Page 121 - Guiding-at-risk-youth-through-learning-to-work-Lessons-from-across-Europe

Guiding at-risk youth through learning to work
Lessons from across Europe

Work experience can also give young people the opportunity to find out
about a career they think they are interested in. It can help them to develop a
greater understanding of their own interests and skills. These factors can then
help young people to make a better-informed decision about their future career
(whether they want to pursue a vocational or academic pathway, enter
employment, etc.).
Good work experience can also help young people to develop self-evaluation
skills, building confidence to reflect and learn from experience. It can promote a
positive attitude to learning and enable young people to develop practical
problem-solving skills. German work experience placements aim to provide an
insight into the working world and help guide young people in a career direction.
Two or three long traineeships, usually following classroom preparation, are
offered in almost all the Länder of Germany (in cooperation with companies,
chambers of commerce and schools). Some Länder have published complete
teaching manuals and have prepared material to support the work placements.
Workplace visits are also organised, mainly within the framework of subjects
related to initiation into working life, as well as other subjects such as chemistry,
physics, German or geography.
A well-organised work experience placement, with appropriate planning,
application and follow-up, can help develop career management skills. For
example, the placement can help familiarise young people with job search skills
by gaining experience in making applications.
Further, practical work experience has the potential of helping to improve the
young person’s employability, being valued by future employers. In some cases,
the employer may provide the young person with a reference on completion of
their placement. There may also be a chance to pursue further opportunities (e.g.
summer jobs or other traineeships) with the placement provider. Finally, having a
good company or organisation name on their CV can give the young person extra
credibility in the future.

Work placement programme, Iceland

The Work placement programme is intended for students in grades 8-10 who do not necessarily
have any severe learning difficulties but who have not adjusted to a mainstream school
environment. The programme aims to increase the wellbeing of students in their school life by
giving them an opportunity to demonstrate their skills outside the academic environment. In this
way, and through the preparation of an individual timetable based around the work placement,
the programme aims to boost the self-confidence of participants and restimulate their interest in
learning.

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