Channel 4 Work Inspiration

Recognising employers that are addressing the talent challenge by turning work experience into Work Inspiration, to bridge the gap between the classroom and the world of work.

More can be done by employers to bridge the gap between education and the world of work. Improving work experience placements will ensure that business is making a contribution to the talent, creativity and skills needed for our future. It is now more important than ever for young people’s first experience of work to be both relevant and meaningful but more importantly that it is truly inspiring.

Who can enter: In general, the Awards for Excellence are open to all members of Business in the Community, and to any other private sector companies that have a business presence in the UK. In addition, this category is open to any employer who has signed up to the Work Inspiration campaign via the Work Inspiration website: www.workinspiration.com

What we hope to hear about from the award entries: The Work Inspiration award recognises and rewards employers that are addressing the talent challenge by turning work experience into Work Inspiration, to bridge the gap between the classroom and the world of work. The Work Inspiration campaign addresses two critical needs:

1. The business need for employable recruits, the standard of which is improved by engaging earlier with the future workforce.
2. The social need to provide young people with a clearer picture of work, to equip them to make decisions about their future career paths and increase their employability.

The campaign has grabbed the imagination of almost 500  employers in its first year, and has already resulted in 100,000* work experience places being converted to Work Inspiration. The focus is on 14-19 year olds in education, where work experience is defined as an employer offering a work placement opportunity which is intended to be the young person’s first experience of the world of work. The placement could be a day, three days or longer (although we recognise that in some cases work experience can be delivered in a different format). The aim of the placement is to build the young person’s understanding of the world of work, raise their aspirations and develop their skills and awareness of the workplace.

As the Work Inspiration campaign is only in its second year, and still developing, the Award has been developed to reflect this, with a focus on why and how you have set your work experience programme up and how you intend to develop and improve it; your engagement / communication with young people, schools and other partners and what the wider society benefits are for running work experience.  Whilst we expect entrants to be able to articulate the business case clearly, we understand that you may not yet be able to demonstrate the business impacts tangibly. Therefore, the distribution of weightings on the application form reflects this.

For example, Lakehouse has a Work Inspiration programme which was established as part of a wider scheme called ‘Lakehouse Legacy’ which aims to attract new talent into the company, whilst adding value the communities it works in. Channel 4 Television’s Work Inspiration programme provides a powerful social and economic impact on young people.  The experiences change their attitudes to education and careers, with many using the work experience placement to successfully gain further experience, employment or education

Please note that re-accreditation for the 2010 regional Work Inspiration award is not available.  Exceptional and highly commended companies from that award are of course encouraged to enter the 2012 national Award for Excellence.

Is your organisation running a meaningful and inspiring work experience programme? If so, please apply and share your story.