Work experience over 18 procedure

1 Aim

This standard operating procedure (SOP) is designed to enable colleagues to support work experience with placement opportunities in their own working environment. It is necessary to ensure that all individuals undertaking work experience do so in a supported manner which provides appropriate learning opportunities. Providing work experience supports recruitment and retention of colleagues and partnership working with our local population and organisations (RDaSH five year strategy (staff access only) (opens in new window)). It also promotes both clinical careers and non-clinical. The procedures and documentation for the implementation of work experience are within the appendices of this policy (appendix A to H) are intended to support all trust employees to provide placements through formal or informal routes.

1.1 Summary and key points

Work experiences are a vital part of the transition from education into the world of work, or to experience a new or different job role, and are an important and affordable investment in the quality of the future workforce. Key points:

SOP process must be followed to ensure the safety of learners and patients
process is managed centrally by Placement Learning team
learners must never be left unsupervised
learners can undertake work activities under direct supervision
relevant risk assessments to be carried out

2 Scope

This SOP applies to learning and development (L and D), The Placement Learning team (PLT), all managers, all educators and prospective work experience learners who wish to gain skills, knowledge and experience within the trust to improve employment or education potential within a vocational pathway. It is applicable to those learners seeking work experience who are over 18.

3 Link to overarching policy

Multi Professional Preceptorship and Educator Policy, RDaSH NHS Foundation Trust

4 Procedure

4.1 Selection and placement procedure

The following must be in place if individual colleagues wish to provide work experiences. That all checklists, risk assessments and agreements are completed.

Enquiries from prospective work experience learners will be received by the Placement Learning team (PLT), from services such as the trust website, phone contacts and links with departmental managers and organisations. The work experience procedure will only commence should work experience placements be available within the trust.

All forms should be returned electronically.

Placement Learning team receive request for work experience placement, via email, application, appendix C work experience request form, sent by Placement Learning team.
Learner completes appendix C, work experience request form, returned to Placement Learning team.
Placement area directed to complete appendix B, work experience role description template and appendix G, work experience risk assessment. These are to be returned to Placement Learning team.
Once appendix B is returned, If accepted, Placement Learning team to process and complete appendix D, confirmation of a work experience or work, related activities placement and send appendix E, self-declaration, for learner to complete. It is assumed that the area will take the student on work experience.
If declined, Placement Learning team to inform applicant and initial referrer using appendix F, work experience or work related activities placement.
Placement area to invite work experience learner to local induction and ensure appropriate documentation appendix H handbook is updated accordingly.

4.2 Guidance and principals for placement managers

4.2.1 Planning placements

We will ask you to provide placements which create opportunities for observational development, knowledge and experience and expose participants to the routines of the working environment. You will need to consider who will be responsible for supervising and providing support for participants.

To help us match suitable participants to your placements, we will ask you some information on the length of the placement, which can be up to 10 days, and to what experiences the participants could be exposed. Hours of working must only be offered between the hours of 9.00 am to 5.00 pm and Monday to Friday.

4.2.2 Managing placements

A strong relationship between participants and their supervisor is vital to ensuring they get the most out of their placement. Each participant will require a supervisor to be assigned who has sufficient time in their schedule to coach them, provide regular feedback and be a point of contact for any concerns.

4.2.2.1 Supporting participants

The key principle for supporting participants during the placement should be to treat them as regular employees as far as possible, but recognise that, given their lack of work experience, they might need some additional coaching and supervision.

A good local induction will help participants to settle into the working environment. Participants’ local induction should closely mirror those of permanent employees so they get a sense of what it would be like to be a new starter. As most participants will be completely new to the world of work, they may need to be provided with additional coaching.

A local service induction checklist can be found in the corporate and local service induction policy.

During the placement, support could take many forms including providing opportunities for the participant:

to discuss their career aspirations and plans to realise their goals
to provide an insight into the careers of colleagues within RDaSH
to help them to prepare for interviews

You must also assign participants a buddy to act as a role model within your service area.

Shadowing should be the only activity the participants undertake during the placement, in order to gain an insight into the variety of roles within the service area.

