Work Experience Research Booklet

8/3/2019 Work Experience Research Booklet

1/26

At the moment many areas of work are changing constantly and new techniques areapplied to various aspects of the world of work. In school your curriculum and

subject areas change to try and keep pace with this. You will notice that some areas

of study involving facts do not change, but few technology and changing environments

do.

You are asked to consider the following questions from each of your subject areas in

school and try and make the connection with them to work. In addition you must all

attempt the ICT section. Each placement will result in different answers in some

placements, not all, will be relevant.

Do what you can and be prepared to discuss your answers with your teachers when

you return to school.

1

WORK RELATED LEARNING


2/26

INFORMATION COMMUNICATION

TECHNOLOGY

ICT is a very important tool both at school and in the world of work. New

technologies have revolutionised the working environment. We believe that it is

important that you investigate the use of ICT in depth whilst you are on work

experience.

The use of ICT can be incorporated into a variety of scenarios/activities within the

working environment. Some may apply to your placement, some may not. Please

investigate as many of these areas as you can.

List any new technology e.g. machinery or equipment which you have used for

the first time whilst on work placement.

Try to find out what new technology (e.g. machinery or equipment) has been

introduced into your workplace recently.(This could be a new digital camera, a

new PC or digital conferencing. Anything new should be discussed).

Why was it introduced?

How has the new technology helped your workplace?

What, if any, disadvantages have there been?

2


3/26

How do the users of the new technology feel about it?

What training have they undertaken to be able to use the new technology?

Do they feel that they have been suitably trained?

If not, why not?

What do you feel school ought to purchase to enable us to prepare you for the

world at work?

ICT AND THE DISABLED

Are any of the people in your workplace registered disabled? If so, how many?

3


4/26

Has any equipment or facility within your workplace been adapted so that

people with disabilities or special needs can work there. If so, how?

ICT can help many people with disabilities. Can you suggest any improvements

which might be useful to the employees at your workplace.

ICT AND THE DATA PROTECTION ACT

The rapid explosion in the use of ICT in the workplace has created the need for the

public to be protected against misuse or incorrect information which is stored about

them. The first Data Protection Act was introduced in May 1984 and has been

updated regularly ever since. Any organisation which stores information electronically

about either their customers or employees must abide by the Data Protection Act.

Does your workplace store information electronically about any individuals?

YES NO Are they registered with the Data Protection Commission to do so?

YES NO How do they ensure that the information held is correct?

How do they update information?

4


5/26

Can the individual see the information which is held about them?

YES NO What do they do with the data that they no longer need?

How do they ensure that the data is kept confidential?

ICT AND HEALTH AND SAFETY

There are many health and safety rules governing the use of ICT equipment within

the workplace.

Regular computer users should have free regular eye checks. Does your

organisation provide free eye tests? If they do, how long do you have to be

working at a computer screen before you are entitled to the test?

Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is caused by constantly pounding the keyboard.

Various strategies should be implemented by the company such as wrist rests,

ergonomic keyboards, etc.

What equipment has your company implemented to help reduce the occurrence

of RSI?

5


6/26

Other aspects of health and safety include:

o Desks being large enough to accommodate the hardware safely.

o The chair must be adjustable and comfortable, and allow easy freedom

of movement.

o Lights there should be no reflective glare or reflections which hinder

the visibility of the computer screen.

Look around your working environment and comment on any aspects of concern

that you would have as an employee.

What are the positive health and safety aspects that the company have

successfully implemented?

WEBSITE

The use of websites to advertise a company has increased tenfold over the last few

years.

Has your workplace got a website?

YES NO If so, ask to look at it.

If they do not have a website, why not?

Is it easy to use, visually stimulating and easy to find out information?

YES NO6


7/26

Is there anything that you would change?

What other methods of communication do they use to contact their customers,e.g. e-mail, letters, digital and conferencing?

What other methods do they use to contact their staff?

