·         Severn Trent is supporting this year’s National Work Experience week (24 to 28 April).

·         The company has committed to providing 300 work experience placements this year, going up to 500 a year by 2032.

·         Supports the company’s wider commitment to help 100,000 living in the Midlands giving them increased opportunities and skills while tackling underlying causes of poverty.

·         Research shows that young people who don’t participate in work experience, are 86% more likely to be NEET (not in education, employment or training).*

National Work Experience Week (24 – 28 April) is the perfect time for young people to think about kick starting their careers and exploring the world of work, says Severn Trent.

The Midlands water and waste company is encouraging schools and young people to take advantage of its work experience offering, where it’s committed to providing 300 work experiences placements this year, taking that up to 500 a year until 2032.

The work experience programme helps form part of Severn Trent’s wider plans to help 100,000 people living in its region by giving them increased opportunities and training to support them into work.

Research shows that young people who had higher employer engagement, like undertaking work experience, are 86%* less likely to end up not in education, employment or training (NEET).

To mark National Work Experience Week, the company is also hosting nearly 60 students for a discovery day to give them a snapshot into the wonderful world of water and what roles and opportunities are available at a company like Severn Trent.

Charmaine Marufu, Schools Engagement and Work Experience Lead at Severn Trent said: “While our work experience programme runs all year, National Work Experience Week is a great reminder to other businesses and companies that they can make a real difference when it comes to shaping a young person’s future. We know the huge impact work experience can make, which is why we’re partnering with a number of schools in our region to reach as many young people as we can, especially those that may not have the networks or connections otherwise, to give them a taster into what working at a company like ours can be.

“We’re lucky that we have so many different roles and experiences to share, whether it’s an immersive experience learning how we find and fix leaks, working on a challenge with our innovation team, or a placement within our office based teams – we’re confident we have something that would benefit a young person to spark their interest and help them think about their future.”

Severn Trent has committed to supporting 100,000 people living in the Midlands, but providing work experience placements and free employability training and skills workshops to anyone who needs it.

The ambition is to help as many people be given the tools to make a difference, and support them into finding work to prevent falling into poverty.

“Last year we launched our plans to help people living in our region to reach their full potential,” adds Charmaine. “And a key way of doing that is offering work experience to young people in schools that are at higher risk of unemployment and working with them to provide meaningful work experience placements so we can help make a positive difference for their future.”

Work experience student, Elina said about her placement in the Strategy and Regulation team said: “I’ve gained confidence in speaking up and sharing my opinion with different stakeholders from the business. It feels less daunting now working for a big organisation and I feel more ready to work for a big company because here at Severn Trent I have been able to experience a great working culture.” 

Find out more about National Work Experience Week over at: https://nationalworkexperienceweek.co.uk/

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https://www.educationandemployers.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Contemporary-Transitions-30-01-2017.pdf