Finding a placement for your work experience

Most job applications will ask what experience you have, so your search needs to begin now to find yourself a work placement. Its a great place to start on the path to getting your dream job.

By researching employers on the internet that offer the type of work you are interested in will also help you decide what job role will suit you the most.

So how do you go about getting work experience?

• Ask your friends
• Use search engines, careers services and specialist work placement websites
• Apply as soon as the position opens. If you’re approaching a company for experience rather than applying for a formal work placement, get in touch well before you want to start
• Adapt your CV and application for every placement you apply for
• Find out if the industry you want to get into has any big events coming up that you can go to. For example, CEOs often speak at events that are open to the public. This is a great way to meet other people in the industry and get some contacts
• Always apply for lots of placements at the same time rather than putting all your eggs in one basket
• Be creative and pro-active. Call people instead of sending emails, find an individual to speak to and spend time on your application to make it interesting.

Use these tips to help you find a suitable placement opportunity and make sure you talk to the college work placement officer Nicola Barratt via email: n.barratt@barnsley.ac.uk or contact 07824607088

Tutorial and Enterprise days - January & February 2016

On the 26th of January 2016 the Construction department held a ‘Healthy New Year Tutorial Day’, where we encouraged the students to examine their own health and encourage them to lead healthier lives. 

 

We invited a range of guest speakers to the CUBE to undertake various activities to promote healthier lifestyles including:

• Sexual Health- the Health & Wellbeing team were on hand to give advice on contraception and STIs. 
• Disability - the Sports department spent the morning in the atrium allowing students to try manoeuvring wheel chairs during a basketball exercise to raise awareness of how difficult it was for disabled people to get around.
• Drugs & Alcohol- the students also attended a tutorial with B-Chilled who were discussing drugs, alcohol and legal highs with the students.

Here are a few photos from the event:

 

 

 

 

 

Two weeks later on the 2nd February 2016 the department held an Enterprise afternoon. 

Dagogo Kinigoma from the Enterprise team came to the CUBE to deliver a series of sessions for our learners about life after college. The workshops were very informative and helped to raise the aspirations of all who attended.

The Enterprise team can be found for advice and guidance in the main college building on Old Mill Lane if any students would like to find out more about starting their own businesses or taking part in Enterprising projects.

 

The Construction department would like to thank all the outside agencies who came in to deliver these workshops and services. You contribution to our tutorial programme is greatly appreciated and we hope our students benefit from your expert instruction.

Thanks!

 

Students on work experience with VHE Construction

Continuing our long standing commitment to providing work experience and vocational opportunities to students, VHE were pleased to recently welcome two Work Placement Students from Barnsley College, Lloyd Gough and Ben Turner. Both spent time with VHE site teams in January where they gained some first-hand experience of working on a construction site.

Lloyd spent his two week placement at our remediation project at North Gawber Colliery in Barnsley, a site proposed for over 300 residential properties by developer Harworth Estates. Similarly, Ben spent two weeks onsite at our remediation and infrastructure scheme in Ackworth which is now VHE’s third phase of works at the site on behalf of client Strata Homes.

Both placements have been a huge success with Nicola Barratt, Work Placement Officer at Barnsley College commenting:

“The work experience programme has given the students a real experience of a construction site and helps prepare them for future employment. The placements are invaluable to young people as they help shape their perception of work and raise their career aspirations.

The students Ben & Lloyd both thoroughly enjoyed their placements with VHE. They were involved in a variety of tasks on site and given the chance to work with people in different roles in order to see how a site works and what is involved in projects like these.

Barnsley College fully appreciates the support from VHE Construction and encourages all employers to consider offering opportunities like this to the future workforce.”

VHE would like to thank both students for their efforts and wish them all the best for their careers in the future.