Work experience is often the first contact your child will have with the world of work. It forms part of their careers education and allows them to observe and learn – not to do activities which require extensive training or experience.
Talking to your child about the benefits of work experience can help them to understand how useful it can be. Some of the benefits of work experience are it:
- provides a valuable insight into the skills required for a particular job
- is an opportunity to test out a job to see if your child really likes it
- can broaden their knowledge of jobs they have never considered
- will increase their awareness of their own skills and strengths
- helps them understand how the subjects they study in school link to certain jobs
- provides an insight into what the world of work is really like and what employers expectations are
- can increase their motivation to do well in school
- is an opportunity to make contacts with potential employers
- can give them experience which can be useful for their CV and provide referees
- will help them appreciate the skills needed to succeed in the labour market
