in participating in our work shadowing scheme by supporting one of our students at your workplace, please click here to get in touch.