Top Ten Tales : It happened to us...

College Work Experience

Why did you do work experience from college/university?
It was part of the course and directly related to the careers we wanted to follow.

What kind of work did you do?
We were treated like other employees, doing the same jobs as full-time workers.

How long did the placement last?
This varied with the course. In some cases it was a couple of weeks whereas a university student on a sandwich course spent a whole year in work.

Were you paid for your work?
The short placements were unpaid but we did get paid if we were on longer placements.

Were you told about health and safety by your college or university on your placement?
Very few of us were told about health and safety by the college. Some of us were given verbal instructions by employers. One of us was given a health and safety folder when we arrived.

Did you have a supervisor during your placement?
All except one of us, however very few of us had visits from the college / university.

Did any of you have an accident?
Yes. One of us suffered cuts and then suffered stress and upset because of the way she was treated.