Introduction
Hi, I’m Hollie, a Year 13 student at The Buckingham School, currently gaining work experience in Buckinghamshire Council’s Youth Voice Bucks (YVB) team. In July 2024, I completed a three-day work experience placement there and enjoyed it so much that I decided to ask to continue the placement. From September 2024, I attended every Wednesday afternoon.
I have written this article for adults working in organisations across Buckinghamshire who could potentially host work experience students. In this article, I’ll be sharing why offering a work experience placement is worthwhile and some top tips to make it a success.
Key messages
Giving Value to the organisation:
As a staff member, hosting work experience can bring your team fresh perspectives, insights, and talents. Young people have a wide range of skills that we can use during our work experience. These will complement your team’s skill set and we may even teach colleagues in your team something new.
Giving Value to the Young Person:
There is currently a lack of fulfilling and enriching work experience placements for young people, which means we struggle to find opportunities to gain job experience. Work experience placements are often limited to primary schools or charity shops – I have experienced this first hand. Those who are able to gain enriching work experience usually find it through people they already know, so ‘good’ placements tend to only be accessed by those with certain privileges.
Your organisation will feature a range of job types, so offering work experience placements can give young people the chance to explore different roles and find the experience they need. This kind of opportunity doesn’t just help young people gain insights into the working world—it’s also great for our careers development. It allows us to build skills, explore our interests, and take important steps toward achieving our future goals.
My Work Experience with Youth Voice Bucks
In July 2024, I completed 3 days of work experience organised by Krissie Hutton in the YVB team. She organised different meetings for me to go to, like meeting a social worker and attending the SEND Employment Forum. These 3 days allowed me to understand more and gave me insight into the local community, social work and other relevant topics.
Since September I have been working primarily with Youth Voice Bucks. Here, I discovered a talent for the curation of digital resources and media that the YVB have used for various meetings and events. This work experience has given my insight into a more realistic working environment, as I have been completing tasks that are included in the work that the YVB team does.

Top Tips for Work Experience Hosts
Create a Risk Assessment
Work placements can come with some risks, so be prepared, especially if your placement student is a young person. Risk assessments help the student and staff members manage the risks involved in the placement and how to keep you both safe. Press the button below to see a template!
Risk Assessment – YVB work experience
Provide a Warm Welcome
Meeting new people in an unfamiliar environment can be daunting for a young person. To ease their nerves, ensure they are familiar with the key areas where they’ll be working. This includes practical spaces like the kitchen, cupboards, stationery areas, printers, and toilets, as well as introducing them to the team they’ll interact with. During my work placement, I was given a tour of the Walton Street offices, which made me feel much more secure. Knowing where to find the café, toilets, and the specific floor where I was based helped me feel confident navigating the space independently.
Assign a Key Worker
Having a consistent member of staff to work with during my placement was important to me. It made me feel more comfortable and secure, knowing there was someone I could approach with any concerns or questions. A key worker also helps create a sense of continuity, as they can track your progress and provide tailored guidance throughout the placement. For example, my key worker made time for regular check-ins, which allowed me to discuss what I was enjoying, areas where I needed more support, and any new tasks I wanted to try. However, I did work with other members of the council and YVB team, but I knew prior to the day that I would be working with another member of staff or team.
Offer Tailored Tasks
Many work experience providers give their young person menial tasks every time, which can make the work experience less fulfilling and enjoyable for us.
Taking time into understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the young person can ensure they are given tasks they enjoy and excel at. During my placement, I discovered a talent for creating digital media for the YVB team, and as a result, I was given various projects that allowed me to develop this skill further.
Doing this means that both you and the young person will both benefit from the placement, as you can receive high quality work or tasks, and the young person can enhance their skills.
Keep Track of Progress
Keeping track of progress allows you both to reflect on what has been achieved. This can be especially helpful for the young person when preparing presentations about their work experience or building portfolios for future opportunities where their experience is relevant. During my placement, my key worker and I used a spreadsheet to log our activities each week. Additionally, I created an online folder to store the digital work I produced. These tools made it easy to review our progress and quickly locate resources when needed.
Similarly, allocate time to reflect on the work placement to see what has been going well, and what could be improved – for both your and their expectation.
If the placement is a part of your work experience students school arrangements, ensure you keep track on your contact with their school. A member of staff may check in every few sessions to check the student is attending, so make sure you reply swiftly.
Celebrate Contributions
Celebrating the young person’s achievements and contributions is an important aspect of the work placement. Acknowledging their efforts shows them that their work has been valuable and appreciated by the team. This not only boosts confidence but also motivates them to continue giving their best.
Call to Action
I hope this example has inspired you to consider hosting a work experience student. To progress with this, follow these steps:
- Express your interest in hosting a work experience student to your manager
- Develop ideas for activities and tasks – Where could they add value?
- Discuss your ideas with your team and colleagues and confirm with your manager
- Check in with HR, if relevant. It is best to create a risk assessment.
- Find a student! You could contact a local school or youth group, or explore your organisation’s specific networks.
Conclusion
Work experience placements aren’t just beneficial for students—they’re also a great way to discover potential future colleagues and make a positive impact on society by helping young people gain the skills and confidence they need for their careers.

