National Work Experience Quality Standard

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National Work Experience Quality Standard

• Stephen Gardner
• CEO Fair Train

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Why is work experience so important

• Clear evidence it helps young people find work
• Funding moving towards employers and employment
  outcomes
• National focus on reducing youth unemployment
• LEP priorities for delivering solutions that lead
  to employment for young people

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Why Have a Standard?

• QUALITY
• Ensures students get a good experience
• There was no definition of Good Quality
• OfSted evidence shows quality is very variable
• Creates consistency across your organisation and
  employers
• PUBLIC CONFIDENCE
• media criticism is causing employers to pull out
  of offering work experience
• Differentiates you as a good quality provider
• BUILDS LOYALTY
• all providers looking for good quality employers.
• Youth Contract, Talent match, Traineeships,
  Schools, LEP initiatives etc.

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Examples of Recent Coverage

• Boycott Workfare Traineeships re-branding,
  privatising and lengthening a workfare scheme
• Newsnight Kwik Fits unpaid Traineeship
  labelled as unsatisfactory
• Twitter National unpaid Work Skills show 2013
  Traineeships

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Quality Standard and Frameworks

• For Training Providers and Employers
• Built on good practice wherever it is found
• Overseen by Steering Group made up of key
  organisations and individuals from the Sector
• Developmental you can influence future
  development
• Backed by an independent Complaints Service

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What The Frameworks Cover

• Confirm it is a voluntary activity
• Organisation
• Preparing the systems to support WE
• Planning the Placement
• Ensuring young person and employer are prepared
• Starting the Placement
• Good induction vital
• The Placement
• Conducting Reviews
• End of Placement and afterwards

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Frameworks at Three Levels

• Gold,
• Silver,
• Bronze
• Key criteria for good quality
• Enable organisations at all levels to sign up now
  and aspire to higher levels
• Independent Complaints Service

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Adopting the Standard

• Easy and aspirational
• Adopt now
• Self assess and record level
• Use and publicise Quality Standard Branding
• Agree aspirational level and timescale
• GOLD Club share good practice and develop
  Standard

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Who Should Adopt?
You Your Sub-contractors you want to know
your quality is consistent Your employers
consistency and reputation
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Who has adopted?

• Oct 2013 to Feb 2014 250 organisations
• Colleges, including

Bury Chichester Burton and Leek
Sheffield Hereward North Warwickshire and Hinckley
Derby Henley South Leicestershire
Leicester Kirklees Wirral Metropolitan
South Tyneside Treloar Central College Nottingham
Employers including British Red Cross, World
Wildlife Fund, Viridian Housing, Spirit Pub
Company, Places for People, Age Concern, BM,
Babington, City West Housing Trust, Headway,
Cheshire, MIND, Wetherby,
Councils, LEPs including Lancashire, Torridge,
South Tyneside, South Somerset, North Dorset,
Kirklees, Doncaster, Manchester, North Bristol
NHS Trust
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Work Experience Week13th to 17th October 2014

• Celebrate the benefits of work experience to
  young people and employers with the aim of
  recruiting more to participate
• National support from Ministers, policy makers,
  funders, employers offering WE and providers
  arranging it.
• Get involved
• Pledge support to the aims
• Organise events to promote WEW
• Publish case studies showing benefits video
  diaries
• Work with media good news stories
• www.giveyouthachance.com

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Fairtrain.org