Work Experience

Work Experience

The Fleet industry isn’t as well known as some other industries, especially amongst young people who are contemplating their future careers.

You don’t come across many fleet managers who have wanted to be fleet managers since they were knee high to a grasshopper.  There are no college courses on Fleet Management and there are no degrees in it, so it won’t naturally appear on many school leavers’ list of potential careers.

Yet fleet, particularly now, is a very diverse, interesting and fast paced career that encompasses so many different things that would no doubt be of interest to many young people – cars, vans, trucks, technology, decarbonisation, safety, technology… the list goes on.

So we at the AFP, along with many of our members are on a mission to educate young people about the benefits of working in the fleet industry and encourage more young people into the sector.  One of the ways we are doing this is through work experience.

We have teamed up with social mobility charity, Futures for All, to make it as easy as possible for businesses and organisations to offer work experience in fleet to young people.

Top view of creative agency business brain storm meeting presentation team. Strategic main image, with green graph and AFP logo on the right.

As the UK’s leading social mobility charity, Futures for All’s mission is to transform work experience by supporting and matching businesses who want to offer it with state-educated young people who want to get a sense of what different careers are really like.

Futures For All help employers offer a mix of in-person and remote placements, as well as shorter Insight Days.

They can provide various levels of support, depending on what you need. They work closely with educators and employers through their dedicated education and delivery teams, and can offer step-by-step planning, proactive programme management and robust safeguarding support. This ensures every placement is structured, supported and genuinely impactful for the young people taking part and the organisations that host them.

  • Strengthen your early talent pipeline; establish new, more inclusive ways to attract a more diverse mix of young people.
  • Future proof the UK workforce; play a role in building a more sustainable and productive workforce for the future.
  • Reinforce your brand and promote new and existing job opportunities and pathways.
  • Enable your employees to be your ambassadors for local, regional and national outreach and generate positive employee morale.
  • Build greater staff engagement with more opportunities to develop leadership and management skills.
  • Develop your workforce digital, mentoring and training skills.
  • Maximise your social impact; create impact focused activities that meet specific CSR objectives.

  • Boost their CV or personal statement, providing tangible evidence of an interest in a career, discipline,employer or industry.
  • Gain useful insights, and experience practical learning opportunities to develop a deeper understanding of the world of work and what type of career is most suited to them.
  • Make informed decisions around subject choices.
  • Broaden their horizons and build networks and confidence, gaining the essential skills that employers will value.
  • Increased chances of securing a place at a chosen college or university, or getting onto a training course or apprenticeship, or even landing a first job.
  • Multiple work experience opportunities undertaken in education has a proven link to an increase in annual salary once in full-time employment.

  • Build a network with employers invested in nurturing early talent development.
  • Opportunities to link careers and skills to the classroom and curriculum, bringing the world of work to life.
  • Access credible information about jobs and careers which have a positive effect on a young person’s understanding of the workplace.

Before diving into planning a placement, it’s important to check whether your organisation has the key policies, processes and people in place. The checklist below covers what you may need to deliver a safe, high-quality experience for a young person. Hosting a student under the age of 18 is often more straightforward than expected. Under Health and Safety Law, you treat a work experience student just like any other young person employed on an apprenticeship or as part of a job role. Visit the Health and Safety  Executive (HSE) for up-to-date guidance. A (Young Persons) Risk Assessment* – Employers Liability Insurance (ELI)* Your existing employers’ liability insurance policy will cover work placements provided your insurer is a member of the Association of British Insurers (ABI), or Lloyds, so there is no need for you to get any additional employer’s liability insurance if you take on work experience students. The ABI website confirms this. Health and Safety Policy* Safeguarding Policy (Including Prevent)* A named person, responsible for the placement Fire Risk Assessment GDPR/Privacy Policy Enhanced DBS/Enhanced with Barred List DBS*

Working with a number of members who already offer work experience within their fleet team, we have created a toolkit containing some useful documents that might help you get started. These include: Code of conduct template Safe guarding considerations Placement form template Exit interview template

There are two main formats for delivering work experience: remote (online) and in-person. Where possible, a hybrid placement can offer the best of both. When planning your placement, consider which format is best suited to your topic, audience and available resources. Whichever format you choose, the success of your placement will come down to thoughtful planning and a clear understanding of what young people need to thrive. Futures for All have produced a really useful guide to help you shape a placement that not only meets core requirements but also delivers a rewarding and memorable experience – ADD LINK

Futures for all offer various levels of support, some free of charge, some at a small charge, to help businesses to set up and run work experience.  You can find out more here – https://www.futuresforall.org/ Please also email us as we can ask questions of other members who offer work experience already.

Watch our work experience webinar below

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