Making the most of your Virtual Work ExperienceAge range: 11-14, 14-16, 16-19 and 19+

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Contents03 Option one (60mins)

06 Option two (95mins)

SessionoverviewTheinteractiveVirtualWorkExperiencetoolisa32-minutevideothatplacesstudentsintoavirtualworkenvironmentandprovidestheopportunitytointeractwithpeoplefromarangeofdepartmentswithinadigitaltransformationagencycalledFreeformers.Thevideofeaturesmultiplepausepointsonscreenthatpresenteitheraninteractivechallengefortheyoungpersontoconsiderinaworkcontext,oraselectionofquestionsthatinvitethemtoexploretheskillsandmotivationsbehindthedifferentemployees.Theyoungpersonwillalsobeaskedfortheirinputincertaindiscussionsanddecisionsandwillbeabletogetfeedbackonthechoicestheymake.Thetoolcanbeusedindependentlybyyoungpeople,oraspartofaguideddiscussioninagroupsetting.Optiononeexplainshowtoworkthroughthevideoandrespondtoalloftheinteractionspresented.Optiontwosuggestsadditionalactivitiestohelpsetthesceneandencouragereflectiononthevalueofworkexperience.

AboutFreeformersFreeformershelpcompaniesandteamsdrivedigitaltransformation.Theyhelpthemtomovefaster,thinkdifferentlyandincreaseuptakeoftheirdigitalproductsinthemarket.Thisisdonethroughcreatingtools,workshops,events,campaignsandcontentthatgetpeopleembracingdigitalproductsandskills.Freeformershavea“One_For1”modelwhichmeansthatforeverybusinesspersontheytrain,theytrainayoungpersonforfree.

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OptiononeUsethetoolinagroupsetting,respondingtothequestionsandinteractivechallenges.Belowisamapthroughthetoolandthecharactersthatareintroduced.

AimTounderstandwhataworkexperienceplacementmayentailandexplorehowyoungpeoplecanmakethemostoftheopportunitiesitpresents.

KeylearningoutcomesYoungpeoplewillbeableto:• Getafeelfortheworkthatgoesonataninnovativeorganisationbyseeinganofficein

actionandmeetingthepeoplethatworkthere

• Begintounderstandtheskillsneededfortheworldofworkregardlessofindustry,suchasresilience,communication,proactivityandcreativethinking

• Recognisetherangeofrolesandopportunitiesonofferacrossanorganisation

Timings60minstoworkthroughthetoolanddiscuss

ResourcesTheresourcesneededforthislessonplanare:• Virtual Work Experience tool

(barclayslifeskills.com/vwex)

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Activitysteps• OpentheVirtualWorkExperiencetool(barclayslifeskills.com/vwex)onthescreenatthe

frontofthegroup,ordirectyoungpeopletothewebpageiftheyareworkingthroughindividually/ingroups

• Followtheinstructionstousingthetoolonscreenandateachpausepoint,askthegrouptodiscussthechallengeposedforseveralminutes.Therearealsolinkstotoptipsthroughoutwhichcanbeusedtopromptdiscussion,andlinkstorelevantcontentontheLifeSkillswebsite

• Afterdiscussingeachchallenge,usershavetheopportunitytoselectanon-screenoptionandthenfindoutfeedbackfromtheFreeformersteamabouttheirselectedoption

• Dependingontheabilityandinterestsofyourgroup,youmaywishtopauseatadditionalmomentstohighlightskillsorcontextswhichyoufeelwouldbenefitfromamorein-depthdiscussion

Note that to access the individual chapters, you must be logged in on the LifeSkills website

1.MeetLucy• ThefirstpersonyouwillmeetisLucy,whowillhelpstudentsnavigatetheirwaythrough

theday,introducingthemtoeachofthedepartmentsandmakingsuretheygetthemostfromtheexperience

• Youmaywishtodiscussinmoredepthissuesaroundplanningforyourworkexperienceplacementandtheimportanceofshowinginterestandenthusiasmwhenspeakingwithcolleagues

2.MeetSpencer• NextyouwillbeintroducedtoSpencerwhoisinvolvedinproduct development and

planning,andadiscussionwithhimtouchesupontheimportanceofcommunicationandproactivity

• Thereisaninteractivechallengeinthissectionwherethegroupcanaskthefollowingquestions;

– Canyoutellmemoreaboutthisdepartment?– Howdidyougettowhereyouarenow?– What’sitlikeworkinghere?

