Work Experience
Work experience is a way to discover what different jobs in construction and the built environment are like. Depending on your interests, you could be shadowing expert carpenters, plumbers, managers, engineers, administrators, surveyors, among others in a range of onsite and offsite professions.
Work experience can help you get a feel for a job you’re interested in and will improve your CV, making you more employable. It also allows you to network and start making professional contacts within the field you’re interested in.
While qualifications are important, work experience of any duration shows employers that you can put your knowledge into practice and allows you to demonstrate soft skills such as teamwork, reliability, communication, and logical thinking.
How to find a work experience placement
It’s a good idea to research companies you’d like to work for. If you find an employer that doesn’t already offer work experience, you could write them a formal email or cover letter to explain why you would like to apply for work experience, detailing your existing skills and those you’d like to develop.
You could apply to more than one company at a time to improve your chances, or help you gain experience with different employers.