Further Careers information for employers
Throughout the careers programme, we want to facilitiate meaningful encounters with representatives from business, trips to factories, ‘careers talks’, collaborative projects and interactive work based learning sessions for pupils to provide an insight into the world of work.
These sessions may be face-to-face or, via virtual presentation. The overall organisation of the careers programme and work experience is undertaken by the school Careers Leader who liaises with the wider staff team to ensure the most relevant and engaging opportunities are offered appropriately to varying cohorts at Pentland Field.
If you are able to support students by working with us to provide any of these sessions please contact;
Mariam Fayeq, Transition and Careers Co-ordinator on
01895 806 520 or mariam.fayeq@pentlandfieldschool.co.uk
The experience that young people gain from workplace training can make them more attractive to employers.
Work Experience
Good work experience can often be the key to the door of a good job after leaving education: the more contact a young person has with the workplace, the more likely they are to find employment. This is especially true for young people with learning difficulties and disabilities. The experience that young people gain from workplace training can make them more attractive to employers.
We aim to provide work based learning which includes high quality contacts within the workplace with personalised work experience forming part of every study programme.
The benefits for employers employing a diverse workplace
Healthy, competitive businesses flourish where the needs of people, communities and businesses are interrelated. When given the opportunity, work experience students can achieve success in making a valuable contribution to a workplace. Increasingly, employers are recognising the importance of diversity in recruiting and retaining the skills and talent they need to be successful.
By getting involved in our work based learning programmes employers can be supported to create open and inclusive workplace cultures in which everyone feels valued and respected.
Competence and flexibility are vital skills that employers seek. Today more than ever, businesses need people with the ability to adapt to different situations and circumstances. Perhaps more than any group, people with disabilities can possess precisely these attributes.
On a daily basis, people with disabilities must think creatively about how to solve problems and accomplish tasks. In the workplace, this translates into innovative thinking, fresh ideas and varied approaches to confronting challenges and achieving success.
Further information on the benefits of employing a diverse workforce can be found here.
By becoming involved in provision for young people with learning difficulties and disabilites, you can expand your pool of talent, skills and creative business solutions.
Some of the key benefits to your business could include:
- Improved image and external reputation with a workforce that reflects the diversity of local communities;
- Team building and internal reputation with improved staff morale;
- Personal development opportunities for staff;
- Diversity-improved services and products to attract the “purple pound” – the spending power of disabled people estimated to be £80 billion in the UK;
- Improved understanding of the needs of customers with disabilities;
- Ability to recruit from a wider availability of labour to ensure they employ the best people for their job vacancies;
- Early identification of talent, and development of a local workforce that comes with values that fit their business needs;
- Reduced recruitment costs with a supported selection process;
- Improved staff retention;
- Corporate social responsibility and being seen as an “employer of choice”; and
- Positive change to workplace culture and practice.
In return for offering a range of opportunities for our students we can offer:
- Free training for your staff in disability awareness and mentoring;
- Job coaching support (at no cost to the employer) for work tasters, work experience, and supported internships
- Advice on reasonable adjustments;
- Advice on financial support and incentives; and
- Free publicity for the business.
Employers can be supported to create open and inclusive workplace cultures in which everyone feels valued and respected
Under health and safety law, work experience students are your employees. You treat them no differently to other young people you employ.
Your existing employers’ liability insurance policy will cover work placements provided your insurer is a member of the Association of British Insurers, or Lloyds, so there is no need for you to obtain any additional employer’s liability insurance if you take on work experience students.
The Business Disability Forum is a not for profit membership organisation that exists to transform the life chances of disabled people working through and with business to create a disability smart world.
Their Disability Smart Audit (sponsored by Unilever) is a whole-organisation disability management audit that has been developed to help organisations measure and improve on performance for disabled customers, clients or service users, employees and stakeholders.