Academy leaders thank local businesses for supporting its first ever work experience week

Added by Love Business East Midlands | 5 June 2023

UPDATED: 5 June 2023

Leaders of Derby secondary Alvaston Moor Academy have warmly thanked organisations in the area for supporting its first ever work experience week, which has been hailed an unprecedented success.

Around 60 year 10 students aged 14 and 15 at the academy on Bracken’s Lane were given the opportunity to get a taste of the workplace during the week starting on May 22.

The school had appealed to local firms to consider accommodating one of its students during the week, and academy vice principal Dan Ingram said he was “delighted” with the response after the appeal was publicised in the local press.

He said more students had been given the opportunity to do work experience away from school than he had hoped for, and he was very pleased with how well the week had gone.

He said:

“Given this was the first time Alvaston Moor Academy had held a work experience week of any kind, I’m delighted at the response we had from local companies willing to allow our students into their offices for a day or two.

“We are so proud of all our students at our academy but they very often lack the family networks that can be very helpful for teenagers trying to navigate their way into their future when they leave us at 16. That’s why we are so pleased that our students were given these opportunities by generous local companies. We thank each and every one of them for opening their doors to Alvaston Moor Academy students and we are sure they will have done our reputation proud in return.”

During the week the cohort of Alvaston Moor pupils spent time in a wide range of local organisations, including John M Lewis & Co, Day-Night Pharmacy and Nippon Auto Spares, with some prestigious names such as Rolls-Royce and Alstom also volunteering as hosts.

One year ten student, Alfie, said during his stint Alstom:

“The work experience is going great! So far we have completed a mix of theory and practical based health and safety lessons. More recently we have moved onto the production lines helping the workers with the trains!”

A spokesperson for aircraft suppliers LK Metrology told academy leaders that the pupil they had hosted had been a “credit” to the school.

They said:

“He has attended every day and on time, is dressed smartly, and has conducted himself very professionally whilst he has been here.  The feedback from the team is that he has showed a lot of interest in what we do, and has also completed some practical tasks where he can, subject to health and safety restrictions.”

The opportunity to do work experience is commonplace amongst many secondary schools but this is the first time it has happened at Alvaston Moor. Building on the success of this year’s work experience week, now school leaders hope to repeat the enterprise next year and would love to hear from an even greater number of local companies willing to host students.

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