WORK EXPERIENCE & PLACEMENTS

Work Experience and Placements Overview

All full time students at Wigan & Leigh College will undertake an external placement or some form of work experience as part of their study programme. There are several different forms of placements and work experience, depending on the course you are studying:

• Mandatory Work Placements – external work placements which are a requirement of the course you are studying e.g. for the Level 3 National Extended Diploma in Health & Social Care, it is mandatory for students to complete 100 hours in a work placement as part of their course content.
• Industry Placements – substantial external work placements aligned with certain courses, particularly T Level qualifications. Any student on an Industry Placement will be asked to complete a minimum of 45 days placement as part of their qualification.
• Standard Work Placement – any student not asked to complete a Mandatory or Industry Placement, will be asked to complete a minimum of 2-5 days placement with a suitable organisation.
• Other Work Experience – the College will also try to arrange other forms of work experience, such as group projects arranged by employers at their site or using our facilities. In addition, the College will also arrange industry training sessions and online “virtual” placements.

Benefits

Students benefit from placements or work experience in the following ways:

• Build and develop their technical skills, increasing their competence and ability to progress into skilled employment;
• Develop their employability soft skills such as communication, adapting to change, teamwork and problem-solving;
• Gain an in-depth knowledge of the running of a business and how it responds to change, as well as the commercial principles;
• Are offered the opportunity of maybe securing a job or an apprenticeship with the employer at the end of the industry placement after completing their course;
• Have the prospect of being written a more meaningful employer reference that will help when applying for future job;
• Will network and connect with other organisations linked to the placement which will help to identify future job roles;
• Experience personal growth, develop self-reliance, learn to step outside of their comfort zone, build confidence and learn to identify their strengths and preferences for future career options.

Resources

Wigan & Leigh College’s Work Placement Team will provide guidance and advice for students attending placements or work experience. The team will support you and your tutors with your placement plans and organise the arrangements with the employer.

You can contact the team on 01942 761530 or email workplacements@wigan-leigh.ac.uk. Alternatively, please message either Andrew Fleetwood or Cliona Trueman using your MS Teams platform, if you need contact urgently.

The Work Placement Team will help with:

• Sourcing placement vacancies with employers through our wide network of contacts.
• Arranging the health and safety checks, so that the College know you are attending a safe environment.
• Monitoring your development and progress in the placement.
• Providing assistance with the College’s work placement software, GroFar.

WIGAN & LEIGH COLLEGE WORK PLACEMENT PLATFORM – GROFAR

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