Thank you for expressing your interest in hosting a Workplace Experience Visit for the young people that ReachOut work with. On this page, you can find out what to expect from a WEV, and the next steps to take if you decide you want to move forward.
Contents:
WEV stands for Workplace Experience Visit. WEVs give ReachOut’s young people the chance to experience workplaces, the people that work there, and explore potential options for their own futures.
For the young people in our ReachOut Club projects (age 9-11) these visits aim to introduce the idea of a workplace, a job or further study to young people. They aim to encourage young people to start thinking about their futures and to think about the skills and values that working professionals or university students need to succeed.
For young people in our ReachOut Academy projects (11-14) these visits aim to introduce sectors and roles to young people. They might explore the work environment, qualifications or the skills needed to enter a profession.
WEVs are designed by our corporate partners to showcase their organisation and inspire young people to work in their industry. You may want to showcase one specific team/role within your organisation or show the young people aspects of different teams/roles. The best way to do this is to introduce them to people in these roles so they can relate to them and see themselves in the role. The sessions will be facilitated by the corporate partner, but ReachOut staff will be there to support.
“The visit made me feel inspired and keen to learn more and discover new things. It gave me an insight into different jobs.”
ReachOut Mentee
WEVs typically run for around 2 hours starting around 10 or 10:30am. We can look to adjust timings if these times don’t work for you.
We do ask that you host and provide lunch on the day if you are able to do so.
Take a look below for a guide on how you might want to break up your activities:
Before the Visit Starts | |
Introduction to ReachOut for staff members taking part (15 minutes) | The ReachOut staff member attending will arrive half an hour to an hour before the young people. They’ll provide your team members with a short introduction to ReachOut, tell you about the group you’ll be working with on the day and answer any questions. |
Example Session Outline | |
Ice breaker (10 minutes) | Young people and volunteers (members of company staff) take part in an ice breaker to get to know each other and to get some energy into the room. If this isn’t something you’ve had experience of before, ReachOut can provide suggestions of ice breakers. |
Introduction (10 minutes) | A member of your team will lead an introduction to your organisation/department. This might include a history, details of what you do, revenue figures or number of employees. |
Activity/Activities (1 hour 30 mins) | One large activity or several smaller ones. This is a good opportunity to split the young people into smaller groups and showcase different elements of your workplace or organisation. Depending on the task in question, this might involve a few volunteers from your organisation working with smaller groups of young people or one member of the team overseeing the whole group working in their own teams. This can also include a tour or your workplace. |
Questions (5 minutes) | It’s likely that the young people will ask plenty of questions throughout the day, but this is a good opportunity to get everyone together to reflect on the session. |
Surveys (5 minutes) | At the end of the WEV, we ask all the young people, teachers and volunteers to fill in a survey. This helps us to know what we’re doing well and how we can improve the experience. |
💡 Our Top Tips for Working with Young People
“I learned that anyone can do this job, no matter how they grew up.”
ReachOut Mentee
To secure your Workplace Experience Visit, please download and fill in our booking form and return this to your contact at ReachOut.
ℹ️ Download Your Booking Form (Word Document)
After you’ve filled this out, our Senior Volunteer Officer, Alice McGill will be in touch to discuss any further specifics. Alice will be your contact for organising the WEV. You’ll be able to reach her via alice.mcgill@reachoutuk.org.
At least two months before your Workplace Experience Visit, please download and fill in our risk assessment template. We’ll then review this and share it with the school who will be visiting you.
At least one month before your WEV please ensure that all staff members involved in the visit have read ReachOut’s Safeguarding Summary and Code of Conduct.
ℹ️ Download Our Safeguarding Summary and Code of Conduct (PDF)
Around this time, you’ll also meet with ReachOut to plan the content of your session. The content of the visit will be up to you, but we can offer support and guidance. Take a look at the table above for an example session structure. At this point, we’ll also be able to share more information about the group of young people that will be visiting you.
A week before your Workplace Experience Visit, we’ll be in touch to check any final details. If you’re providing lunch for our young people, we’ll also have confirmed any dietary requirements by this point.
On the morning of your WEV, ReachOut staff will arrive around half an hour ahead of the young people. We’ll provide your team members who are taking part with a short introduction to ReachOut, tell you about the group you’ll be working with on the day and answer any questions.
After your WEV, we’ll be in touch to say a big thank you, sharing feedback from our young people and photos that you can share on social media promoting your involvement.
If you’re happy to move forward and secure a date for your Workplace Experience Visit, please download our booking form and return it to your contact at ReachOut.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to talk to your ReachOut contact, or email us at partnerships@reachoutuk.org.
“When I was 14, ReachOut arranged a WEV at Macquarie Group’s London office. It was my first experience of entering a professional office and we were taken through a ‘day in the life’ of a trader. It sparked an interest in me and I pursued working in financial services from that day on, later studying economics at university and now working for a commercial real estate and investment firm.”
Shervann, former ReachOut Mentee
“At first, I was really hesitant to take on the Project Leader role, despite having mentored with ReachOut. However, with the support of the team I’ve really developed my skills. For example, at the Mentee Graduation, I stood up in front of 200 people and presented an award which is something I would never ever have been able to have done before, and isn’t an opportunity I could gain in my other situations.”
Amy McCutcheon, Project Leader at ReachOut Academy, Dean Trust Ardwick, Manchester.
“Being able to spend the summer working at Rede Partners, was an amazing experience. Whether it was working in HR or Finance, I learned so much about the world of private equity, made great connections with fantastic people and I got to learn first-hand what it would be like to work there! I really believe that I can go onto build the career I want now I’ve been a part for a workplace for real”
Victor Adekunle, 18 years old, ReachOut Ambassador, London
“When I first my mentee, she was very reluctant to participate in the sessions. Now, I see a completely different person! Her confidence has grown and she is happy to join in! She still has some self-doubt when it comes to academic work, but that’s what I hope to help her overcome, because she is a very bright person!
Through mentoring, I’ve learnt I’m a lot more patient than I realised. There will be days where she refuses to participate and those are the days that I really see the importance of the character strengths, for both the mentees and the mentors. It also makes it easier for the mentee to understand the character strengths, when I use them myself”
Myrtle, ReachOut Club mentor at Tufnell Primary School, London
“There are more distractions than ever outside of school, and the commitment of our students to attend ReachOut sessions is testament to the value they place on the relationships they foster there, and the challenge and enjoyment they provide.
ReachOut’s focus on communication skills and character development has become an important aspect of our provision of support for these students. The opportunity to relate to a positive role- model other than their usual teachers is key to the programme’s impact, and the evidence of this has been seen in the students’ attendance, resilience and to their overall progress across all the subjects in the school.”
Thomas Janvrin, Assistant Vice Principal at the Petchey Academy London
