Work experience for students is a great way to gain practical insight into a certain role or industry. At the same time, you get the chance to develop valuable skills that employers look for in a potential employee.

According to the Department of Education’s report, students who partake in work experience are more likely to be employed in a professional or managerial role within two and a half years of graduation. Therefore, work experience is a great way of securing a future employment position and reaching your future career potential.

It is important to note that anyone can undertake work experience at any stage of their career. However, it is particularly beneficial to those who have an absence of experience in the world of work.

Benefits of Work Experience for Students

There are so many benefits to obtaining work experience, such as:

  • Helping to Confirm Your Career Direction

    You can gain insight into a specific role, business or industry. This can assist you in deciding whether it is what you had imagined and whether you see yourself there in the future.

  • Putting Theory Into Practice

    Work experience allows you to apply specific knowledge from your studies to a real-life setting. This will allow you to see your academic abilities put to action, helping you grow in confidence and envision your future potential.

  • Developing Valuable Transferable Skills

    Employers look for potential in future employees and they highlight the importance of transferable skills. Some of the most sought-after transferable skills include effective communication, initiative, teamwork, organisation and integrity. These can be gained no matter what sector or industry you do your work experience in.

  • Providing an Opportunity to Network

    Networking will be important throughout your career. It can present future opportunities relating to the job market, resources, and potential clients and partners. As such, it’s never too early to start networking to give yourself the best chance of reaching your future potential.

  • Gaining a Deeper Understanding of the Working World

    Work experience can help make your transition to the workplace much easier. It gives you the chance to develop a general overview of how businesses and organisations work. Alongside this, previous experience within a workplace setting provides you with situations to refer to during interviews. Thus, aiding you to demonstrate the skills you possess.

  • Giving You an Edge Over the Competition

    With two-thirds of employers looking for graduates with relevant experience, work experience can put you ahead of others and make you stand out from the crowd. With a significant skills gap identified in the UK, employers are keen to recruit those with previous experience in their company or specific skills that relate to the job role.

Ways to Gain Work Experience for Students

Depending on your education and background, there are a number of ways you can go about getting work experience. We’ve detailed some of the most popular ways below:

  • Work Placement in School or College

    It’s possible to do a work placement in years 10, 11, or 12. This is usually organised by your school or college and placements last one or two weeks.

  • Work-Related Course Placements

    A number of courses like T-levels, BTECs and certain degrees require work experience. The duration of the work experience will vary from days to months. Ask your placement officer or tutor for help during your course.

  • Traineeship

    A traineeship is an educational course that includes work experience and can last up to one year. The aim is to prepare you for full-time work or an apprenticeship.

  • Work Shadowing

    Work shadowing, or job shadowing, involves you watching a professional do their job for a number of days. You learn first-hand how a job is done and what the daily duties and responsibilities are. By getting the opportunity to ask questions, you can quickly learn more about the job and get an idea of whether it’s something you’d be interested in.

  • Internships

    An internship is an opportunity a great way to experience work with an employer within a chosen sector. It allows entry-level candidates to gain relevant work experience and skills to support their qualifications and often get paid at the same time.

    Check out our page on Internships, Remote Internships and best sectors for graduate employability for more information.

  • Year Placements

    Also called a year in industry, industrial placement or sandwich placement, this type of placement usually consists of paid work at an organisation. They last between six months and a year and are often required by some higher education courses.

    For more information on all types of placements, have a look at our Work Placements page.

  • Virtual Work Experience

    Also referred to as online, remote or e-experience, virtual work experience gives students and graduates the opportunity to complete a full internship from home. A variety of organisations offer virtual work experience opportunities to let candidates work remotely to learn about different workplace situations.

    Here is a list of the best online jobs for students you should consider.

Finding Work Experience

With various work experience opportunities to choose from, we have compiled information on each one so you don’t have to look any further.

We recommend visiting our page on Internships to find out more about what this opportunity can offer, including the debate around paid vs. non-paid.

We have a great list of recommended summer jobs to help you decide which option is best suited to you.

If you are looking for a different type of experience expansion, particularly relating to further education, visit our undergraduate page, postgraduate page or apprenticeship page.

And lastly, if you are seeking specific information for your local area, visit our page on Finding Help in Your Local Area. Our live Student and Graduate jobs board has up-to-date postings of the latest jobs.