(Continued from page 1) Overall, at the time of print,
23 young people were engaged in work experiences
on-site each week, and 13 are on work placements.
This is in addition to 10 young people travelling offsite
weekly for work placements.
Sara Evans, Post-16 Education Lead, said:
"Work experience and work
placements are vital for our young people to be able
to generalise the skills learnt in the classroom, paving
the way for using them in workplaces in the future.
But they also provide opportunities to learn other
skills such as appropriate social interactions.
"We work with a number of third-party organisations
in the West Berkshire and South Oxfordshire areas
which provide work placements (see below), but
there are also a huge number of opportunities
on our own site which can be explored. This
is something the pandemic has actually
helped with by turning our focus
inward when visits off-site were
too risky. Furthermore, we
feel by showing on-site what
our young people can do
vocationally, it gives our thirdparty
partners confi dence
around providing us with
opportunities for our young
people.
"We are immensely proud of
what our young people are
achieving in tasks which are of
genuine importance to Prior's
Court as an organisation."
Our young people are once again
out and about in the community to
generalise and practice vocational skills
learnt on-site.
After around an 18-month pause due to Covid-19
prevention precautions, off-site work experience for
our young people made a very welcome return in
the fi rst term of this academic year.
Work placements that have returned include those
at organisations like Englefi eld Garden Centre, New
Threshers Barn, and Douai Abbey.
Off-site work experience and placements provide
our young people with
ideal opportunities
to apply in
community
settings the
skills they have
learnt onsite
- vital to
ensuring they
may be able to
enter the world
of work at a later
stage.
Sessions have
been fully risk
assessed with it
hoped we can begin to
introduce/ reintroduce
more sessions with our
other community partners as the year goes on.
A huge thank you to all of our work experience/
placement partners who support us to give these
important opportunities to our young people.
Any third parties who are interested in offering
external work placements can contact Nickie
Dunphy, Careers Lead/ Job Coach Co-ordinator,
on 07720 212600 or ndunphy@priorscourt.org.uk.
Providing more opportunities for work
Return of off -site work experience sessions
/priorscourt @PriorsCourt @priors_court Prior's Court Foundation