Wiltshire College & University Centre is proud to help launch the YourPlacement platform in Swindon and Wiltshire today – a new scheme designed to enable students across the county to gain insight into industry.
The College’s Work Placement Team have been working alongside Swindon & Wiltshire Careers Hub, Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership and the team at YourPlacement to create the online platform, which is accessible to all schools in Swindon and Wiltshire.
YourPlacement allows students to gain an understanding of the world of work at an array of local businesses, something they would normally achieve through external work placements but have not been able to complete over the past year due to Covid restrictions.
Wiltshire College & University Centre Deputy Principal Curriculum and Quality Iain Hatt said: “The College is delighted to be involved in the launch of the YourPlacement programme in Wiltshire. We are extremely grateful for the brilliant support from the team there, as well as that of the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership, the Swindon & Wiltshire Careers Hub and all the businesses that have already signed up to be involved.
“The College knows how important work placements are for young people in preparation for their career. They provide students with a better understanding of their career of choice, enhance their skills and give a key insight into joining the world of work.”
The project is aimed at school pupils aged 14-16 who are thinking about what they want to do with the next steps in their life. Registration has to be completed through their school and be submitted via the school’s Careers Leaders.
Chippenham MP and Minister of State for Universities Michelle Donelan has given her support to the programme and a number of leading employers in the area have already signed up to take part. Wiltshire Police, AJ Reynolds, Steam Museum and REME and have all registered to be involved in the scheme, and the College and its partners are grateful for their support.
Paddy Bradley, Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership CEO, said: “There is an urgent need to help young people to be prepared for the changing world of work. YourPlacement will bring to students the experience of industrial and commercial settings and enable them to focus on coming out of this challenging time more employable than ever.
“The work Wiltshire College and University Centre, the YourPlacement team and the Swindon & Wiltshire Careers Hub are doing has the opportunity to break down some of the barriers our young people face at this time.”
YourPlacement Developer Daniel Busson said: “It’s so important our young people have access to the right careers information and experiences whenever they need it, and it has been a real pleasure to work with Wiltshire College & University Centre to help deliver a platform that can do just that.
“We look forward to working with the College over the next few months to help grow the content already available on the platform.”
For more information about YourPlacement, click here. If other businesses in the area would like to support the programme, contact the College’s Work Placement Team on workexperience@wiltshire.ac.uk.
