Policy overview
Purpose
Work experience introduces young people to the work environment. It can be a valuable part of their education and supports our ambition to recruit the best talent to deliver services to our community.
At Lincolnshire County Council, we encourage and promote quality work experience placements. These are for young people in education aged 14 - 18 and up to age 25 for a care leaver.
Young people in Lincolnshire are the future workforce. It is of great value to us, as a major employer, to encourage and support them. We aim to provide placements that allow them to develop and learn.
Our service areas will help young people and care leavers to:
- enhance their knowledge of the range of career opportunities available
- gain an insight into work and the skills and attributes they need to succeed
Work experience programmes
Work experience programmes with Lincolnshire County Council include-:
- insight days
- in-person work experience placements
- technical-level industry placements (T-Levels)
We will also include new programmes announced that meet our objectives to provide impactful experiences of work for young people and to ensure that we recruit the best talent to deliver our services.
Work experience opportunities are offered at planned points throughout the year and are advertised on the early careers page. This approach helps ensure that opportunities are accessible to all eligible young people across our communities and supports a fair and consistent application process.
By coordinating programmes at key points during the year, the council can balance service delivery requirements with its commitment to providing meaningful, structured, and high-quality work experience. This enables service areas to offer placements that provide valuable learning, development, and insight into careers within Lincolnshire County Council.
We will publish details of available programmes, eligibility criteria, and application arrangements through the early careers page and other appropriate communication channels.
Principles
The Department for Education (DfE) defines work experience as “a placement on an employer’s premises in which a student carries out a particular task or duty, or range of tasks and duties, with the emphasis on the learning aspects of the experience.”
Meaningul work experience is:
- purposeful, substantial and offers challenge. It is relevant to a young person's studies or career aspirations.
- managed by a supervisor. This ensures that students get a learning experience suited to their needs.
- structured to provide tangible outcomes for both the student and the council.
- clear about the roles, duties and expectations of both the student and the council.
