Never has it been more important to connect young people with opportunities and experience, but never has it felt more of a challenge.
Lockdown has been a double whammy. With everyone working and studying from home, young people have missed out on chances to visit workplaces, meet professionals and gain experience.
At the same time, companies have been working out how to manage their organisation remotely and look after their staff. When you are not sure if and how you will go back to working from the office, how can you offer a student placement?
Offering work experience feels impossible.
For many organisations offering work experience has fallen off the agenda – it just feels too difficult. Some companies are making an effort and offering it remotely via Zoom sessions, with work assignments set online. But young people have told us the experience is sucked dry of real learning and motivation.
Young people get a real insight into careers and work through face to face interaction and collaboration with professionals. Human interaction and opportunities for informal chats and feedback give work experience its value.
There is another way.
Even as teams remain largely working from home, a project based approach to work experience creates a focussed opportunity to bring employees together to guide and support real work that is being delivered by a team of young people.
This model was developed specifically for a world of flexible and remote working where teams collaborate on projects.
Companies take the role of client – setting the brief and giving feedback at key points and on the final presentation. They may also offer coaching on technical aspects of developing and delivering the project, and give young people short presentations on their career story.
Importantly the young people are delivering real work that will be used by the company. They get to understand where the value lies and what it takes to get the work done. They get to collaborate with professionals and hear their stories.
Why not commission a project that young people can deliver?
Delivering work experience as a project enables your company to:
- Reach and inspire many more young people
- Get young people’s creative input into something you need
- Get your team involved in a fun, motivating and developmental opportunity
- Make a real impact on the skills and confidence of young people.
We Rise has a track record of delivering high quality projects that delight our clients and also create inspirational experiences for young people.
Sound interesting?
Then please get in touch: abigail@werise.org.uk