Why work experience is invaluable in seeking employment

We speak to Rachel Moad, a Year 13 student who recently completed work experience here at NCFE, to learn more about the skills and knowledge that she gained during this time as well as how it has set her up for the future and seeking employment.

My name is Rachel and I’m a Year 13 student at Gateshead College studying Business whilst specialising in Digital Marketing. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to complete my work experience at NCFE as a part of this Level 3 course.  

I was at the NCFE office every Thursday for seven weeks over January and February this year, working across the Marketing and Communications teams. During this time, I had the opportunity to learn new skills and expand my knowledge in the many different areas within marketing, PR and communications. 

My current experience at college 

The business course that I’m completing covers a lot of different disciplines including business management and decision-making, financial data analysis, events management, recruitment, international business and more. We also complete units in digital marketing, marketing campaigns and the importance of work experience (which impacted my decision to seek work experience at NCFE). In my first year, I was delighted to achieve a Distinction grade overall and I’m predicted a grade of three Distinctions by the end of this year.  

What I did on my work experience at NCFE 

On my first day there, I had the chance to meet everyone in the team and get an understanding of the job roles across the department. Everyone was very welcoming and took time out of their day to talk me through their role and create tasks that I could work on, such as writing practice blog posts, coming up with my own ideas for social media posts and using digital marketing platforms that I wasn't familiar with before.  

This experience has helped me at college because I have now had the opportunity to complete the assignment and tasks in different formats. I know that this is something I might need to do in a marketing career in the future.  

My ambitions after college 

I finished my course this summer and will get my results on 15 August (wish me luck!) After this, I plan to go to Northumbria University to study Business and Marketing. In my first year at university, there are two core modules that I'll need to complete that are completely focused on marketing. I’m pleased that I’ll be able to take the information and advice given to me through my work experience into these studies, which will help me to speak more confidently about marketing in general. 

I’m not completely sure where my career will take me in the future after I’ve finished university. However, I know that both my studies and work experience will help me to make decisions about my future career because I will have a better understanding of the responsibilities and day-to-day operations within a marketing department, as well as the different job roles that might be available.  

The benefits of work experience 

During my work placement, I was given the opportunity to learn from all of the staff members in the department, in every area and at every level – this was invaluable. Everyone in the department was really happy to answer any questions I had about their roles and supported me with the tasks that they had set me. The team showed an interest in the course that I’m doing at college and were able to give me advice about my future, based on their own experiences.  

I definitely feel better equipped for university and my career having completed this work experience, as it’s built both my confidence and my understanding. I would certainly recommend this kind of placement to other college students! 

To find out more about Youth Employment, visit our Youth Employment Week webpage.