Describe The Importance Of Work Experience

Work experience and placements are becoming more common. There are work experience programmes that are “organised as part of university degree courses” (High Fliers Research Ltd., 2015). This means students are able to get work experience within their degree, and so are able to experience the working environment before they have graduated. “The number of work experience places available to students and recent graduates has now jumped by more than 40% since 2010” (High Fliers Research Ltd., 2015). This shows that the availability of work experience places are increasing and are being given more importance by employers. As work experience is becoming more common, it is important to consider what the benefits are and how it helps your future career. This essay will argue that work experience is

“Internships provide students… with a means of bridging the gap between career expectations developed in the classroom and the reality of employment in the real world.” (Gault et al., 2000, p.8). This means that getting work experience would better prepare students for their actual jobs. They would have already experienced what the workplace is like and would be able to adjust to the working environment more quickly due to the skills they gained. Gault et al.’s (2000, p.5) research shows that interns had a “higher level of career preparation” in 5 of 13 skill areas evaluated. This implies that those with work experience are better prepared for their careers as they have a higher level of skill compared to those without work experience. This would make them more employable, which is beneficial especially if the industry is highly competitive. However, Gault et al.’s (2000, p.5) research is based on a survey conducted on 144 people. This is a small number which may not be representative of the whole workforce. Therefore, the findings in this research may not be completely