An intranet is an Internal Internet which allows organisations to contact their

employees. Do they have an Intranet?

YES NO If so, what do they use it for?

Have you used it?

YES NO Write a brief summary of howYOUused ICT within your work placement.

Think about things like using equipment or machines which are run by

computer, word processing, using spreadsheets, and control technology.

Write a brief summary of how your workplace uses ICT.

Is it mainly office applications such as word processing, DTP, spreadsheets, or

are you in a manufacturing company which uses CAD CAM?

List all the ways your workplace makes use of ICT applications.

7


8/26

BUSINESS STUDIES

What strategies does your business/organisation use to motivate its

employees?

Do these strategies work? Justify your answer.

What type of ownership does your organisation have? (sole trader,

partnership, private limited, public limited, public sector)

What type of liability does the organisation have? (limited or unlimited)

8


9/26

List 6 stakeholders in your organisation.

Describe the organisations objectives.

Does your organisation carry out any market research? If so, what methods

are used?

How does your organisation add value?

Describe the marketing mix (4Ps) for your organisation.

9


10/26

How is the customer service dealt with in your organisation?

What sort of issues do they deal with?

How does your business recruit staff?

Has your organisation been affected by the credit crunch? If so how? If

not, why not?

10


11/26

ENGLISH

Most Year 10 groups will use work experience as an opportunity for a speaking and

listening exercise. This will involve delivering a talk to the rest of the class in quite

a formal way on a specified date about your work experience. You are encouraged to

use your record book for information to help you structure your talk and reflect onyour experience in a critical and objective way. You will need to focus on personal

interactions between yourself and people you work with, i.e.: how you got on with

them: what kind of tasks you were expected to do: what you have learnt from your

experience with other adults in an employer/employee situation: what you may have

learnt in terms of future career aspirations.

What do you expect work experience to be like?

What questions were you asked during your interview at your work experience

placement?

How did you feel during the actual interview?

11


12/26

MATHEMATICS

Describe what mathematical skills you used or observed being used. Consider

the following activities: measurement, using a calculator, money, mental

arithmetic, collecting data, drawing charts and diagrams, reading tables etc.

Describe how, if any, mathematical tools were used or you observed being

used. E.g. Calculators, drawing instruments, spreadsheets on the PC,

reference tables, etc.

How are staff paid? How frequently and in what form cash or cheque or

direct debit? Have a look at a pay cheque, what are the different values on

it? What percentage is a tax or pension or national insurance?

What percentage/fraction of the day is given to each activity: breaks, lunch,

meetings, individual work, chatting, etc?

How do people travel to work? What does it cost? How long does it take?

SCIENCE

12


13/26

Is there any health and safety guidance you need to read and apply to your

work?

Do they have a policy on smoking, drugs and alcohol prohibition at work and

any information why it is not allowed?

Do you need to wear any particular clothing and why?

What practical skills do you need to carry out at work?

Do they have to take any hygiene precautions and why? E.g. to stop the

spread of disease.

Do you need to measure anything and what standard units do you measure in?

Do you use any hazardous substances and how do you recognise them?

13


14/26

Do you need to know the chemical properties of any of the substances youuse?

YES NO Does the company have an environmental policy? Do they have to monitor any

impact on the environment of any of their practices?

Is there any need to produce reports and interpret graphical information, e.g.

pie charts, tables of data, graphs (even rotas and timetables) ?

Does the company recycle?

YES NO If so what?

Does the company use any alternative forms of energy?

YES NO Does the company try and reduce the cost of fuels or electricity used to make

them more profitable?

YES NO Does the company evaluate the financial and environmental costs of using

energy resources such as electricity?

YES NO14


15/26

ART

What kind of art work can you see in the working environment?

Is the working environment pleasant to work in? e.g. colour schemes, interior

decoration ( carpets, curtains, furnishings, etc)

Does the company have a logo or a corporate uniform? Draw the logo or

uniform here.

