Year 10 Work Experience 2024 – 2025
What is work experience?
Work experience is an opportunity for students to visit a place of work and learn about a work based environment. It does not necessarily have to be connected to what you want to become but can also help inform and give vital experience when making decisions on future career choices.
When is Year 10 Work Experience?
We are really pleased to offer the opportunity to our Year 10 students to take part in a work placement outside of school this year. The placement dates will be Monday 9th June to Friday 13th June 2025. During this week, students have the opportunity to learn vital employability skills by working with an employer and experience the world of work in order to prepare them for their future pathways.
Next Steps
For students to take part in a work placement, here are the next steps:
- Launch assembly took place during Aspire lessons w/c Monday 4 November where students were given details about the programme (see Important Documents below for a copy of the assembly slides and for the information letter for parents giving information about the process).
- Students can start researching a placement and approaching employers.
- Students will be given support during Aspire lessons about how to contact employers.
- Once a placement has been agreed by an employer students should login to their Unifrog account and go to the Placements tool. Students should then start a new placement and complete the ‘Student Initial Form’. This will then start the process to approving the Work Placement. The letter to parents below gives an overview of the process using Unifrog.
- Health & Safety checks need to be undertaken before students can start their placement. The earlier that the ‘Student Initial Form’ is completed, then this process can start immediately. The final deadline for creating a new placement on Unifrog to allow a student to take part in the Work Experience week isdeadline is Friday 9 May 2025.
- More information will be given to students to help prepare for their placement in the lead up to the Work Experience week.
Important Documents
Work Experience Launch Assembly Work Experience Preparation Assembly Initial Letter to Parents Work Experience Journal
Year 12 Work Experience 2024-2025
We are really pleased to offer the opportunity to our Year 12 students to take part in a work placement outside of school this year. The placement dates will be Monday 14th to Friday 18th July 2025. During this week, students have the opportunity to learn vital employability skills by working with an employer and experience the world of work in order to prepare them for their future pathways
Next Steps
For students to take part in a work placement, here are the next steps:
- Launch assembly took place on Wednesday 8th January where students were given details about the programme (see Important Documents below for a copy of the assembly slides and for the information letter for parents giving information about the process).
- Students can start researching a placement and approaching employers.
- Support will be given during Aspire lessons about how to contact employers.
- Once a placement has been agreed by an employer students should login to their Unifrog account and go to the Placements tool. Students should then start a new placement and complete the ‘Student Initial Form’. This will then start the process to approving the Work Placement. The letter to parents below gives an overview of the process using Unifrog.
- Health & Safety checks need to be undertaken before students can start their placement. The earlier that the ‘Student Initial Form’ is completed, then this process can start immediately. The final deadline for creating a new placement on Unifrog to allow a student to take part in the Work Experience week is Friday 20th June 2025.
- More information will be given to students to help prepare for their placement in the lead up to the Work Experience week.
Important Documents
Initial Letter to Parents Work Experience Preparations Work Experience Journal
Virtual Work Experience
Virtual Work Experience placements are available through the following organisations. New placements are added continuously so it is important that students check the websites regularly for suitable opportunities:
- Speakers for Schools. There are many placements available with national employers that students would not normally be able to access. These placements can be completed online and will often be over one day, several days or a week. Students can sign-up using the website, search for available placements, apply and receive further information if successful.
- Springpod. Students can set up a login to access the work experience placements and apply for suitable opportunities.
Work Discovery Week
Work Discovery Week is Sunderland’s annual work experience event that’s become a national blueprint on how to engage young people with business, and how to encourage them to gain the skills to improve their employability.
Each year more than 1000 young people take part in a range of challenges, activities, workshops, inspirational lectures and exciting demonstrations held at the Stadium of Light and at businesses across the city.
Events can range from how to construct a racing car to how to control an 8ft high robot, and the fun activities all have a serious message, showcasing the diversity of jobs available across a wide range of sectors.
From brick-laying and welding demonstrations to high-tech challenges, more than 40 city businesses take part.
The event gives students access to some of the city’s biggest employers.
Sector Days:
Our Year 10 and 11 students are able to get involved in sector days throughout the year for industries including: health, utilities, hospitality, engineering and manufacturing, retail, ICT.
Guest Speaker Days:
Students are able to attend guest speaker days throughout the year, giving them the chance to listen to motivational talks by leaders from some of the North East top businesses.
Work Discovery Sunderland is also partnered with the Industrial Cadets Scheme, which allows students taking part in Work Discovery to work towards either a bronze or silver level Industrial Cadet award.
