As part of our ongoing Careers provision we have again highlighted the importance of work experience, both in block and long term formats.

We have utilised over 14 employers across the past year in work experience, offering a variety of placements. These have included Co-Op, local schools, a stables, Jungle Jeans Play Centre, local car garages, dog groomers, local builders and own placements. Own placements are where the pupils go to work with a family member, or has found a placement themselves and is approved.

We have had pupil engagement for long term placements from both MHEP and main school site. Pupil focus remains on the one-week work experience in February as a launch point for placements. This can then be supplemented by further placements as necessary throughout KS4.

Our Year 10 work experience week continues to be in February as we have seen higher likelihood of employer engagement and ease of finding placements, however securing placements still continues to be problematic for some choices due to age restrictions, i.e. working on building sites, and also companies changing focus to flexi work after the COVID recovery which means full week placements are sometimes not available.

We have hybridised some placements, for example one pupil is doing an 11am – 2pm placement to fit in with the employer. We find placements in ICT sector hardest to secure due to the nature of flexi working from the workforce, rather than lack of employer engagement.

Alongside work experience we have continued to support and promote ‘employer encounters’ across the school. We have engaged in a WIlliams F1 event where pupils were able to speak to technicians and use the simulators. Engaged with CEMEX where pupils visited their Southampton site and toured their dredger ship. Visited CEMAST for a multi-trade careers day, which brought about bespoke visits to trade partners such as Selwood in Chandlers Ford. The Tech:Truck are also visiting us in the Spring Term, for the whole school to look at how technology in used in various careers.  Watch this space for a piece on their visit.

We are also involved in a yearlong project between Southampton Train Station and Saints Foundation where four pupils are working to maintain a platform at the station. These opportunities prove to be invaluable and lead to a greater sense of engagement in career opportunities as well as personal development alongside their full time education.