3.MeetLewieandKai• DuringyourmeetingwithSpencer,LewieandKaiwhoalsoworkinplanningwillenter

theroom,offeringanopportunityforthegrouptoputforwardideasforanupcomingcodingevent

• Thisisanopportunityforthegrouptodiscusstopicsincludingonline safetyandevaluatingaproject,withaninteractivechallengecoveringthefollowingquestions:

– Howshould16-24yearoldsstaysafeonline?– Whatdoyouthinkwouldbeinterestingforyoungpeopletolearntocode?

barclayslifeskills.com/lucy

barclayslifeskills.com/spencer

barclayslifeskills.com/lewie

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4.MeetMarta• NextyouwillgetthechancetomeetMartafromthemarketingdepartmentwhoexplains

whatthismeansinanorganisationlikeFreeformers.Shefocusesontransferableskills,suchascommunicationandresilience,andthefuture job market

• Thereisaninteractivechallengefeaturedinthissectionwhichincludesquestionson;

– Whatdoesmarketingmean?

– HowdoesyourpastexperienceapplytowhatyoudoatFreeformers?

– Ifyouwereadvertisinganeventtopeopleaged16-24,howwouldyoureachthem?

– Whatwouldbethebestwaytomeasureperformanceofasocialmediapost?

5.MeetAyoandDolly• AyoandDollyaretrainers,deliveringdigitaltransformationworkshops.Studentshave

theopportunitytoconsiderhowtoimprovepresentation skillsandhowemployerscansupportwithpersonal skill development

• Theinteractivechallengeinthissectionallowsthegrouptoexplorethefollowingquestions;

– Whatdoesatrainerdo?

– Whatdoesyourcareerprogressionlooklike?

6.CatchupwithHR• Finally,thereisanotheropportunitytospeakwithDollyasshealsoworksinHR.Shewill

runthroughquicktipsonjob applications,preparingforan interview,andsocial mediapresence

7.Sayingfarewell• Oncethegrouphasfinishedworkingthroughthetool,askthemtoreflectonthe

impressionthattheymayhaveleftonFreeformersfollowingtheirworkexperienceplacement

• Askthemtoconsiderhowtheycouldensuretheyleaveanyworkexperienceplacementwithapositiveimpression

• Nowaskwhattheymightdofollowingtheplacementtoensuretheyhavegotthemostoutoftheirtimewiththecompany.Forexample,sendingafollowupemail,updatingtheirCVorLinkedInprofile,orstayingintouchwiththeorganisation

barclayslifeskills.com/marta

barclayslifeskills.com/ayo

barclayslifeskills.com/hr

barclayslifeskills.com/farewell

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OptiontwoUsethesuggestedactivitiestohelpyoustructurealessonaroundtheinteractiveVirtualWorkExperiencetoolforagroupofyoungpeople.Anactivitycanbeselectedforbefore,duringandafterusingthetooltohelpsetthesceneandencouragereflectiononthevalueofworkexperience.

Theseactivitiesrunover4pagescoveringsuggestedactivitiesforagegroups11-14,14-16,16-19and19+.

• Preparing for work experience–trythisbeforewatchingthevideotosetthescene

• Taking the next step–chooseanappropriatepointtopausethevideobeforepresentingthisactivitytocheckunderstandingofwhattheyhaveseensofar

• Lasting impressions–afterusingthetool,thisactivitywillhelpthegrouptoreflectonwhattheywilltakeawayfromthesession

AimTounderstandwhataworkexperienceplacementmayentailandexplorehowyoungpeoplecanmakethemostoftheopportunitiesitpresents.

