Work Experience Programme
Support for employers to offer meaningful work experience to those who are seeking work.
Who it is for
Employers based in Northern Ireland. For the Work Experience Programme, employers need to be willing to host a work experience participant for a period of two to eight weeks.
For Opportunity Guarantee, employers need to be willing to host a participant for a period of thirteen weeks, be in a recruitment position and willing to offer participants an interview for a job or apprenticeship.
For individuals, the programme is open to 16-65 year olds who are unemployed or in receipt of benefits.
Support you can get
Employers who provide a person with a work experience placement may receive an incentive payment of £250.
Employers who provide an Opportunity Guarantee placement will receive an additional £250 incentive payment at the end of the placement.
Benefits for employers include:
- an opportunity to develop the supervisory and management skills of your workforce as staff can act as 'buddies' or mentors
- a valuable means of enhancing the public profile of your business and support your local community by contributing to economic development in your local area
- a valuable contribution by your business to the development of people’s employability skills and career aspirations
- an opportunity to provide a platform for people to gain an understanding of the structure and reality of working life by active participation in a work setting
- an opportunity to access the local labour market and explore a pool of hidden talent - people who offer enthusiasm and a fresh perspective to your business
- promotes workforce diversity
- contributes to Construction Skills Register objectives
- an opportunity to engage with someone on work experience on a trial basis before signing a contract of employment
How to apply
Contact the Employer Adviser at your local Jobs & Benefits office - see link to contact details in the find out more link below.
Large or public sector employers should contact a Client Executive in the Strategic Employment Service by emailing dfcemployerservices@communities-ni.gov.uk for more information.
Support organisers
- Department for Communities (DfC)