Work Experience

At Didcot Sixth Form we, along with employers, (locally, nationally and globally) recognise the invaluable part that high quality work experience can have for a young person in improving their employability. This is why each year we allocate a whole week to work experience for our Year 12 students.

The dates for the 2026-2027 Year 12 Work Experience are Monday 15th to Friday 19th March 2027 inclusive.

Once you have found a placement, please ensure the Parent and Employer forms are completed by 15th January:

Parent Form Link

Employer Form Link

Students are encouraged and shown how to source their own placements, then spend a week in a wide range of sectors, (mainly across Oxfordshire) including Science & Research, Computing, Education, Finance and Engineering. We encourage this to be linked to a future career interest and/or university or higher apprenticeship course.

Gaining experience of the world of work whilst studying is vital for the future job chances of young people

Institute of Public Policy Research

Our aims for the work experience programme are: 

• Pupils develop ambitious career goals and the skills, knowledge and insight to achieve them 

• Creating positive attitudes towards the pupils' careers journey   

• Developing pupils’ key employability skills: Communication, problem solving, time management, teamwork, leadership and organisation

Increasingly, research shows that the value, impact and legacy of such experiences cannot be underestimated.  Students will be given a log book in which they can record their aims and objectives for their placement and what they have learnt and experienced during their week. Feedback to-date from employers, visiting Didcot Sixth Form staff and the students themselves shows how useful the week has been and the impact our students are having on their hosts including bringing some fresh thinking and creativity to established companies.  Students’ survey results regularly show progression in key employability skills such as: teamwork; time management; communication; organisation; resilience and in developing a positive attitude towards work. Over 85% stated that it will help them with their planning for life after sixth form and over 80% that it has made them more ambitious in their future career goals or choices.

Our work experience has now become a fixture in the Didcot Sixth Form calendar and is a real highlight for pupils, visiting staff and employers as they welcome the many talents and enthusiasm of Didcot Sixth Form students.

_{This experience has shown me just how varied and interesting the roles in the pharmaceutical industry are; from computational chemists to the biologists that run the pre-clinical trials.}

_{The entire experience was unforgettable!}

_{Having this experience has allowed me to see what working in my chosen industry would be like, and I have had the opportunity to experience this within a small, independent business.}

Should you have any queries about Work Experience please have a look at the Documents section below, or contact your Head of Year, Mr George (Head of Careers-link below) or Elianne Edgington (Work Experience Coordinator eedgington@ridgewayeducation.com).

Mr George, Head of Careers