Work Experience

and Employment

All trainees are expected to engage with work experience, supported by trained Job Coaches.

This usually progresses through supportive stages:

1. Workplace visits to explore what work is like

2. Weekly work placements (typically one day a week for 6 weeks)

3. Support to reflect on what works — and what doesn’t

Placements are matched to trainee interests wherever possible and may include:

• Cafés and shops

• Kitchens and catering

• Care homes

• Farms and outdoor work

• Libraries

• Printing and design businesses

• Trades and small enterprises

Job Coaches support trainees throughout — especially when confidence or anxiety is a challenge.

Work experience can lead to:

• Voluntary work

• Paid employment

• Supported internships

Some trainees can apply for paid work in SAND cafés or the shop outside college hours.

• These roles are paid via a zero-hours contract

• Wages are paid into the trainee’s own bank account

• Paid work is separate from college pathways and work experience

• Trainees are supported to understand the difference between paid and unpaid work

Trainees on café pathways also share tips collected over the term — the only payment linked to college-day activity.