Department of Enterprise and Business Innovation (DEBI) Director Katharine Mathison recently took part in the Virtual Bridge Sessions, run by College Development Network (CDN), to talk about the challenge of work placements for Foundation Apprentices throughout the lockdown.
Katharine talked in-depth about the lack of real work experience faced by Foundation Apprentices and how the DEBI came up with a creative solution to continue to provide a quality experience for our students.
To allow meaningful engagement with service users, the DEBI worked with their partners, and in particular Streets Ahead Borders, to provide virtual placements, allowing the students to gain real-time work experience without the need for physical placement.
A positive and enthusiastic approach from everyone involved saw the initiative become a real success throughout the lockdown period.
You can view Katharine’s presentation in the video below.
