Work Experience

The University welcomes and encourages work experience placements for children below statutory school leaving age and young adults, and recognises that they are an important part of secondary education. Guidance has been developed to ensure that the placement is planned and organised in such a way as to provide a safe and interesting learning experience for the student.

Health and Safety Regulations place the following requirements on employers concerning these types of placements:

1. To take particular account of certain specified factors when carrying out or reviewing risk assessments;
2. That the risk assessment be carried out before the young person starts work;
3. To prohibit young persons from certain work if risk assessment identifies a significant risk which cannot be eliminated; and
4. In cases where the young person is a child, to provide information to parents/guardians/carers concerning the risk assessment.

All work experience placements must have the approval of the Head of Business Unit in charge or a person with delegated authority. The Health and Safety Coordinator must also be consulted and involved in setting up the placement. Guidance (see related links) on the issues relating to setting up placements is available on the Health and Safety web site. This includes templates for the risk assessment and correspondence with parents/guardians/carers. In particular the young person must:

• Not be left alone in the Business Unit, nor work alone or out of hours, and must be properly supervised at all times
• Not be exposed to ionising radiation
• Not be involved in work with any carcinogenic or toxic substances and must be kept away from areas where such materials are handled
• Not work beyond their physical or psychological capabilities. They must not be involved in lifting or handling of significant loads. Contact with patients will only be considered after thorough assessment has been made of the psychological risks [see below if relevant]
• Not be exposed to excessive noise, vibration, heat or cold
• Not be exposed directly to respiratory sensitisers
• Not be involved in the use of workshop machinery with moving parts, automatic/semi-automatic cutting machinery, guillotines, power presses, woodworking machinery, compressed air tools or similar hazardous machinery

Safe guarding - the guidance in the University’s Safeguarding Policy must be read and understood, and the short safeguarding training requirement should also be completed before any work experience placement commences.

Applications concerning children under the statutory school leaving age should be arranged through the local education authority’s placement organisation. This will address many of these requirements.

Safety Policy on Work Experience 

Agreement Forms