Offering a work experience placement can be rewarding for both the student and the business. A well-planned placement allows a young person to gain valuable skills while giving you the opportunity to support the next generation of talent and provide professional development opportunities for existing staff who act as mentors. Creating a successful program requires careful planning and a commitment to providing a safe, educational, and supportive environment.
Understanding the Legal Framework
Navigating the legalities of hosting a placement can seem daunting, but it's often more straightforward than you might think. For legal and insurance purposes, young people on work placements are generally considered the same as regular employees. This means your existing policies for health and safety and insurance often cover them.
However, you must ensure your policies and risk assessments are appropriate for the age and inexperience of the student. A young person may not be familiar with a workplace's specific risks, so you need to be explicit and thorough during their induction.
Here are some helpful resources for employers:
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Guidance: The HSE provides detailed guidance on work experience for young people, covering risk assessments, supervision, and legal duties.
UK Government Advice: The government's website offers guidance on work experience, including information on pay, duration, and legal obligations.
Appointing a Placement Lead
Just as in any organised project, it is important to have a single person overseeing the placement. Appointing a dedicated placement lead gives the student a clear, consistent point of contact and ensures the placement runs smoothly.
The placement lead should have both the time and the authority to:
Liaise effectively with the student, their school or college, and colleagues within the organisation.
Plan and allocate meaningful tasks that align with the student’s abilities and learning goals.
Monitor progress, provide feedback, and adjust activities where needed.
Step in quickly if any concerns or challenges arise.
This is more than a coordination role. The placement lead is the student’s guide, role model, and advocate during their time with you, helping them to feel welcome, stay on track, and gain meaningful experience that contributes to their development. By combining practical oversight with genuine mentorship, the placement lead can turn a simple placement into a valuable stepping stone for the student’s future.
The Induction
Remember that a young person on their first placement may be new to a professional environment. They're used to a highly structured school day. A comprehensive induction is essential to get them off to a good start.
Make sure you cover all the workplace basics, including:
Tour of the office/site: Show them where everything is, from their desk to the toilets and kitchen facilities.
Daily schedule and expectations: Explain what time they should arrive and leave, and what their lunch and break times are.
Workplace culture: Outline the dress code, communication norms, and how to interact with colleagues.
This might seem obvious to an experienced employee, but for a young person, these small details can be a source of anxiety. Providing a clear and supportive induction will help them feel more comfortable and confident.
Health, Safety, and Supervision
Your primary responsibility is to ensure the student's safety. This means that before a student starts, you should review your existing risk assessment and health and safety policy to ensure they account for a young, inexperienced person.
During the induction, you must:
Explain all potential risks in the workplace and the control measures in place. Ensure the student understands what to do in an emergency.
Provide clear instructions and any necessary safety equipment, make sure it is correctly fitted and the student knows how to use the safety equipment correctly.
Check for understanding and ensure they know how to raise concerns.
The level of detail you provide in safety guidance should reflect the nature of your workplace. In a low-risk environment such as an office, a general introduction to procedures may be sufficient. In higher-risk settings, such as a manufacturing plant or construction site, instructions must be comprehensive, specific, and reinforced regularly.
Young people require closer supervision than experienced adults. This not only safeguards their well-being but also helps you assess their skills, confidence, and understanding so you can give targeted support. Under health and safety law, students also share responsibility for maintaining a safe environment. They must follow instructions, use protective equipment correctly, and avoid actions that could endanger themselves or others.
If a student’s behaviour creates a significant risk, you should inform the school’s placement coordinator immediately. In serious cases, ending the placement may be necessary to protect everyone’s safety.
Best Practices for Safeguarding
Safeguarding is not an obstacle to offering placements; it is a natural part of good practice. By building clear safeguards into your programme, you can protect the well-being of the young person while allowing them to participate fully in the life of your workplace. The result is a safer, more positive experience for everyone involved.
If the role involves contact with vulnerable groups, you must follow your organisation’s safeguarding procedures. This may include carrying out background checks, completing safeguarding training, or putting specific supervision arrangements in place.
Here are some best practices to follow:
Professional Boundaries: The placement lead and any other staff interacting with the student should maintain a mature and professional relationship.
Avoid One-on-One Situations: To the extent possible, a young person should not be alone with a single adult. For one-to-one meetings, choose a communal space where other people are present.
Physical Contact: Physical contact should be avoided, except when necessary for a specific task, such as demonstrating how to operate machinery.
Reporting Concerns: If a student is absent, has an accident, or engages in significant misconduct, you must inform the school placement coordinator immediately.
Confidential Disclosures: If a student confides in you about a safeguarding concern, you should:
Listen openly and without judgment.
Never promise to keep a secret.
Document what was said in as much detail as possible.
Report the information to the school placement coordinator.
Morrisby and Placement Objectives
Many schools use platforms like Morrisby to help students with career guidance and work experience opportunities. If a student is connected to you through a platform like Morrisby, they may have a better-defined idea of what they want from the placement.
Placements are most successful when both the employer and the student have a clear understanding of the student's goals. A young person might need your help in clarifying their objectives. You can guide them by discussing broad areas a placement can help with:
Careers Education: Exploring different career paths and understanding what matters to them in a job.
Developing Skills: Practising personal and professional skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and attention to detail.
Learning About Work: Understanding the social, economic, and industrial aspects of your business.
Networking: Connecting with professionals in their field of interest.
Attainment: Gaining a deeper understanding of subjects relevant to their studies.
Motivation: Increasing their self-esteem and motivation by having a positive experience.
Future Employment: Seeing the placement as a potential path to a future job with your company.
Shaping Futures Through Work Experience
Work experience placements are most valuable when they are well planned, clearly structured, and supported by a safe, welcoming environment. By understanding your legal responsibilities, appointing a capable placement lead, delivering a thorough induction, and prioritising health, safety, and safeguarding, you can create an experience that benefits both the student and your organisation.
Encouraging students to set clear objectives, and supporting them in achieving these, helps them leave with a stronger sense of direction and confidence. For employers, a successful placement is an investment in developing future talent while giving existing staff the chance to mentor and lead. With the right approach, you can turn a short-term placement into a lasting positive influence on a young person’s career journey. In doing so, you also strengthen your organisation’s role in supporting skills development within your community.
