From classroom to Café Wrekin: success for “first of its kind” work experience bootcamp

Last month, Wrekin launched its first week-long work experience bootcamp, joined by a group of year 10 Charlton School students at their offices in Telford.

The programme was designed for students who are about to start their GCSE’s, and interested in learning more about the world of work.

Social Value Co-Ordinator Gill Price from The Wrekin Housing Group led the daily sessions, joined by various Team Wrekin members who were on hand to help throughout the week.

Once the students had been divided into their teams, they were tasked with rebranding and promoting “Café Wrekin” as the cafeteria was being refurbished at that time. This allowed them to learn more about how the catering service operates at Wrekin, giving them a real-life example to work with. The tasks were created and set by Wrekin employees working in Finance, Human Resources and Marketing and Communications, who would also form the judging panel.

Each team worked together to decide the budget and costs, design new artwork for the Café, and consider how they might recruit new staff members. They then presented to the judging panel at the end of the week, and were assessed on the quality of their presentations and their teamworking.

The students eagerly awaited the results once judges had settled the scores, with all teams receiving a place and prize on the final day of the bootcamp.

Students expressed their enjoyment, and described their time at Wrekin as "inspiring, fun and informative". By the end of the week all students had gained transferable skills in team building, communication and problem solving.

Gill Price said: “The students brought their own talents to the tasks with each one growing in confidence over the week. Through participating in the tasks students learnt and practised important transferable skills that will stand them in good stead in the world of work and look great on their CVs when they come to take their next step in life”.

In addition to the project work, students also attended CPR training led by Wrekin’s Training and Development Officer, Rachel Morgan.

Gill Price said: “The students then learnt the basics of CPR and how to combine chest compressions and rescue breaths to give a person the best chance of survival following a cardiac arrest, as well as how to use a defibrillator machine.”

Gemma Davies from the Customer Voice and Value team said: “The training was very informative for the short amount of time we had, it was very interactive. The students loved being able to get up and have a go themselves. Most of the students said that this was their favourite part of the week.”

More praise came from Liz Soulby, the Careers Lead at Charlton School and said: “We appreciate the time and effort that you have put into their placements. Already, we have had some amazing feedback from the students. Thank you for your support, we couldn’t provide these opportunities without you".

The Wrekin Housing Group is hosting their next bootcamp session in July for a group of Year 12s from Madeley Academy. To find out more about Wrekin’s work experience opportunities, please visit: Work experience placements

5th April 2024