The LEAN has created a series of resources to help schools and colleges provide their students with virtual experiences of the workplace. The first two virtual work experience packages are available to download and feature two key sectors, Digital and Technology and Construction.
Resources
These resources have been designed in line with the Careers & Enterprise Company's guidance on achieving Gatsby Benchmark 6 through online experiences. Each package contains 4+ hours of classroom activities for KS4 students that can be delivered with the help of local volunteers from each sector. They also include:
- A facilitator toolkit
- Lesson slides
- A student log (workbook)
- An information sheet for parents and carers
- An editable certificate for students taking part
- A KS5 version, designed for students to complete without direct supervision from a teacher.
Additional packages for the following sectors will follow: Health & Social Care, Creative sector, Sustainability and ‘Getting your first job’.
The resources have been designed to be as flexible as possible and provide a scalable way for Careers Leaders to take control over the delivery of activities that meet Gatsby Benchmark 6. They can be delivered across four 1-hour lessons or as a half-day session and have been designed to be deliverable using just paper and pen or can be completed on laptops using the interactive pdf workbooks. The slides can be edited by converting them to PowerPoint using this tool: https://www.adobe.com/uk/acrobat/online/pdf-to-ppt.htm.
Business volunteers need to be recruited by the school or college to support the delivery of the activities. This requires a 1-2-hour volunteer commitment from them with minimal preparation required. All the information required to organise the sessions is included in the facilitator toolkit. They are particularly well suited to delivery with Enterprise Advisers from these sectors, who want to support but don’t have the time or expertise to develop their own resources.