Work Experience and Industry Placements

Work experience plays an essential role in developing the confidence of learners in the workplace and it is through the positive engagement of employers, offering work experience and industry placements, that our students are able to put their classroom-based learning into practice.

Work Experience

Could you be a work experience host?

Work experience is an important element of learning and development for students, one that contributes towards their future employment. After all, today’s work experience candidates are tomorrow’s employees. Work experience provides learners with a better understanding of the workplace, boosting their confidence, and allowing them to engage with their local business community in a positive way.

How can work experience benefit your business

It’s not just the work experience candidate that benefits from a positive placement – your business, your colleagues, the local community, and wider UK economy benefits as well. Work experience can:

• Provide a fresh and new perspective into your work practices especially with new technology and social media that some young people are more familiar with
• Develop supervisory, mentoring and managerial skills within your workforce
• Provide an opportunity to trial a candidate with the prospect of them going into full-time employment or an apprenticeship at a later date – saving on expensive recruitment fees
• Enhance your business’ reputation within the local community, helping to create a positive public profile
• Promote workforce diversity
• Support staff with outstanding or on-going projects

Industry Placements

What is an Industry Placement?

Industry placements play a big part in preparing young people for the world of work. It is a valuable addition to their learning programme and allows them to put theoretical skills into practice. For the employer, it is a great opportunity to bring in extra resource, fresh ideas and scout for future talent. 

What do Industry Placements entail?

Unlike work experience, students on industry placements stay within the business for longer than just 1 or 2 weeks. Students are expected to complete 315 hours during their placement, and this work is unpaid unless the employer would like to pay a wage or contribute toward travel expenses. 

When do Industry Placements take place?

Full-time courses at Cambridge Regional College are 3 days a week, leaving 2 days a week for industry placement. Students will only be expected to work at their placements during term time.

An established vehicle body repair centre talked of how having an industry placement student from Cambridge Regional College gave them faith in apprenticeships. Matt Cooper, of Cooper Barnes, took on a student who came to the firm twice a week for a year, alongside his studies at CRC. The placement was such a success that Matt offered the student a full-time apprenticeship. Read the full story here.

Helpful documents 

Quick Facts – Cambridge Regional College

Employer Information Guide – Department of Education 

Line Manager Guide – Department of Education

Benefits to Employers – Department of Education 

Contact us to find out more

For more information or to discuss hosting a student for work experience or an industry placement, please contact Sarah Fielding on 07514 642353 or email sfielding@camre.ac.uk