Research has shown that work experience is highly valued by potential employers, even if it is only a few weeks of being in a professional working environment. So, although your qualification is enormously valuable, a successful work placement may be the deciding factor in helping you gain the employment you seek.
If you can show employers that you have had 3 to 4 weeks of work experience, it will help demonstrate that you have had the opportunity to develop extra skills and gain further practical knowledge about your specialism or industry in general. Some employers would prefer up to 5 to 6 weeks of work experience in a relevant business.
Work experience comes in all forms from shadowing a temporary office junior to working alongside and assisting a designer to the point of being given some responsibility to make design decisions. It is not uncommon for a successful work placement to lead to a job offer on completion of your course.
You won’t get paid but will be expected to subscribe to the work ethic of a particular organisation, however small. That means turning up on time, dressing appropriately, being co-operative and understanding that, as time is money, they are not there to teach you in a way a college course does. It can be a tricky mix of picking up the ‘rules of the game’ and using your initiative.
Check out the National Council for Work Experience
Getting Organised
Though in the past some courses had a period of work placement, it is most likely that you will have to organise this yourself during holiday periods. So there are a few questions you should ask yourself:
- How do I go about arranging work experience?
- Where is the most suitable place to go?
- What do I want to get out of it?
- What are the benefits, skills and experience to be gained?
- How many weeks can I work?
Ask around, network, consult the Yellow Pages, surf the Net, look out for a company that does work that appeals to you and make an approach. Write and telephone enquiring whether they are willing and able to help with a work placement. Even if they have never done it before it doesn’t rule them out this time.
Ask your course tutors if they have suitable contacts, but don’t rely on them to arrange it for you. Part of the experience is about sorting it out for yourself. So show some creative initiative.
You must be prepared to travel if necessary and may find that your home town will have more to offer than Hereford. If your family home is rural then you may have an extra problem of finding anything suitable in the creative industries.
Examples
In the past students have gained valuable work experience in graphic design practices, printers, photographic processing companies, blacksmiths, magazine publishers, art galleries, weaving studios and architectural offices. Virtually any creative business can provide a useful work experience.
More unusual placements have included working in a greetings card company and a London based model making studios.
Precautions
If you are arranging work experience outside of college it is sensible to take a number of precautions. These cover things like understanding health and safety regulations, insurance liability and any rights regarding copyright. As an unpaid student on work placement you need to be aware of what rights you have. Companies must have in place insurance policies covering employer’s liability and public liability. Find out more by going to www.work-experience.org
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