Work Experience Programme

Summary:

The Work Experience Programme provides employers with the opportunity to offer meaningful work experience which can provide a valuable contribution to the development of people’s employability skills and career aspirations.

The Work Experience Programme is open to 16-65 year olds who are unemployed or in receipt of benefits. Employers who provide a person with a work experience placement may receive an incentive payment of £250.

Opportunity Guarantee

The Opportunity Guarantee strand of the Work Experience Programme is for young people aged 16-24 years old. Employers may provide Opportunity Guarantee placements where they will be in a position to offer the young person an interview for a job or apprenticeship at the end of the placement.

Employers who provide an Opportunity Guarantee placement will receive an additional £250 incentive payment at the end of the placement.

Eligibility criteria:

Employers will be asked to sign an agreement setting out the terms and conditions of the programme.

For the Work Experience Programme, employers need to be willing to host a work experience participant for a period of two to eight weeks.

For Opportunity Guarantee, employers need to be willing to host a participant for a period of thirteen weeks, be in a recruitment position and willing to offer participants an interview for a job or apprenticeship.

Additional information:

Employers will not be asked to make any payments to participants on the programme - participants will retain their benefit entitlement during the period of work experience.

Benefits for employers include:

  • an opportunity to develop the supervisory and management skills of your workforce as staff can act as “buddies” or mentors
  • a valuable means of enhancing the public profile of your business and support your local community by contributing to economic development in your local area
  • a valuable contribution by your business to the development of people’s employability skills and career aspirations
  • an opportunity to provide a platform for people to gain an understanding of the structure and reality of working life by active participation in a work setting
  • an opportunity to access the local labour market and explore a pool of hidden talent - people who offer enthusiasm and a fresh perspective to your business
  • promotes workforce diversity
  • contributes to Construction Skills Register objectives
  • an opportunity to engage with someone on work experience on a trial basis before signing a contract of employment
Support organisation:
  • Department for Communities (DfC)
Contact:
Employer Adviser in your local Jobs & Benefits office
Find out more:
Work Experience Programme
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