One of the great problems that many employers face if they are looking to take on school leavers is the fact that many youngsters simply don’t have much of a clue as to what working in a factory, warehouse or office is about.
They don’t know how people work, what it is like, what the requirements are, or indeed what people actually do.
If some of the students take into the workplace the concept that they work when they are told to and either do nothing or muck about when they are not supervised, then they will find that they are moved on very quickly.
The particular problem here is that if they see people having a conversation during work time they don’t have the experience to know if this is a private affair or part of the work. If a joke is cracked and everyone laughs they don’t know quite how to fit in with this repartee. In short they don’t know the social rules of the workplace.
Which is why it is incredibly helpful if Year 11, 12 and 13 students can be taken to as many work settings as possible, not just to learn about the job, but also to learn about what it is like to be at work.
Now the one thing that gets in the way of this is the making of arrangements. Many companies will welcome a small school party accompanied by the teacher. They will be happy to show the party around and then let the teacher undertake a short discussion with the students (if there is a spare meeting room available) before returning to the work floor with any questions to put to the management.
Of course the whole plan does require the school having a decent minibus to transport the students to and from the work location. Which is where Benchmark Leasing comes in.
You can find details of the minibuses we have available for lease on our website, or you can give us a call on 01753 859944.
school minibus has been used each month.
The school minibus is not only a vehicle that transports students from A to B and back again. It is also an extraordinarily powerful advertising message to parents of students in your school and to those who are thinking of sending their child to your school.
Now I know that when I normally say “advertising message” in relation to minibuses people think of the logo and name of the school painted on the side of the bus. And that of course is a fair place to start.
But there is a second issue that can have even more impact than the logo on the side of the minibus. For if, on your school website, you log all the school trips that your minibus or minibuses have been used for, you can then use that list as a statement to the parents of just how involved your school is in Learning Outside the Classroom.
Of course just putting up the log of all the trips each month is not enough by itself, for you also have to direct potential parents to that point on your website and you have to let them know the benefit for each trip.
This simple device works as a way of impressing parents, because most people do see “Learning Outside the Classroom” as a highly beneficial concept.
This is because what most of us remember most positively about our own school days are the days that stand out – and that often means the days that were different. The days when we left the school and went elsewhere.
That’s all it has to be – although you might well want to write a brief introduction at the top of the page into why Learning Outside the Classroom is such an important part in your school’s educational policy.
Obviously you need a school minibus which is modern, safe, and itself a positive advertisement for the school – which is why Benchmark focuses on leasing minibuses. The policy means that you don’t have to collect the money for the minibus from years of fundraising. All you have to do is to ensure that you have the monthly leasing fee available – and then you can proceed.