Apprenticeships

Frequently Asked Questions

Glossary of Terms

Frequently asked by teachers/practitioners and employers

Whats the difference between Work Experience and Extended Work Experience?

Log Book Questions

WEX online Questions

Questions on Health ans Safety

Questions on Insurance

Questions on Legislation and documents

What’s the difference between Work Experience and Extended Work Experience?

Work experience is an opportunity for young people to develop personal, social, key and employability skills through a work placement. Students in Year 10 or 11 (aged 14-16) spend usually one, sometimes two weeks (block placement) with an employer.

Extended work experience (EWE) is an opportunity for students at Key Stage 4 to develop their personal, social, key and employability skills through a work placement where the focus is on the learning aspect of the experience. Extended work experience has grown from work experience but, as it’s name suggests, the length of time spent on a placement can be greater than the one or two week block work experience. In Year 10 EWE should take no more than 40% of a student’s Accredited Learning Programme. The proportion of a young person’s time spent on EWE could increase in Year 11, following a review of the individual student’s needs, but should always leave sufficient time for the student to follow their agreed Accredited Learning Programme.

Frequently asked by teachers/practitioners

What’s the difference between the Connexions West of England (CWE) Work Experience Certificate Log Book and Log Book Plus?

The CWE Work Experience Certificate Log Book has been designed for use with students in mainstream schools. The CWE Work Experience Certificate Log Book Plus was designed in response to requests from staff in special schools who wanted a log book more suited to the needs of students with learning difficulties. There is less text and more graphics to make it more accessible. Both log books lead to the same certification awarded by CWE.

How do school/other work experience providers register to use the Connexions West of England (CWE) Work Experience Certificate Log Books?

Complete the CWE Work Experience Certificate Log Book/Log Book Plus Registration Form. Download form

Do I have to use the Connexions West of England (CWE) Work Experience Certificate Log Book or Log Book Plus? If not, what else could I use?

You don’t have to use the CWE Work Experience Certificate Log Book but it is good to have something for the students to record important information on a daily basis. You could provide your own log book or diary for students to use.

How do students get the Work Experience Certificate?

Students need to hand in completed Connexions West of England Work Experience Certificate Log Books/Log Book Plus and all necessary evidence to their Work Experience Coordinator. The Work Experience Coordinator must then contact Connexions West of England to arrange for moderation and certification. Introduction to Work Experience Certificate Log Books and Accreditation Systems

What is WEX Online?

WEX Online is a web-based system to be used by the person in your school responsible for administering work experience. WEX Online Plus also includes a facility for students to search for placements online.

What if I need training on WEX Online?

Dates of training session will be displayed in the News Alerts on the home page of the Experiences of Work website and mailed out to schools. Once you are logged in to WEX Online you can refer to the Quick Start Guide.

Can I use the WEX Online Health and Safety Approved Employer List for any age group?

No – it is only for use with 14-16 year olds.

What do I do if a student chooses an employer that isn’t on the WEX Online Health and Safety Approved Employer List?

Details of companies not on the WEX Online Health and Safety Approved Employer List should be sent to Trident from Edexcel a minimum of eight weeks before a placement begins (12 weeks if the placement is outside the West of England area). Health and Safety placement checklist

What do individual schools have to do to ensure the safety of young people on work experience in addition to the checks carried out by Trident from Edexcel?

There are three main tasks that schools need to carry out in addition to the checks from Trident from Edexcel

Take reasonable steps to ensure that adequate risk assessments are carried out by the employee Ensuring safety and welfare of individual students

Ensure that any relevant information on the individual student is communicated to the employer (See Below)

Ensure that any Accidents or Allegations against employers are suitably reported.

What are the regulations concerning Risk assessment and Work Experience

When on Work Experience, young people are classed as employee's and employers have the same responsibilites towards them as their own employee's with the exception that the key findings of the risk assessment need to be communicated to the parents or carers before the placement starts. The school as part of its duty of care should take reasonable steps to ensure that this is carried out.