Have you observed any Art skills being used in the job? List them here and

explain how they were used.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

What provision is there for sporting/recreational/leisure activities?

15


16/26

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

What provision is there for sporting/recreational/leisure activities?

What area of sport/leisure have you been involved with and what specificknowledge have you acquired?

16


17/26

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

What graphical images are used in your workplace and how do they

communicate their message?

What health and safety procedures do employees carrying out particular taskstake?

17


18/26

Consider the design and layout of your place of work. How has the location of

furniture, machinery, etc been decided upon? Does this enhance the

performance of the workplace?

What, if any, industrial manufacturing practices are evident in yourworkplace?

Investigate what quality control procedures are being used and why?

TECHNOLOGY

18


19/26

Does the workplace have a Health & Safety policy? How is it implemented?

Health & Social Care. Is there evidence of the Care Value Base being put into

practice? Record examples which you can observe.

Child Development. What provision is made for employees during their

pregnancy? How is maternity/paternity leave catered for?

MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGE

What links does your company/placement have with abroad?

19


20/26

Find out how knowledge of a foreign language could be useful to the company.

Which staff within the company use a foreign language regularly?

Would the company prefer to recruit someone to work in the organisation who

has a foreign language qualification?

YES NO

State language preferred What additional skills does an employee with a foreign language qualification

bring to a company?

Would the business grow if more staff were able to speak foreign languages?

YES NO

Why?

DRAMA How important are good face-to-face communication skills in the workplace?

20

On your return to school you will have to complete a piece of course work

on work experience. The following are areas which you need to consider

when writing your coursework.

How the experience was organised

Duration

Work undertaken Staff and relations with them

Personal impressions, including whether you would want to work in

such an organisation in the future.


21/26

Your body language often reflects how you are feeling. How could an

understanding of body language help people to operate more effectively in aworkplace?

GEOGRAPHY

What type of industry are you working in?

21


22/26

Primary Industry (A first stage industry such as farming, fishing or mining)

Secondary Industry (A second stage industry probably involving making something

in a factory)

Tertiary Industry (A third stage industry a service such as a school, shop etc)

I am working in a industry. I know this because the role of

the company is to

Does the company use any materials, or other services? If so what are they?

Where does the company operate?

Does the company do anything to recycle and/or conserve energy? If so, what

and how?

Is the company part of/owned by, a larger company?

Is the company a Trans National Corporation (one which has bases, shops or

offices elsewhere in the world)?

Does the company deal with other countries in the European Union? If so,

where and in what ways?22


23/26

How did you find/locate the place where you are working? Did you use an OS

map, a local road map or other?

How far away from your home is the company? What means of transport have

you used to get to work? How long does the journey take?

In the space below, draw and label a sketch map of your route to work.

If you wish, you can use a route finder (i.e. AA, Greenflag) to show the map.

(Dont print off the sentences)

23


24/26

HISTORY

Similarity and Difference are important concepts in the History curriculum.

Find examples of Similarity and Difference when comparing your school day

with a days work experience.

Is there any evidence of Trade Union activity at your place of work? Try to

find out which Union employees are members of and what, if anything, the

Union does to try and help its members.

24


25/26

MUSIC

Is there music playing at your workplace whilst you are working (Muzac)?

If so:

Did it help you to work?YES NODid it distract you?

YES

NO

What style of music would have helped you be more productive?

Would you have liked music to be playing? YES NO

What style of music would have helped you be the most productive?

Find out about the legal side of Muzac:

How much does a licence to play music to the workforce cost each year?

What happens to that money?

What is the PRS? Should musicians and composers receive payment for their music being

performed in the workplace?

What would you like to happen regarding music in the workplace?

25


26/26

RELIGIOUS/INTEGRATED STUDIES

What kind of conflict did you see? How were these caused/resolved?

What different cultures/faiths/races were represented? What provision is

made to recognise or learn from or respect these?

Work Experience Research Booklet

Documents

Transcript of Work Experience Research Booklet