6 Reasons You Should Offer Work Experience to Students

6 Reasons You Should Offer Work Experience to Students After years spent studying and racking up thousands in debt to achieve a degree you would think the first thing a student has to do is get a job before theyve even graduated. But not everyone thinks so. In fact Mary Curnock Cook, the outgoing head of British university admissions service UCAS, says students should take their time before finding a job. She says that many youngsters needed time to find their career niche. And it was important they had some down time after studying. Recently, the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) said that most employers claimed that  graduates arent skilled enough  to join the world of work. So how can employers help graduates make the transition from the world of studying to work? The most practical answer is to offer students work experience. And these are the reasons why its beneficial to employers: 1. It helps your other employees Having someone on a  work experience placement means they need supervision, guidance and even a mentor.  This helps to boost your teams morale as it shows them that you trust them enough to be responsible. It also helps your  employees develop their own supervisory skills which will help you and them should a senior position arise that they could be considered for. 2. Its good branding for the company If youve got  a really effective and organised work placement scheme that young people genuinely feel they can benefit from then they will soon be telling their friends, who will be telling their friends.  This means you get to choose from the best young talent out there. Word of mouth is one of the best forms of marketing out there and its free.  Your company’s reputation for investing in young people will be ranked quite highly  so more people will want to come and work for you. 3. It doesnt cost you financially (no, really) You dont legally have to pay for people on work experience students. That doesnt mean you can take advantage of a free workforce and exploit them as that would just be wrong, but most people understand that work experience is just that experience. Some companies do offer to pay for travel expenses or provide lunch vouchers but if it means you can spot future talent then its a small price to pay. 4. Enthusiasm Now unless the person has been brought to your company kicking and screaming because they dont want to be there,  most people on work experience come with a bag full of enthusiasm and positivity and often brimming with new ideas. 5. Its a great recruitment strategy Theres no doubt the workforce is getting younger and if thats where you see your company going in the future then by offering work experience programmes is a great way to go about this. Its easier to spot talent when you can see them in the work place and there is nothing stopping you from offering them a permanent role such as an apprenticeship or part time roles whilst they are at university? Young people are also like sponges and will soak up what they learn at your company. This will reduce your cost of bringing in more experienced, skilled professionals. 6. Helps young people to mature Most people on work experience will never have been exposed to the world of work and most of their knowledge about the world of work will be classroom-based or something theyve read on the internet or social media. So, when they do work experience, they tend to mature and are able to make more informed choices about their future career. Theyre also  more likely to stay  within that industry and, if you are in a position to offer permanent work such as apprenticeships or graduate positions, that person is more likely to remain with your company. Whether  students should secure work before theyve even left university or wait until theyve found the right career for them is something that can be debated all day long. But as an employer it wouldnt harm you to give them a helping hand now and again.