4.2.2.2 Regular feedback and exit interviews

Constructive, honest and supportive feedback will encourage participants to reflect on their performance, value their achievements and identify areas for improvement.

Within the work experience handbook appendix H, participants are encouraged to keep a record of their learning and their progress to help them to consolidate their experience. A discussion which is offered at the end of the placement, also provides a more formal opportunity for the participant to provide final feedback and suggest how future placements could be improved. Within the work experience handbook, there is also an exit questionnaire, which can be used to provide feedback to the Placement Learning team.

4.2.2.3 What the participants gain from the placement

All participants will be volunteers who have demonstrated a genuine interest to gain work experience within RDaSH. Although they are likely to have little or no work experience and they may have limited skills, we would expect them to be motivated and willing to learn. This may include the following,

to gain experience of going into a work environment and learning about the demands and etiquette involved in day-to-day work
to understand the needs of a fast-moving modern workplace
to build overall confidence, motivation, and wellbeing
to gain a better understanding of the job market so that they can make informed decisions when seeking employment
to help with applications for further training, apprenticeships, or employment

4.3 Links to other procedural documents

5 Appendices

5.1 Appendix A Definitions or explanations of terms used

Definitions
Term	Definition
Work experiences	This term refers to both work experience and work shadowing and is used as a descriptor for the whole opportunity. Work experience specifically refers to a short unpaid placement in the workplace for untrained (in that area of work) individuals to observe experience of practice (when appropriate)
Participant	The person undertaking the work experience
Placement	This is the environment and experiences that an individual will encounter for the purposes of education and training
Direct supervision	Where the participant is at no point left on their own within the work environment. All observations will be undertaken with the relevant consent and risk assessments completed
Placement supervisor	An employee who provides supervision of participants whilst on work experience or shadowing. They are accountable for all actions made by the participant and for ensuring all necessary documentation is completed and any learning objectives are identified
Due regard	Having due regard for advancing equality involves: removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics taking steps to meet the needs of people from protected groups where these are different from the needs of other people encouraging people from protected groups to participate in public life or in other activities where their participation is disproportionately low

For further information contact Placement Learning team rdash.placementlearningteam@nhs.net

5.1.1 Route to work experience

Work experience request made to placement area or Placement Learning team.
Appendix C to be sent out to the work experience individual.
Appendix C to be returned to Placement Learning team.
Appropriate placement to be sourced.
If placement cannot be sourced see point 5. If a placement can be sourced see point 6.
Appendix F to be sent to work experience individual if criteria not met or an appropriate work experience placement cannot be identified.
Appendix B and G to be sent to placement area to be completed and returned to Placement Learning team.
Appendix D, E and completed appendix G to be sent out to work experience individual by Placement Learning team if appropriate work experience placement is identified, in collaboration with placement area.
Appendix D, E and G to be signed and returned by work experience individual to the placement learning team with a copy of their photographic identification.
Placement area to contact work experience individual as set out in Appendix D to complete section 1 of appendix H during contact.
Section 2 and timetable of appendix H to be completed on first day of work experience placement.
Supervision session to be booked as part of the work experience and recorded as per handbook.
Work experience individual to be encouraged to complete record of learning.
Work experience learner to be encouraged to complete exit interview and return to Placement Learning team.

5.2 Appendix B Work experience role description template

Appendix B Work experience role description template (staff access only) (opens in new window)

5.3 Appendix C Work experience request form

Appendix C Work experience request form (staff access only) (opens in new window)

5.4 Appendix D Confirmation of a work experience or work-related activities placement

Appendix D Confirmation of a work experience or work-related activities placement (staff access only) (opens in new window)

Document control

Version: 1.1.
Unique reference number: 1009.
Date ratified: 25 January 2024.
Ratified by: Clinical policy approvals group.
Name of originator: Lead learning and development facilitator.
Name of responsible individual: Executive director for people and organisational development.
Date issued: 26 January 2024.
Review date: 30 June 2025.
Target audience: Trust wide.

Page last reviewed: December 10, 2024
Next review due: December 10, 2025

Problem with this page?

Please tell us about any problems you have found with this web page.

Report a problem

Contents