A little earlier in June, our Year 10 students took part in their 9th British Council School Workshadowing programme. Over 3 days, our students were able to live and identify with what it is like to work, day to day ,in a professional environment of their choosing. A really great experience for them, to start to dream about where and what, they would like to work in, in future.
This inititiative, amonst other things, helps students to take decisions about their future professional lives. It makes them feel more confident about what subjects to study. They spend several days with the best professionals, many of who are already successful leaders and innovators. They are able to figure out for themselves, if the reality of different professions, is as they thought.
On the other hand, a lot of the companies who join and take part in the programme also find it an enriching experience. They are able to spend a few days with a member of the younger generation, those we sometimes forget to listen to. A real breath of fresh air for them.
The Schools Workshadowing Programme has been going since 2009. It was a pioneering initiative which has now also been taken up by other schools. It is inspired by the British curriculum, which recommends a minimum of 15 days of Work Experience for all Year 10 and Year 11 students. The difference between these, is that in Work Experience the student particiaptes actively in the business of the company, where in a Workshadowing programme, the student will just follow and listen to the professional. That's where the idea of a shadow comes from.