Work experience is a valuable opportunity for students to step beyond
the classroom and explore the world of work.
At Ramsgrange Community School, we place great importance on the work experience undertaken by our senior students in Transition Year (TY), Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA), in fifth year, with Life, Community & Work (LCW formally LCVP) .
Aims of Work Experience
Work experience allows our students to develop practical skills, build confidence, and gain insight into different careers. By engaging with local businesses and organisations, students learn responsibility, communication, and teamwork. We strongly value this experience as it helps students make informed decisions about their future pathways and prepares them for further education, training, and employment.
How long is Work Experience for
The length of work experience depends on the programme or subject the student is doing. See details below.
How to get a Work Experience Placement
Firstly students, together with parents, should read the Work Experience Guidelines and consider a variety of options for placement. Limiting the search for a placement to just the immediate local area can be restricting so instead we encourage students to think about finding a placement in the wider Wexford/Waterford area and considering getting a lift or public transport to/from placement. In fact some students even travel as far as Dublin for work placement in order to experience certain work environments, however this may be challenging for placements which are just one day a week. Having lots of options of places to contact improves the chances of finding a suitable and more meaningful placement. Students can also look at the Work Experience notice board which has a bank of contact details of past employers who provided work experience to our students and/or students should ask their work experience teacher for ideas of places to try. On average, students need to try at least 6 or more places to be succesful in finding somewhere willing to take them on for placement.
Please note: Students are encouraged to develop their own job seeking skills by telephoning, emailing or visiting in person a prospective employer/placement provider of choice. Employers have told us that they prefer students to contact them in person for themselves as opposed to having the school and/or parent do this.
It is advisable for students to write out and practice aloud what they are going to say before telephoning or visiting a work place in person. This ensures students make a good impression immediately. Sample letters/emails asking for a placement are available on Teams to help students also.
Paperwork for Work Placement/Community Involvement
Host Employers Guidance Leaflet Giving Overview of Placement for Employer
Work Placement Summary Sheet For Employer (to be returned to teacher fully completed before placement)
Insurance letter showing State Indemnity for Employer
TY Students & Work Placement
Students doing the TY programme engage in 3 sessions of work placement. TY placements take place each Tuesday, usually beginning in October each year and run for approximately 7/8 sessions each. We encourage that two of the placements are in a work setting of interest to them and their future career and we recommend that the other placement is in a setting where a community service is being provided such as a charity shop or voluntary organisation (eg: day care centre/animal shelter).
At various stages during the TY programme students may be given the opportunity to apply for additional work experiences (eg: in the Dáil, with BEAT FM or via Mini Med) or indeed TY students may organise their own additional placement (usually for 1 week) in a vocational area of interest to them. This practice is encouraged. Students are expected to follow the same guidelines and complete the same work experience forms and notify both the TY Year Head and school office of any absense as a result of these. Students are also expected to complete a work diary of all experiences that they are involved in with details of the work duties involved and learning/insights they gained.
Relevant dates for the TY work placements and for an additional TY work experiences are given to TY students at the start of the TY programme and are posted on TY Teams throughout the year
The guidelines for all work experience/community placements and the forms to be completed for each placement are available here and are also available on the students own Teams for TY.
LCA Students & Work Placement
Students doing the LCA programme engage in 4 sessions of work placement. LCA placements take place each Wednesday.
Relevant dates for the LCA work placements are given to the students at the start of the LCA programme and are posted on LCA Teams. LCA placements run from Sept - Jan and Feb - May each year with 2 sessions completed during LCA1 and the other two completed during LCA2. LCA students gain credits for completing work experience (with 90%+ attendance) along with other relevant key assignments.
Life, Community & Work (5th years)
All students in fifth year (including Applied Maths students) have the opportunity to engage in one week of work placement as part of Life, Community & Work (previously known as LCVP). This usually takes place in March of fifth year for the students and details are given to students at the beginning of the year. Students are encouraged to look for placements as early as possible in work areas of interest to them for a future career.