For 2 weeks, year 10 students of Downham Market Academy will be leaving their comfort zone as they enter the intimidating world of work.
Since the start of 2013, year 10 students have been preparing for their work experience. This could have included researching their chosen job, practicing key skills and developing their confidence around people. This week marks the time where they put these new abilities to the test. All over England, the most popular placements for work experience are often retail, health and social care, office work and manual labour jobs such as a builder or mechanic.
During the two weeks, students of Downham Market Academy will be treated like any other employee at their work placement. They will work the same hours as their colleagues and be expected to arrive on time, they must follow all the safety rules carefully just like any other employee to ensure no one in the workplace is threatened and last but not least, they must follow all instructions given- no exceptions!
Despite the rules and regulations, work experience should hopefully be enjoyable to the youngsters. They will meet new people, therefore developing their communication skills and they will be presented with new challenges, which will give them a head-start in life. This experience will ultimately make the teenagers feel more comfortable about leaving school, as they have been given an insight into what working life is really like. Whatever they learn will aid them greatly in the future, from tackling a photocopier to creating an entire webpage from scratch, from bricklaying to working a cash register.
Each student in year 10 has been given a blue diary, in which they are expected to record everything they achieved during the day and their thoughts and feelings towards it. This is very beneficial for the teens as it will ensure that they do not forget anything they learnt. There are lots of activities in the diary to complete when there is time, such as interviewing a colleague and questionnaires, so students will always be kept busy, even when there is no work from their supervisor.
Finally, to all year 10 students of Downham Market Academy- We wish you good luck!
