Download our Information Booklet Work Experience
All students at KE, as well as taking on academic study, are also expected to explore a variety of workplace environments and roles.
This can take the form of experiences within the workplace, such as work visits, work shadowing and /or work experience (outside of part time work) which can be spread across your time at King Ed’s.
Students are expected to gain their own placements or shadowing opportunities. There are 2 main ways in which work experience and volunteering opportunities are advertised within the college:
- Specialised support through the KE Pathways Programme
- Our Work Experience Padlet – please check this regularly for opportunities.
Students can use Unifrog’s Careers and/or Subject Libraries to look into professions that utilise skills, or are linked to specific areas of interest, and it is suggested that students use yell.com or Indeed.com to find employers near to their location.
Students should create cover letters and CVs to send to contacts, approaching them to enquire about organising a placement.
Please take a look at our short Introduction to Work Experience video on our KE Careers YouTube Channel for more information on the benefits of work experience and the ways to look for placements.
Please note – some organisations are offering Virtual Work Experience opportunities due to the rise in hybrid working practices. Please check our Virtual Work Experience page for more information.
Work Experience Workshop Slides
Work Experience Process
It is advisable that students find work experience placements outside of college time i.e. during Futures Week in May, on weekends or over the holidays, to minimise time away from college. However absence from college can be authorised if a student intends to undertake work experience and if their attendance has been suitably high.
Work Experience Process (required for all work experience placements)
Please take a look at our handy guide to work experience here!
- Once a placement has been agreed, this needs to be logged on the placement tool on Unifrog to enable legal documents to be completed by both the employer and parent / carer.
- Your placement will be recorded on PORTAL once authorised by Careers staff, so that your records are up to date when you are required to supply references in the future for UCAS or employment/apprenticeship applications. If you have taken part in placements that are outside of college please ensure you record these yourself on Portal. Guidance of how to do this can be found here.
- It is the students responsibility to research an appropriate work experience placement. This can also include virtual placements. Please remember that work experience opportunities are advertised through the Careers team on the Padlet and the Careers Pathways MS Channels.
- Year 12 students should aim to organise work experience to take place before or during Futures Week (16th-20th June 2025) but we understand that opportunities will arise throughout the year.
- Students with additional learning needs should contact Jane Edwards if they have any support needs gaining experience in the work place (see Careers Plus info here.)
- During the placement, Work Experience booklet (see below) should be completed by students, and their supervisors.
If students have a confirmed work experience placement (virtual or in person) please complete the Unifrog Placement form. You can also speak to the Careers Administrator, Jane F Edwards in the Careers office (No.11 Coventry Street) or on careers@kedst.ac.uk