What information on young people should be shared with the employers

Work Experience placements are inspected and approved for Health and Safety in line with a set of national standards call the Health and safety Procurement standards (HASPS). Sections 1-9 of these standards are checked by Trident from Edexcel as part of their inspection process. However, the tenth standard is specific to the individual learner, and states that the employer must manage the young persons Health, Safety and Welfare "taking account of his or her age (and experience, immaturity and lack of awareness of risk) and any special needs or circumstances including any disability and/or medical condition."

Therefore the school or other work experience provider needs to share any relevant information about a young person with the employer and any additional safeguards to protect the young person need to be agreed

How are students insured when on work experience?

The Health and Safety (Training for Employment) Regulations 1990 class pupils on work experience as employees for the period of the placement – and as such they are therefore covered by the firms insurance

No placement should be authorised where the young person is not covered by adequate insurance. All employers are required to have Employers' Liability Insurance (ELI) and where the placement provider notifies the insurance company in advance, they will cover the young person on work experience, usually at no extra cost. The exceptions to the requirement to have ELI are sole traders and small family businesses where all the employees are family members. Some sole traders will be the only employee of their company but will still have Employers' Liability insurance. Other sole traders and family businesses will not have ELI, but are required to have Public Liability Insurance (PLI). In both these cases, it is their duty to inform their insurer in advance that they are providing a work placement. Their insurer can then cover the young person on their PLI or ELI policy. Where a sole trader has neither Employers’ Liability nor Public Liability Insurance, they should not be approved as a placement provider and should not be used.

The Trident Trust checks appropriate levels of insurance as part of the placement inspections.

How are students, staff and other organisers of work experience covered by insurance if they visit the employer before the placement begins?

As the students and staff are visitors to the site, the firm’s Public Liability Insurance will cover them. School staff will also be covered by the Council’s insurance as they are undertaking work as directed by the Council.

How are students doing WEX at a Crown property covered?

Schools should get written confirmation that students on work experience would be accorded the same protection as employees.

Is it true that a Trident from Edexcel check is not necessary for a Crown property?

False. Central government placements still need to be inspected before use. Central government organisations are covered under Crown Indemnity, not the usual Employers Liability and Public Liability insurances.

What about students on work experience going out in cars with the placement company?

Companies should have Business Class 1 insurance in place for drivers and passengers (including students on work experience).

Will normal car insurance be enough for teachers/other staff visiting students on work experience?

Teachers/other staff are advised to confirm with their own vehicle insurance company that they are covered to visit placements. Most insurance companies accept this as normal usage but some have required an additional premium.

The following FAQs come from Curriculum & Standards Guidance, Work Related Learning, DfES 2004

What are the key Health and Safety documents that every school WEX Coordinator should have for reference?

Managing Health and Safety on Work Experience-A guide for organisers-HSG 1999 (2000)
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
Safeguarding Children in Education. DfES/0027/2004 Annex A
Work experience: a guide for secondary schools, DfES 2002)
Work-Related Learning and the Law, Curriculum & Standards Guidance. Date of Issue: 09/2004. Ref: DfES/0475/2004.

Which body has responsibility for approving your work experience programme?

School governing bodies, local education authorities and further education institutions.

In what ways are child protection, data protection and equal opportunities legislation relevant to your work experience programme?

The main equal opportunities legislation should be applied to students on work experience. This includes the Race Relations and the Sex Discrimination Act.

Coordinators need to ensure that any personal data held on student or employers complies with the principle of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Generally, there will be no need to get employers and their employees checked for child protection, as they will not have regular, unsupervised access to young people. However, where there is regular unsupervised access to the young person, then the situation needs to be risk assessed and a CRB check may be appropriate. This especially applies to any person whose normal duties include regularly caring for, training or supervising a student in a workplace. Such a person should also have some basic child protection training and be aware of their responsibilities set out in “What to do if you’re worried about a child being abused.” Annex A of Safeguarding Children in Education, referred to above, gives guidance in this respect.

Schools’ staff or other partners who arrange, vet or monitor the work placements should also have training in child protection.

