Work placements prevent incompatibility

Work placements1 could prevent millions of workers2 from making the wrong career or job choice, by allowing employees and employers the chance to test their ëcompatibilityí and values, according to vocational qualifications experts, City and Guilds.

One in five employees in the UK have left, or are considering leaving, a job because they want a change in career2. However, a new report from City and Guilds, Mutually Compatible - Effective Work Placements, reveals that allowing future employees to try out a career could provide them with a valuable and realistic insight into a profession while employers can establish fit and suitability of potential staff without committing themselves.

With employers competing for talent in a jobseekerís market, it is surprising that over a third (36 per cent) are still not taking advantage of the full benefits that work placements offer. Judith Norrington, head of national policy development at City and Guilds, believes that the potential of work placements has not yet been fully harnessed. ëUK businesses need to consider work placements as a serious tool in enhancing recruitment and realise the commercial advantages that they can offer their business.í

Encouragingly, businesses are becoming more receptive towards work placements. 64 per cent of employers offer work placements, with 40 per cent seeing them as a good way of assessing potential staff, while 35 per cent consider them to be part of their training and recruitment policy.

Fulfilling corporate social responsibility obligations is another benefit with 70 per cent of businesses feeling they are putting something back into the community by offering placements.

Of those employers who do not offer work placements, a quarter (26 per cent) cite health and safety considerations as a barrier, while over a third (35 per cent) of companies believe they do not have adequate facilities in place, and three in ten (31 per cent) see work placements as simply too time consuming.

While work placements play a key role in career choices for students, they can also benefit adults who are looking to return to the workplace or change occupation. Over a third (37 per cent) of returners said that a placement would help them make an informed decision while 65 per cent said that they had continued working in the sector where they had taken their work placement.

ëWork placements provide an ideal opportunity for employers to attract experienced adults or career changers into their industry,í comments Judith Norrington. ëAs the number of young people entering the labour force diminishes by 60,000 each year, employers will need to tap into a broader range of workers of all ages and experience. Extending well-planned quality work placements or mentoring and shadowing programmes to career changers and returners should pay dividends for employers and employees, and attract a more diverse and experienced workforce to ensure that businesses remain competitive in the global market.í

Norrington adds that compatibility and fit between employee and employer is growing in importance. ëAs part of this, weíre seeing values playing an integral part in the decision making process for jobseekers, as they choose to work for organisations that mirror their own beliefs.í

Stephanie Morgan, chartered psychologist, comments: ëWhilst it is encouraging that over two thirds of employers do provide work placements, there is clearly room for improvement. Specific sectors and work areas would almost certainly benefit from offering work placements, as there is evidence this can enhance recruitment and reduce risk. í

Work placements are set to become a more permanent fixture in the UK, following the introduction this September, of mandatory work experience for school children. Yet,

over three quarters (76 per cent) of employers surveyed were not aware of this.

1 The term work placement encompasses the following definitions: work experience organised through a school; a placement during a tertiary course commonly referred to as a sandwich course; internships or secondments;

career changers that want to move into a new sector/industry; a paid or voluntary role to gain experience

2 21% of respondents have left or are considering leaving a job because they want a change in career (Source: City and Guilds, Happiness Index, March 2006). The Office of National Statistics states that 28.97 million people are currently in employment in the UK. 21% of 28.97 million is 6,083,700