Xperience Celebrates 25 Years!
The Xperience team will be celebrating their 25th birthday on 1st April.
The work placement organiser team in West Yorkshire “Xperience” which is part of SkillsHouse at Bradford Council are celebrating their 25th birthday on 1st April and want to highlight the importance of young people participating in a work placement with an employer.
Over the 25 years, the team has provided in excess of 206,365 work experience placements for young people and some adults including lone parents, unemployed and graduates.
Xperience has worked with thousands of employers and schools over the years and put a range of work related learning programmes together for the benefit of students across the District and beyond.
Catherine Halliwell, Xperience team manager said there has been a number of unique opportunities for students over the years and the highlights include visits to RAF Fylingdales for A Level physics students, work experience at H M Treasury in London, the high quality partnerships programmes with Bradford NHS Trust, Bradford Combined Courts, the CPS and H M Treasury in London to name a few. Students have even made presentations to the Czech Tourist Board in Prague and made films in South Africa as part of their learning experiences and personal development. The employment landscape has evolved and with AI developing rapidly in the work place, it is important young people take the opportunity during a work placement to develop their employability skills which will support them when entering into the job market alongside their technical knowledge and academic qualifications.
Sarah Wilson, Careers Co-ordinator at Beckfoot School said, the Xperience Team have supported Beckfoot School to place over 10,000 students into the world of work. Their experience, knowledge and constant networking means our students have benefited from hours of valuable work experience and has helped them to step into their futures with transferable skills and confidence. Congratulations on reaching 25 years!
Safina Akhtar Widening Participation Lead at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said “Xperience have been pivotal over the years in supporting Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in selecting the right learners for our highly sought after work placements. They have supported before, during and after each placement. Not only have they taken away the stress of sifting through applications but have also supported us in working with local schools and promoting activity across the district. The team is always on hand to offer advice and guidance. Happy 25th birthday!!
Xperience works with employers from a range of sectors and organises approximately 4,000 work placements each year. If you are reading this and your school or business are interested in working with Xperience, please start the conversation by emailing: xperience@bradford.gov.uk.