Designing Successful Work Experience Placements

Offering work experience is more than giving a young person a week in your workplace, it’s an opportunity to spot future talent, raise your organisation’s profile, and shape the next generation of skilled workers.

The Welsh Government has developed a set of practical, easy‑to‑use resources to help employers design meaningful, well‑structured placements that benefit both your business and the learner.

Aligned with the Curriculum for Wales, the guidance takes you step‑by‑step through everything you need to run a successful placement from planning tasks to on‑the‑day activities and post‑placement reflection. With clear role expectations and ready‑made tools such as guides, flowcharts, and interactive templates, it’s designed to make hosting a placement straightforward, valuable, and rewarding.

What the guidance helps you do:

• Understand what a high‑quality work experience placement looks like
• Maximise the benefits for your organisation and the learner
• Ensure your placement is meaningful and curriculum‑aligned
• Know exactly what to do before, during, and after the placement
• Support learners effectively throughout their time with you
• Evaluate and improve the placement to support future recruitment
• Access further tools and support to make the process even easier