COVID-19 has been a mess of multiple human endeavours. Nevertheless, per the collective efforts of everyone, setbacks in various facets have been well-managed over the pandemic. Like adults, young people have had their dose of the effect, spanning across their education, mental prowess and even attempting to eliminate their participation in extracurricular activities, including career developing activities.
High school and college students experience difficulties when discovering suitable career paths, which work experience can reconcile through exposure to the labour market. With learning opportunities created, young people can make informed decisions regarding their professional growth.
Reliable virtual work experience incites hope in professional learning, especially in restrictive lockdown times. Recall that laws ordered everyone inside. However, virtual work experience is refined, still refined and exposes humans to life-changing virtual approaches.
What Does Virtual Work Experience Mean?
Virtual work experience (VWEX) is an electronic medium that allows school students and graduates to learn and complete full internships remotely. Most of the time, they’d use their computer or supported mobile gadget.
Fortunately, e-work experience is an open-to-all professional learning programme. It gives young people the opportunity to practise and refine their professional skills from their comfort zone using their cellular network-supported device.
Online work experience has come a long way; it has impacted young people enormously, and many industries are helping the trend. This article, following research from Speakers for Schools, discusses how VWEX opens new opportunities for school students.
Does Virtual Work Experience Have a Place in Young People’s Lives?
Following the survey, work experience increased by 5,890 places between April 2020 and March 2021 across the UK. This trend surpasses the earlier trend between April 2019 and March 2020, indicating improvement amidst the pandemic. Fortunately, the labour trend enhances the catchment areas in the UK labour market. Moreover, at least 71 per cent of the new placements across the UK is virtually established.
Across the period of the survey, more than 3,000 placements were productive in London specifically. We can state categorically that nearly 100 percent of the work experience was followed online; one such offered by Spotify, boosted their placement numbers in London between April 2020 and March 2021 by 4,168, surpassing the record between 2019 and 2020.
Top UK Industries with the Most Opportunities
Amidst COVID-19, businesses were forced to lay off their workforce. Nonetheless, some industries had better placement than others, establishing a remarkable advancement towards online outreach activities and setting the pace for other industries.
The construction industry welcomed VWEX, which encouraged and informed school students about professional offers. Moreover, between April 2020 and March 2021, the construction industry offered the most placements, recording more than 1,800 work experience placements amidst the pandemic.
Companies that Have Experienced High Placement Surges
Many industries cemented their authority during the lockdown, experiencing massive placement surges. Among these companies are the hospital and healthcare and retail industries.
Regarding the hospital and healthcare industry, the NHS and its trusts delivered more than 1,300 virtual work experience placements, following their online Experience Nursing programme to promote medical science fields, including Pathology.
Regarding the retail industry, over the restrictive lockdown, 250 young people throughout the UK obtained significant work experience. Tesco, for example, delivered its placement virtually to reconcile the pandemic.
The location had always been a setback in work experience programmes. However, the pandemic encouraged the importance of hosting remote programmes, which may remain the new and acceptable normal in the long run.
Do Placements Take Long to Complete?
The duration of placement is mainly dependent on internship preference. Typically, placement duration runs 1-3 months but could be as long as 6-12-month depending on the placement opportunities.
Moreover, work requirement factors in placements. At a minimum, a school student would be running at 20-30 hours weekly, which does not affect regular schooling activities. Understand, however, that the more time and effort invested, the better experience you’d garner as a school student. You’re also advised to apply for opportunities if you can create the best out of them.
How Do VWEX Providers Intend to Grow?
With the improvement in technology and accessibility, young people and the labour market can engage in VWEX seamlessly. The problem of location barrier, distance and outreach is no longer a threat to working experience. Moreover, background and budget problems have been decently eliminated to encourage more students in the UK.
Employers are not disregarding the relevance of virtual work experience. Instead, many employers and industries are fast leveraging the vitality of VWEX to lure various young talents to their establishments.
Final Thoughts
Following the ease of restriction, many workplaces are reopening, and jobs are on the rise again. Moreover, in-person placements, aiding physical interaction, have set in some areas. Nonetheless, online work experience is already the norm, or what society now describes as the new normal.
Virtual work experience is gaining continuous traction, and more school students are developing themselves for the demanding labour market. VWEX is expected to grow even further for enhanced talent searches. And to save costs and encourage better participation, employers are considering VWEX as one of the core outreach practices going forward.
Also Read: Virtual Leadership: 6 Ways to Develop the Virtual Leadership skills in 2021