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<< To front page Home Newsletter Work Experience Employers Guide Health and Safety FAQs Promoting Diversity Best Practice and Resources Case Studies Download Forms Useful Contacts Accessibility Wex Policy	Apprenticeships Frequently Asked Questions Glossary of Terms Frequently asked by teachers/practitioners and employers Whats the difference between Work Experience and Extended Work Experience? Log Book Questions WEX online Questions Questions on Health ans Safety Questions on Insurance Questions on Legislation and documents What’s the difference between Work Experience and Extended Work Experience? Work experience is an opportunity for young people to develop personal, social, key and employability skills through a work placement. Students in Year 10 or 11 (aged 14-16) spend usually one, sometimes two weeks (block placement) with an employer. Extended work experience (EWE) is an opportunity for students at Key Stage 4 to develop their personal, social, key and employability skills through a work placement where the focus is on the learning aspect of the experience. Extended work experience has grown from work experience but, as it’s name suggests, the length of time spent on a placement can be greater than the one or two week block work experience. In Year 10 EWE should take no more than 40% of a student’s Accredited Learning Programme. The proportion of a young person’s time spent on EWE could increase in Year 11, following a review of the individual student’s needs, but should always leave sufficient time for the student to follow their agreed Accredited Learning Programme. Frequently asked by teachers/practitioners What’s the difference between the Connexions West of England (CWE) Work Experience Certificate Log Book and Log Book Plus? The CWE Work Experience Certificate Log Book has been designed for use with students in mainstream schools. The CWE Work Experience Certificate Log Book Plus was designed in response to requests from staff in special schools who wanted a log book more suited to the needs of students with learning difficulties. There is less text and more graphics to make it more accessible. Both log books lead to the same certification awarded by CWE. How do school/other work experience providers register to use the Connexions West of England (CWE) Work Experience Certificate Log Books? Complete the CWE Work Experience Certificate Log Book/Log Book Plus Registration Form. Download form Do I have to use the Connexions West of England (CWE) Work Experience Certificate Log Book or Log Book Plus? If not, what else could I use? You don’t have to use the CWE Work Experience Certificate Log Book but it is good to have something for the students to record important information on a daily basis. You could provide your own log book or diary for students to use. How do students get the Work Experience Certificate? Students need to hand in completed Connexions West of England Work Experience Certificate Log Books/Log Book Plus and all necessary evidence to their Work Experience Coordinator. The Work Experience Coordinator must then contact Connexions West of England to arrange for moderation and certification. Introduction to Work Experience Certificate Log Books and Accreditation Systems What is WEX Online? WEX Online is a web-based system to be used by the person in your school responsible for administering work experience. WEX Online Plus also includes a facility for students to search for placements online. What if I need training on WEX Online? Dates of training session will be displayed in the News Alerts on the home page of the Experiences of Work website and mailed out to schools. Once you are logged in to WEX Online you can refer to the Quick Start Guide. Can I use the WEX Online Health and Safety Approved Employer List for any age group? No – it is only for use with 14-16 year olds. What do I do if a student chooses an employer that isn’t on the WEX Online Health and Safety Approved Employer List? Details of companies not on the WEX Online Health and Safety Approved Employer List should be sent to Trident from Edexcel a minimum of eight weeks before a placement begins (12 weeks if the placement is outside the West of England area). Health and Safety placement checklist What do individual schools have to do to ensure the safety of young people on work experience in addition to the checks carried out by Trident from Edexcel? There are three main tasks that schools need to carry out in addition to the checks from Trident from Edexcel Take reasonable steps to ensure that adequate risk assessments are carried out by the employee Ensuring safety and welfare of individual students Ensure that any relevant information on the individual student is communicated to the employer (See Below) Ensure that any Accidents or Allegations against employers are suitably reported. What are the regulations concerning Risk assessment and Work Experience When on Work Experience, young people are classed as employee's and employers have the same responsibilites towards them as their own employee's with the exception that the key findings of the risk assessment need to be communicated to the parents or carers before the placement starts. The school as part of its duty of care should take reasonable steps to ensure that this is carried out. What information on young people should be shared with the employers Work Experience placements are inspected and approved for Health and Safety in line with a set of national standards