Partner with Us to Offer Industry Work Placements
At Blackburn College, we are committed to bridging the gap between academia and industry through relevant industry work placements.
Work placement students undertake either an extended industry placement (T-Level) or a short term 30-hour work placement, depending on their study programme. Join us in shaping the future workforce by providing valuable work experience to the next generation of professionals. Together, we can achieve great things!
Get in Touch! Ready to make a difference and tap into tomorrow's talent? Contact us today to learn more about how you can work with us to help inspire our future workforce through industry work placements, 01254 292356 or email workplacements@blackburn.ac.uk.
Why Partner with Us?
Employers already offering industry work placements have identified several key benefits.
These include the following:
- Enhance Your Workforce – Industry work placements provide you with an opportunity to evaluate potential future employees in a real-world setting. Many employers find that work placements serve as a highly effective recruiting tool, leading to full-time hires and reducing the cost of recruitment.
- Foster Innovation and Fresh Ideas - Students bring new insights and contemporary knowledge that can lead to innovative solutions for your business challenges.
- Community Engagement and Corporate Social Responsibility - By offering work placements, your organisation can play a pivotal role in supporting the educational and professional development of Blackburn College students. This not only strengthens community ties but also enhances your corporate social responsibility profile, reduces unemployment and is seen as a positive aspect by investors, customers and service users.
- Flexibility and Cost-Effectiveness - Our placement programs are flexible to meet your business needs. Whether you need short-term project support or long-term assistance, you can find a suitable arrangement without the financial commitments of full-time employment.
- Staff Development - Supervising and coaching students on a work placement offers an excellent opportunity to develop the management capabilities of existing employers, particularly those who may not normally have any line management responsibilities.
Curriculum areas where students undertake Work Placements
- Business (Marketing, Accounting, Finance, Law, Admin)
- Construction
- Motor Vehicle
- Travel and Tourism
- Engineering
- Creative Arts
- Music and Media
- Science
- Public Services
- Sport
- Hair and Barbering
- Digital
- Early Years
- Teaching Assistant
- Hospitality
- Beauty
- Sixth Form
- Health and Social Care
How Do Work Placements Benefit Students?
Providing meaningful work placement experiences helps students to develop valuable “work ready” skills. Below is the list of Top 10 Skills identified by Lancashire employers that students will develop through work placement experiences, making students more employable on completing their study programme. Students will also gain an insight into specific local companies and industry sectors.
- Ability to follow instructions/Attention to detail
- Ability to learn and apply new information and skills
- Commitment/Strong work ethic/ Reliability
- Positive attitude/Motivation
- Ability to work in a group or team
- Communication
- Accountability
- Adaptability
- Time Management
- Problem solving
What Next? Do you want to be part of developing your future workforce?
Step 1: Connect with Us
Reach out to our dedicated Work Placement Team to discuss your needs and explore how we can collaborate. Contact us on 01254 292356 or email workplacements@blackburn.ac.uk
Step 2: Identify the Role
We will work with you to create a role description, outlining the skills and attributes you're looking for in a student. We will complete a Health and Safety Risk Assessment with you to ensure a safe working environment.
Step 3: Recruit and Select
We handle the initial recruitment, providing you with a learner who best matches your business needs.
Step 4: Onboarding and Mentorship
Once selected, students will undergo your onboarding process. A dedicated work placement coordinator will be available to support you, the assigned workplace mentor and the student throughout the placement period to ensure a smooth and productive experience.
Step 5: Evaluation and Feedback
At the end of the placement, we will ask you to complete an Employer Appraisal, giving feedback on the student’s performance using our online Connect system. Your feedback is invaluable to help us continually improve and ensure we meet business needs.
Meet a few of our Work Placement Successes
Meet Layeena Master
T-Level Early Years
"I enjoy the hands on part of work placement and the fact I can experience all aspects of my T-Level in Early Years. The fact I can I actually practice in the career I’m really passionate about is so useful and helps me with my classroom learning as I want go straight into working in a Nursery."
Meet Amber Greenwood
T-Level Early Years
"I love the fact that we can gain hands-on experience through a week in work placement and a week studying theory, which we can use to apply in our practical work settings. We gain support from our employers at work placement as well as our tutors at college. We’re just an amazing group of students who share a passion in caring for children in education."
Meet Sophia Griffiths
T-Level Early Years
"I really enjoy doing work placement. I learn things in childcare that I can’t learn in a classroom, such as interacting with parents and giving them feedback, which will be really important to me in my future job. I can add my knowledge to the classroom too. I’m learning more about how to support children, carrying out intervention techniques and knowing how to manage a classroom. This just fits in my goals of becoming a teacher."
Find out more online…
T Levels: - T Levels and industry placement support for Employers
Gatsby Support for Placement Mentors: - Improving Technical Education | Gatsby
