Free BT work placements in Chesterfield help youngsters get 'work ready'

BT is offering free work placements next month to help young people in the Chesterfield, Mansfield and Worksop areas get ‘work ready’ and prepared for their future careers.

The three week course, combining hands-on work experience with coaching and training is open to anyone aged 16 to 24 not currently in education, employment or training.

Work placements are a great opportunity for people to build confidence and learn practical work skills such as CV writing and interview techniques. Although the course does not carry a formal qualification, attendees are given a certificate showing their attendance and achievements to demonstrate their commitment to prospective employers.

The next course starts on February 19, 2018 and will be held at the BT offices in Barlborough, within 15 miles of Mansfield, Worksop and Chesterfield. For more details or to apply visit www.bt.com/workready.

The first week of the course is mainly office based and focuses on building and developing practical work skills. This is followed by a week ‘on the job’, shadowing employees and getting hands on experience of the working day. In Barlborough, this will be an opportunity to work alongside engineers from Openreach, the local network business, which is part of BT Group, as they build and maintain millions of miles of fibre and copper cables that connect every home and business in the UK to local telephone exchanges.

The final days of the work placement is spent doing mock interviews and a day assessment as well as developing an individual plan of the next steps to find employment or return to education.

Owen Moody, chair of BT’s East Midlands regional board, said: “BT work placements give local, young people the opportunity to experience the working day and gain invaluable insight of what is expected in the workplace.

“There will be further opportunities to join a work placement so even if you can’t attend this particular course I’d encourage you to register your interest to make sure you don’t miss out.”

BT work placements are part of the BT Work Ready programme which is a series of initiatives provided to help young people, particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds, gain employment skills and get them ready for work. It’s part of BT’s commitment as a founding partner in the Movement to Work coalition of employers.**

Further information on BT’s Work Ready programme – www.bt.com/workready