There's no better way to decide if a career is right for you than to gain real work experience. Construction offers a rich environment that will help students with their vocational decision-making.

Work experience also provides employers with an opportunity to promote a positive image of the industry, and gives them the perfect stage in which to test young people and look for future employees.

There is no guarantee that work experience will lead to a young person taking up a career in construction. However they will be better informed about the opportunities that construction offers, as well as the issues that shape their communities and environment.

Most schools and colleges run work experience schemes and will organise a suitable placement with a co-operating employer. CITB-ConstructionSkills is also able to help - we will do our best to find an employer to suit the line of work the student is looking to follow.

For employers wishing to offer work experience or work shadowing, we offer a comprehensive information pack on how to run successful placements for young people.

What to do and what to expect

Young people planning work experience should consider a range of factors to ensure that they get the best out of the placement. The type of experience they want and the company that they work for will depend on the area of the industry that they are hoping to enter.

You may feel that a large company will be more beneficial than a small firm, but there are advantages to both. A smaller company will explain the overall running of a business, as well as the skills of the particular trade the student is interested in.

In a larger firm the student will work with people in various trades, pulling together to complete a project. They will get to see the 'ideas factory', building skills, management and surveying.

During work experience the student will probably be asked to carry out routine tasks and administrative duties, as well as attend site visits and accompany the professionals (such as architects, engineers or surveyors) on their jobs.

Scholarships and Bursaries

Many employers work with colleges and universities to offer sponsorship to students enrolling on construction-related courses. The company will normally help the student through the course financially but also provide valuable hands-on experience. In addition, many employers offer students a job at the end of their course.

Scholarships are a more structured way to gain experience in the workplace, earn a salary and complete vocational qualifications, such as an HNC/HND.

Sponsorships are offered in a variety of ways, one of these being through a 'sandwich course'. The young person carries out one or two year's training at college (funded by the employer), followed by a year's paid work experience with the employer. This gives the individual the opportunity to apply what they have learnt at school, college or university to real working life. Training is finally completed during a final year at college or university.

This is the typical structure, although some employers may prefer students to do the work experience for shorter amounts of time at more regular intervals. Many sponsored students can also benefit from being offered a job at the end of training.

Inspire Scolarships

Inspire Scholarships is the construction industry’s leading scholarship scheme, bringing the brightest and best graduates into the industry. By sponsoring a scholar, you can help support a student through university and provide them with a work placement that will enrich their studies and equip them for the world of work. In return, you will be investing in an invaluable asset for your business, and helping develop a work-ready candidate. Scholarships are jointly sponsored by ConstructionSkills, who also market the scheme.If you are an employer interested in finding out more about the scheme, please contact Sarah Lambert on 01509 282889 or email scholarship@cskills.org