WORK EXPERIENCE

After years of cancellation throughout Covid, April saw the return of Work Experience to Mount St Mary’s. We knew it was time to get one of the most powerful experiences back on track for our Young People. After months of applications, telephone interviews and door to door CV dropping, we sent an incredible 173 students to Work Experience placements.

In terms of variety, this year did not disappoint, from Nurseries and Primary Schools to Pharmacists and Farms, we managed to work with an amazing 99 different employers over the two weeks. We would like to thank all our employers who made sure the students were well supported and had an opportunity to show the best versions of themselves.

We would also like to thank our staff who visited 186 placements during the two weeks to check in on students and make sure they were supported throughout their journey. Students found the experience incredibly rewarding with quotes such as “Work Experience taught me to be patient and that you need to work hard to get where you are. There are no shortcuts and you don’t automatically get what you want.” Taneka Harakuta.

Tales of hard work and enthusiasm were fed back daily. It was great to hear stories of success from all the way across Yorkshire. There were students opening the locks on canals in Huddersfield, students feeding lambs at Meanwood Valley Farm and students catering for buffets at nurseries in our local area.

Employers were blown away by the work rates of our young people.
Rawdha Rammadhan was singled out for praise for her resilience on the farm. Ewan Maderia Sorin was highlighted by his headteacher, saying she would employ him as a TA tomorrow. This pattern continued countless times over. Kyle Sim was even offered a part time catering role due to his success at his nursery and numerous more similar offers came flooding back via email and staff feedback forms. As a Year Leader, Mr Flynn could not be prouder of
Year 10, as they all now have excellent references to add to their CV’s and invaluable experience to take into the world of work.

As a small reward three lucky students – Lee, Ewan and Michael – were selected to receive a prize of Premier League Football tickets for their excellent contributions during work experience. The students were beaming with pride as they watched the mighty Leeds United secure their place in the Premier League in the last home match of the season.

Students clearly valued the experience with many holding new or refreshed ambitions to succeed. “Work Experience has made me change my mind on what I want to do. I could see myself doing teacher training now” Lee Morrison. Furthermore, this has been demonstrated by their motivated return to lessons, as students prepare to revise for mock exams and complete their CV’s for Employer Interview Day. We can not wait to see how successful students will be with this new drive forward as they approach Year 11.