call the Health and safety Procurement standards (HASPS). Sections 1-9 of these standards are checked by Trident from Edexcel as part of their inspection process. However, the tenth standard is specific to the individual learner, and states that the employer must manage the young persons Health, Safety and Welfare "taking account of his or her age (and experience, immaturity and lack of awareness of risk) and any special needs or circumstances including any disability and/or medical condition." Therefore the school or other work experience provider needs to share any relevant information about a young person with the employer and any additional safeguards to protect the young person need to be agreed How are students insured when on work experience? The Health and Safety (Training for Employment) Regulations 1990 class pupils on work experience as employees for the period of the placement – and as such they are therefore covered by the firms insurance No placement should be authorised where the young person is not covered by adequate insurance. All employers are required to have Employers' Liability Insurance (ELI) and where the placement provider notifies the insurance company in advance, they will cover the young person on work experience, usually at no extra cost. The exceptions to the requirement to have ELI are sole traders and small family businesses where all the employees are family members. Some sole traders will be the only employee of their company but will still have Employers' Liability insurance. Other sole traders and family businesses will not have ELI, but are required to have Public Liability Insurance (PLI). In both these cases, it is their duty to inform their insurer in advance that they are providing a work placement. Their insurer can then cover the young person on their PLI or ELI policy. Where a sole trader has neither Employers’ Liability nor Public Liability Insurance, they should not be approved as a placement provider and should not be used. The Trident Trust checks appropriate levels of insurance as part of the placement inspections. How are students, staff and other organisers of work experience covered by insurance if they visit the employer before the placement begins? As the students and staff are visitors to the site, the firm’s Public Liability Insurance will cover them. School staff will also be covered by the Council’s insurance as they are undertaking work as directed by the Council. How are students doing WEX at a Crown property covered? Schools should get written confirmation that students on work experience would be accorded the same protection as employees. Is it true that a Trident from Edexcel check is not necessary for a Crown property? False. Central government placements still need to be inspected before use. Central government organisations are covered under Crown Indemnity, not the usual Employers Liability and Public Liability insurances. What about students on work experience going out in cars with the placement company? Companies should have Business Class 1 insurance in place for drivers and passengers (including students on work experience). Will normal car insurance be enough for teachers/other staff visiting students on work experience? Teachers/other staff are advised to confirm with their own vehicle insurance company that they are covered to visit placements. Most insurance companies accept this as normal usage but some have required an additional premium. The following FAQs come from Curriculum & Standards Guidance, Work Related Learning, DfES 2004 What are the key Health and Safety documents that every school WEX Coordinator should have for reference? Managing Health and Safety on Work Experience-A guide for organisers-HSG 1999 (2000) The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 Safeguarding Children in Education. DfES/0027/2004 Annex A Work experience: a guide for secondary schools, DfES 2002) Work-Related Learning and the Law, Curriculum & Standards Guidance. Date of Issue: 09/2004. Ref: DfES/0475/2004. Which body has responsibility for approving your work experience programme? School governing bodies, local education authorities and further education institutions. In what ways are child protection, data protection and equal opportunities legislation relevant to your work experience programme? The main equal opportunities legislation should be applied to students on work experience. This includes the Race Relations and the Sex Discrimination Act. Coordinators need to ensure that any personal data held on student or employers complies with the principle of the Data Protection Act 1998. Generally, there will be no need to get employers and their employees checked for child protection, as they will not have regular, unsupervised access to young people. However, where there is regular unsupervised access to the young person, then the situation needs to be risk assessed and a CRB check may be appropriate. This especially applies to any person whose normal duties include regularly caring for, training or supervising a student in a workplace. Such a person should also have some basic child protection training and be aware of their responsibilities set out in “What to do if you’re worried about a child being abused.” Annex A of Safeguarding Children in Education, referred to above, gives guidance in this respect. Schools’ staff or other partners who arrange, vet or monitor the work placements should also have training in child protection. back to top
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