Transcript Voluntary & Community Enterprise

Preparing students for
Work Experience
Helena Collins
www.collane.ie
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
First impressions are important
The students represent the teachers and the
school and therefore the preparation of
the student for work experience is of key
importance
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Current Employment
Market
More challenging
 Use this as a Positive
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 The
students need to take themselves
seriously and be focused about where
they are going, what they want to achieve
and more importantly, what they can do
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Planning and
Preparation
WHAT LOCAL EMPLOYERS ARE LOOKING FOR
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ATTITUDE: Diligent, conscientious, honesty, reliability, pleasant,
enthusiastic, willing, respect for company and staff.
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SKILLS: Communication, literacy, computer (what is specific to
their work experience)
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EXPERIENCE: Doesn’t necessarily have to be course related – use
experience in how they can apply themselves eg. Sports, projects,
interests & hobbies, part time work etc..
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QUALITY!
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Examples
Examples!
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Work experience may not create an
immediate job but it is a great reference
point where they could be contacted again
at a later date if a vacancy arises or
recommend them for another position
through their business networks.
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Preparation
The student should be focused and clear about what
they can do and what they want to achieve out the
work experience placement
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Personal and vocational skills audit
Identify and be clear about specific goals
Types of tasks that they feel comfortable doing and what
they would like to improve on or learn
Identify the days and hours that they can give a
commitment to
Location
Type of work environment
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Preparation and
Planning
The student needs to be aware of their
weaknesses in skills, attitude and ability as well
as the barriers, challenges or difficulties they
may experience in the workplace.
 They should have contingency plans in place to
deal with any challenges they may feel might
hinder the success of their work experience
placement
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The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Strengths
Weakness
What areas do I feel
comfortable in?
What areas do I need to
improve?
Skills
Skills
Ability
Ability
Attitude
Attitude
Opportunities
What
Barriers
are the benefits for
me?
What is there for me to
achieve?
What
is preventing me
from being successful?
What issues do I have to
overcome?
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Curriculum Vitae
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This document is used to promote the student to the prospective
employers.
Recommended that the CV should follow a template
Employers are now screening cv’s and interviewing students for
work experience placements.
They identify areas of competencies expressed in the CV that are
relevant to their organisations requirements,
CV should reflect this by providing the relevant information.
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Curriculum Vitae
It is a selling tool, which should be accurate, adapted
to suit the position being applied for, amended and
updated to reflect new modules and work
experience. What was used last year is no longer
current.
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LAYOUT
LANGUAGE
SPELLING
ACCURACY AND NEATNESS
RELEVANCE OF INFORMATION PROVIDED
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Covering letter
The covering letter is a tool used to screen
and identify the competencies of the
applicant.
e.g. Initiative, neatness, attention to detail,
grammar, spelling, relevance of information
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Covering Letter
Points to be included in letter.
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Addressed directly to the person responsible for
recruitment
Title and position
Reference made to where the position was advertised
Clarify the position which the candidate is applying for
Provide an outline of their qualities, skills, attitude
Letter can be handwritten or typed
Accuracy, layout, grammar and spelling are important.
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Obtaining Work
Experience
Identify companies
 Identify the most appropriate
contact person
 Forward a copy of CV and letter
either by email or post
 Follow up with a call either in
person or by telephone
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The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Going for Interview
Preparation is very important it gives the student
confidence. This is also useful for their Learner Record
and Assessment Report
Talk
to somebody
Do some research
Review their personal and vocational skills audit
Practice answering questions
Bring a copy of their CV
Dress neatly and appropriately
Get clear directions
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Under the Employment
Equality Act 1998
Employers are obliged to ask competency
based questions which enable them to
assess the candidates ability to carry out
the tasks assigned to the position they are
recruiting for
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Questions
Therefore, they would ask questions which start with
“please describe…” or “explain what you did
when…”
These are not hypothetical questions starting with
“when would you,,,,” or “how would you….”
With competency questions, you have to explain the
process or procedure in how you carried out or
dealt with a particular situation you had
experienced.
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Co-ordination
Question
“Please describe a situation when you had several
tasks to complete in one day and your supervisor
asked you to complete another activity.”
This is normally followed by a probing question
“How did you prioritise your workload and how did
it affect you in completing your work load at the
end of the day?”
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
The students should be able to talk
comfortably about what they can do, how
they applied themselves to and the
approaches they took in carrying out their
course work and their interests and
hobbies. Honesty is always recommended.
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Work Experience
KEY TIPS
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Always be on time..
If they are not feeling well..
If they are unsure about the task given to them…
If they have not completed a task…
They should be thorough and neat in their approach to their
work. Keep their work area tidy..
Give adequate notice
They should try to find a way of fitting in
Look for other things to do
Observe or assist them
Keep a daily record
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Daily Record
From an employers perspective
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Provides focus and information of
what the student has completed and
identify areas where the student still
needs to gain experience in
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Assists in evaluation
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Concerns of employers
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They don’t have sufficient time to guide the
student
Not enough work to keep the student busy without
supervision
Having allocated tasks to be completed the
student does not arrive for work
The tasks assigned do not challenge the student
and provide the opportunity to develop sufficiently
The student reacts negatively to constructive
criticism
The student does not participate actively with the
team, to support and observe them
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Feedback from
employers
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Great resource to assist company
during busy periods, get tasks
completed that are left and provide
cover and support for staff
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Fresh ideas of how things could be
carried out more efficiently or up to
date procedures and processes
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Good opportunity to identify
potential employees
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
The success of the student on
work experience placement is a
reflection on the tutors and the
Institute
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Overview & Questions
Planning & Preparation
 C.V. & Covering Letter
 Interview
 Conduct on Work Placement
 Expectations & Feedback from
Employers
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The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net
Thank you!
Presented by: Helena Collins
049-4371500
www.collane.ie
The LCVP is funded by the Department of Education and Science
under the National Development Plan
www.lcvptpn.net