Work Placement | Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce

What are Work Experience Placements?

Work Experience Placements are an important part of a young person’s education, helping them to gain meaningful exposure to the world of work and helping them to plan their future career.

Who do we support?

Our busy in-house work experience team work on behalf of North and South Ayrshire Council to source work placements for school pupils from S4-S6. This could be for a couple of days, weeklong or flexible (e.g. 1 afternoon per week on an ongoing basis). These placements give young people a real insight to the world of work and should also provide the employer with an additional support in the workplace to assist with tasks. We are desperately keen to ensure that all young people get the opportunity to take part in this programme but we cannot do it without you, our Ayrshire employers.

What's coming up

Over 1,100 school pupils are looking for work placements this year across North and South Ayrshire. Below is a list of week-long placements in which schools have chosen to send their pupils:

30th September - 4th October Marr College
7th – 11th October Irvine Royal Academy
7th – 11th October Garnock Academy
7th – 11th October Auchenharvie Academy
7th - 11th October Queen Margaret Academy
21st – 25th October and 28th October – 1st November Largs Academy
28th October - 1st November Ayr Academy
28th October - 1st November Prestwick Academy
28th October – 1st November and 4th - 8th November Greenwood Academy
4th - 8th November Marr College
4th - 8th November Southcraig School
18th - 22nd November and 25th - 29th November Girvan Academy

If you would like to offer work experience, please complete the online Work Placement Application Form by clicking here.

If you do not currently offer work experience but would like to find out more information, please contact our Education Team or call 01292 678666.

DYW Ayrshire have developed guidelines to assist you to raise the quality of the learning that a work placement can offer while motivating and inspiring all involved. Check out their Ayrshire Ask.

Work Experience Week

In December 2023, DYW Ayrshire ran a #WorkExperienceWeek campaign to highlight the benefits of the programme to employers and young people. You can search this hashtag across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or X to see some positive stories around the programme.

This campaign will return in December 2024.

Who to contact for help & support relating to a work placement

If you are looking for help & support prior to the placement then please contact the Education Team on 01292 678666.

You should receive a letter from the school approximately 2 weeks before a placement starts, this will detail a contact in the school should an issue arise during the placement. If for some reason you are unable to reach the named contact then please contact the Chamber by the above methods.

Sample Induction Programmes

Please find a selection of sample induction programmes for pupils:

Appropriate activities for a pupil during placement

The starting point for organising a work experience placement is to identify exactly what opportunity you are offering. This means compiling a timetable of meaningful activities for the duration of the placement.

Sample Timetables of Activity:

Feedback session with the pupil before end of their placement

To ensure the pupils learning experience has been fulfilled it is beneficial that a feedback session takes place. This allows the employer to highlight areas that the pupil has flourished and areas that could be developed in the future.