Year 10 Experience the World of Work

The week leading up to the February half term saw approximately 240 Year 10 students complete a highly successful week of work experience. A key part of careers education at Bishop Luffa, this programme gives students the opportunity to develop a wide range of essential skills and experience the realities of the workplace first-hand. 

Students worked hard to secure their own placements, contacting employers directly and organising opportunities across a wide range of sectors. These included Alphapet Vets, Bailiffscourt Hotel, Bognor Motors, Brent Lodge Wildlife Hospital, Brinsbury College, Chichester College, Chichester Community Development Trust, Collaborate Global, Global Technologies Racing, Goodwood, HNW Architects, Jam Café, Kamsons Pharmacy, NHS, Rolls Royce, Royal Navy, Summer Berry Company and many more. Several students chose to return to their old primary schools and nurseries to explore careers in education and childcare – a nostalgic and rewarding experience for both the students and their primary school teachers.

Leading up to the placements, students experienced a mixture of emotions: excitement, anticipation and understandably some nerves. During the week their confidence grew significantly. Students strengthened their communication skills and developed greater responsibility, independence, professionalism, teamwork and patience. They also gained valuable industry-specific knowledge and skills. These ranged from producing videos, designing houses and using CAD software, to assisting with animal care, serving customers, leading groups, changing tyres, planting trees, building computers, understanding cyber security risks and scheduling meetings. 

Employers were impressed with the students’ enthusiasm and maturity, describing them as having a ‘consistently positive attitude’, being ‘a pleasure to host’, ‘polite and courteous’, and ‘a great addition to our team’. One employer commented that a student’s ‘attitude, ethics and personality illuminated my workplace’, while another described their placement student as ‘by far one of the most confident and capable students we have seen’. One client was so impressed with a student’s architectural design work that he remarked he wanted “to take it home”— the employer said it was ‘a true testament to the quality and clarity of the student’s work’. Some students were offered further work experience, employment and encouragement to apply for future apprenticeships.

We are very proud of all the Year 10 students for making the most of their work experience and representing themselves and the school so positively. The excellent feedback about their work ethic and attitudes reinforces the importance of providing such real-world experience.

We are very grateful to everyone involved in supporting our work experience programme. Please get in touch with hoppa@bishopluffa.org.uk if you work for a company who may be able to offer a work experience opportunity in the future.

Angie Hopp, Careers Coordinator