If you already have work experience students in your business, then you probably already know the benefits they can bring.
Creating work experience opportunities is a win-win for both your company and the students taking part. Below, we point out the top five reasons we think you should hire work experience students.
- NO FINANCIAL TIES
Creating work experience programmes can be ideal as there is no legal requirement for you to pay the students or school leavers that you hire.
Because they are either in year 10 at school or have recently left school, work experience students ideally know which career they would like to pursue but have no work experience to help them gain employment and as a result, are often keen to work for little or no pay in exchange for work experience.
Although, most employers do like to help out the students by offering travel expenses or paid lunches. Afterall, you don’t want to miss out on a potential new, young recruit because they can’t afford to travel to your premises every day!
- BRAND AWARENESS
If you take on a work experience student and give them quality and beneficial work that helps them build their skills, word will spread fast and more students will be interested in coming to your business to carry out their work experience.
Having work experience students can also have a positive effect when it comes to your brand awareness that can help your recruitment. Your company’s reputation for investing in young people will be elevated and will interest more people in coming to work for you.
Word of mouth is the cheapest and arguably the best marketing tool, especially when it comes to recruitment because people will recommend you as a good company to work for.
- KNOWLEDGE OF YOUTH
Young people with little or no previous experience of the workplace can be seen as a burden to some employers. Actually, they can be a breath of fresh air especially if you have always done things a certain way because “that’s how they’ve always been done.”
Even though they might not have the practical experience as of yet, having a younger, fresh outlook on situations could offer your business new ideas and a completely different perspective.
Today’s students and school leavers have grown up within the technology era and as a result, could offer you vital feedback for your business.
For example, you could pick up some valuable tips for using social media more effectively which is especially useful if you are wanting to attract a younger audience to your business.
Work experience student Oliver
Our Previous Work Experience Student, Oliver
- LOW-COST RECRUITMENT STRATEGY
Work experience programmes can also be a fantastic, low-cost recruitment strategy for your business. If you are wanting to attract a younger workforce to your business, then a work experience programme would certainly benefit you.
If your work experience student shows potential, offering them an apprenticeship, a permanent full time or part time position after their work experience has ended doesn’t only help your brand awareness, but it also helps you find fresh new talent without the hassle or the cost of the recruitment process. This can also help massively with staff turnover as both parties can see if they are a good match for each other throughout the work experience programme.
This minimises the risk of potentially taking on the wrong candidate and then having to go through the whole recruitment process again.
- LOYALTY
Students with no previous work experience will not have picked up habits from previous workplaces. If you can attract these students to your business, then you have the opportunity to mould them into the perfect candidate for a particular role within your business, which is a cheaper alternative to bringing in more experienced, skilled professionals.
You will also find that young students you invest in are more likely to stay with you for the long term. So as long as you continue to help develop their skills and experience, you may end up with a future manager or even a director for your company!
WHERE CAN I GET WORK EXPERIENCE STUDENTS FROM?
Your local school or college is probably the best place for you to start inquiring. At Creative Shed, we accept students from Sherburn High School.
Choosing a work experience student from your local community will always be a better option than seeking them from a nearby city.
