Work Placement Service

Thank you for your interest in a work experience placement at Bradford Council.

The Work Placement Service supports unpaid placement requests within Bradford Council for people living in the District. We are unable to arrange paid placement experience requests.

The work placement service can request placements within Bradford Council in the following areas:

• general clerical work
• reception
• libraries
• sports and recreation
• marketing and events
• graphic design
• horticulture

We are not able to provide placements in retail, manufacturing and trades such as joinery, plumbing or electrical work.

The work placement service cannot provide information about:

• job vacancies
• paid work placements
• traineeships
• apprenticeships

All paid work, job vacancies, traineeships and apprenticeships that are currently available within the Council are advertised on the Council’s vacancies website.

The role of the Work Placement Service is:

• to provide a central point of co-ordination between Council teams and individuals requesting a work placement.
• help local people to develop employability skills to gain experience for the job market.
• encourage the local community to consider a career within local government
• to arrange work placements for schools and other organisations.

We endeavour to accommodate requests however the procedures below must be followed:

Students 14-19 who attend schools:

Placement requests for students in year groups 10, 11, 12 and 13 must go through Xperience.

Please do not contact the Work Placement Service directly to arrange placements. Requests must be received from School Co-ordinators. You will be referred to your individual School Work Experience Co-ordinator or Careers Lead.

If you are aged 16 or over and do not attend School:

To request a placement you must complete the application form in full and return application form for post 16 placements (Word document) outlining any relevant experience, the type of placement you are interested in, start date/duration and what you want to achieve from the work placement. The completed application form should be returned by email to: [email protected].

Bradford Council receives a high demand for placement requests from schools and other organisations and it is not always possible to confirm every placement request. To assist us the fully completed application from should be sent to the Work Placement Service a minimum of six weeks before the placement request start date. Placement requests received at short notice cannot be arranged.

Please find below some frequently asked questions which may help you.

Can you offer paid work placements?

Unfortunately only unpaid placements can be provided.

Do you offer traineeships and apprenticeships?

The Work Placement team cannot offer traineeships or apprenticeships. When opportunities arise they are advertised on the Council's website or you can contact the Council’s HR Team direct.

Is there an age range for people who can request a work placement?

School students can access work placements during curriculum time from Year 10, minimum age 14 upwards, if the work placement has been arranged via school. The Council cannot host a work placement for anyone under 14 years old. There is no upper age limit for work placements.

Can the school just ring up and arrange a placement?

Schools should contract the Xperience team initially to discuss their work placement requirements for groups of learners.

What do I need to do to arrange a work placement if I am over 16?

You will need to complete in full the application form (Word document) outlining the specific experience that you are seeking, stating why you require the work placement and the start date and duration.

Will I need to attend an interview?

The hosting manager may ask to meet you for an informal discussion or pre-placement visit to check their understanding of what you want to achieve and ask you any supplementary information they may need to set up the work placement.

Can I start straight away?

The request should be made at least six weeks in advance of the intended start date to allow the placement host manager to plan a work programme for the individual and to arrange their supervision and any equipment they may require in the workplace. In some cases, there will be pre-set work programme available.

Are all work placement requests made on behalf of people at school?

No - Placements can be requested by many different individuals for various reasons. We receive requests from universities for undergraduates and postgraduates, training providers and individuals who want on the job experience or are looking to prepare themselves for the job market.

What will I be required to do on a work placement?

The Work Placement Service tries to establish in advance if the individual is trying to obtain specific experience in support of an accredited course or a general experience to gain some employability skills. Any information we receive will be forwarded to help the placement hosting manager plan a work programme. At Pre 16, the placement is essentially about general experience/an initial insight into the world of work and is not necessarily about the technical knowledge of a specific area. All individuals on work placement will be required to adhere to Bradford Council’s policies and procedures at all times under the direct supervision of their manager.

Will I receive any feedback at the end of my work placement?

Your placement supervisor should provide you with an ongoing and summative feedback about your work performance which will help you reflect on the experience, identify what went well and any areas for development.

Will I receive any evidence of my work placement?

Providing you successfully complete your work placement and have attended 100%, then you will receive a certificate or Cities of Learning Digital Badge. To receive this, you and your manager must submit both evaluation forms to the Xperience Team.