Why should I get Work Experience?

Work experience is extremely beneficial to both students’ personal and professional growth and is a practical element that can be added to a CV or Personal Statement.

St John Rigby College aims to support students not only academically but also with practical experiences as well. We want our students to leave with a well-rounded understanding of their chosen career paths, and the skills and experience to excel in their future goals.

Work experience is also an essential element for some degrees and jobs, and we highly recommend that research be done into your chosen career or University to find out what requirements they need. The Work Placement Coordinator and Careers team are always on hand to help.

• To develop subject knowledge and practical skills.

• To gain necessary experience in order to progress within your chosen career path.

• To encourage reflective practice which is essential for future job/university interviews.

• To gain practical competence and aid in professional development.

• To get industry contacts within your chosen career.

How to find Work Experience

Try to find voluntary work within your area. Below are some useful links:

– Wigan Council Volunteer Opportunities

– Volunteering in Bolton – Bolton Council

– Do IT | Connecting people to do good things

– Volunteering Matters celebrates 60 years – Volunteering Matters

• Utilise any contacts that you may have in your chosen profession, i.e. family member, family friends, etc.
• Some Universities also offer work placement opportunities within certain career paths so we recommend checking Universities webpages for these opportunities.
• Virtual Work Experience can also be useful, though we do recommend caution regarding work experience that requests payment. It should also be noted that some Universities won’t accept virtual work experience on a Personal Statement. We can however recommend a platform called Springpod that is offering free virtual work experience in certain professions. www.springpod.com
• We also have a dedicated Work Placement Coordinator, who is based in the library Monday – Friday, between 8:30am and 4:30pm. Please feel free to drop in for a chat.

Work Experience Information for Business/Companies

Benefits for Employers

• Bringing fresh ideas and new perspectives to your business.
• Encouraging young people to achieve their future career goals by giving them the opportunity to strengthen their CVs, and personal statements.
• Giving a boost to a young person’s confidence and empowering them to pursue their dreams.
• Additional resources for your business/company at no extra cost to you.
• Providing mentoring/supervising experience for your employees which boosts moral as it shows you trust them.
• Great recruitment strategy and an excellent way to spot new talent in your industry.

Feedback from Placements

‘I have worked at hope school for 38 years, I been a student mentor for at least 30 of those years, So feel more than qualified to express the following… During this time I have supported many colleges, been involved in a variety of different courses and guided lots of trainees to further their professional development. I have worked with many tutors and accessors from across the Wigan borough and further afield, and feel confident in expressing that out of all the colleges, universities and schools that Hope School has supported without a shadow of a doubt St. John Rigby students are by far the best in every way!!!’ Hope School and College

‘All the students that have visited Ashtree House have been kind, polite and have all interacted well with the residents. The students have also been a great support to the care team as the students are keeping activities and engagement going to a high standard with the guidance of our lifestyle manager.’ Ashtree House Care Home

‘We really value to role of the student placement scheme at St.John Rigby College, our experience has been a really positive one with the student blending in with our team perfectly and bringing fresh ideas and enthusiasm to our service’ The Zone, Wigan

‘We have loved having students from St John Rigby at More Than Words.  Their enthusiasm and dedication to the care industry has been exceptional.  During their placement students have built solid professional relationships with both staff and students and it has been an absolute pleasure to host them’ More Than Words

‘Just a quick note to say a big thank you to you and St John Rigby for the wonderful students you’ve provided over the years. They’ve been very helpful and caring whether they have been working on a one-to-one capacity or been part of the team. You should be very proud of your students.’ Reflections Wigan

‘We have had the privilege over the past few years of providing work placements for students from St. John Rigby College. A variety of personalities have graced our service and provided a welcome helping hand in supporting our own service users in our classroom settings as well as when going out and about in the local community. We have found students from St. John Rigby College to be smart, polite, reliable, friendly, and willing to perform a variety of activities and tasks. Our service users love having new people to talk to and work with. All placements were successful and mutually beneficial to us as a provider, as it gave us a welcome extra pair of hands as well as providing the student with experience in a real workplace’ ACE Wigan (Adult Community Education)

How to Get Involved

If you would like to offer a work experience opportunity to our students, could you please complete the below form by clicking the link Here

You can also contact our Work Placement Coordinator for more information:

Louise Lowe

Email: WorkPlacements@sjr.ac.uk