KeylearningoutcomesYoungpeoplewillbeableto:• Explainwhattheyshoulddoinadvancetoprepareforaworkexperienceplacement

• Demonstratehowtheycanleaveemployerswithapositiveimpression

• Understandhowfollowingupafterworkexperiencecanincreaseemployabilityprospects

TimingsWorkthroughtheVirtualWorkExperiencetoolwithoutadditionaldiscussion 60minutes

Preparingforworkexperienceactivity 10minutes

Takingthenextstepactivity 15minutes

Lastingimpressionsactivity 10minutes

Total 95 minutes

ResourcesTheresourcesneededforthislessonplanare:• Virtual Work Experience tool

(barclayslifeskills.com/vwex)

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Activitysteps(11-14)LoadtheVirtualWorkExperiencetoolandplaythefilmuntilLucywelcomesyoutoFreeformersandopensthedoor• Askthegrouptothinkaboutwhattheyshoulddoinadvancetogetthemostoutofwork

experience.Usethepromptsbelowifneeded:

– Researchkeyinformationaboutthecompanye.g.wheretheyarelocated,howyouwillgetthere,whatthedresscodeis

– Preparequestionsforyourcolleaguesabouttheircareerexperience/skills

• Askthegroupwhatquestionstheymighthavefortheiremployerontheirfirstdayofaworkexperienceplacement

• Promptthegrouptothinkaboutthisinthecontextofadigitalorcreativeworkplace,tomakethelinktoFreeformers.Createalistoftheirsuggestions

FollowingthemeetingwithMartainmarketing,pausethefilmwhenLucyinvitesyoutogodownstairs• Explainthatpart-timejobsandworkexperienceopportunitiesmaynotalwaysbedirectly

relevanttofutureworkaspirations.However,therearevaluabletransferableskillsthatcanbedevelopedinalmostanyworkplace

• Usingthevideoasinspiration,askwhatskillstheycouldhavedevelopedsofar.Thesecouldinclude;

– resilience(barclayslifeskills.com/resilience)

– makingagoodfirstimpression

– teamwork,dealingwithcriticism

– workingwithdifferentpersonalitytypes

– thinkingonyourfeet

– the‘Discoverthevalueofpeopleskills’(barclayslifeskills.com/peopleskills)pagecouldbeusedasapromptorfollow-up

• Askstudentswhytheythinkbusinessesofferworkexperiencetoyoungpeople–whatarethebenefitsforemployers?Encouragethemtoreferencethevideoe.g.theywanttosupportyoungpeopleindevelopingtheirskills,youngpeoplebringnewideastothebusiness,theymightfindnewtalent,itprovidestrainingopportunityfortheirownstaff

Oncethevideohasfinished,chooseanactivitytosummarisethelearning• Askstudentstorecapwhyaworkexperienceplacementcouldbevaluabletothem

• Usingdirectexamplesfromthevideo,arethereanymoreskillsthey’vepractisedasthey’vemetdifferentpeoplee.g.learningaboutdifferentprofessions,problemsolving,proactivity,creativity,gettingoutofyourcomfortzoneandcommunication

• Collatetheirsuggestions.HowmighttheyusethesetoaddexamplestoaCV?

• Youcouldgotothe‘Whatworkexperiencegivesyou’(barclayslifeskills.com/wex)pageofLifeSkillsasasummary

Preparingforworkexperience

Takingthenextstep

Lastingimpressions

– problemsolving(barclayslifeskills.com/problemsolving)

– buildingyournetwork

– leadership

– communication(barclayslifeskills.com/communication)

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Activitysteps(14-16)LoadtheVirtualWorkExperiencetoolandplaythefilmuntilLucywelcomesyoutoFreeformersandopensthedoor• Askthegrouptothinkaboutwhattheyshoulddoinadvancetogetthemostoutofwork

experience.Usethepromptsbelowifneeded:– Researchkeyinformationaboutthecompanye.g.wheretheyarelocated,howyouwill

getthere,whatthedresscodeis– Gettoknowyouremployere.g.competitors,sizeofteam,departments– Findoutaboutyourtaskse.g.whatyouneedtocompleteandbywhen,whatyoucan

supportonifyougetallinitialtaskscompleted– Preparequestionsforyourcolleaguesabouttheircareerexperience/skills

• Promptthegrouptothinkaboutthisinthecontextofadigitalorcreativeworkplace,tomakethelinktoFreeformers.Createalistoftheirsuggestions

• Thinkingaboutoneortwootherindustries,howdotheythinktheirinitialquestionsmightdiffer?

FollowingthemeetingwithMartainmarketing,pausethefilmwhenLucyinvitesyoutogodownstairs• Explainthatpart-timejobsandworkexperienceopportunitiesmaynotalwaysbedirectly

relevanttofutureworkaspirations.However,therearevaluabletransferableskillsthatcanbedevelopedinalmostanyworkplace

• Usingthevideoasinspiration,askwhatskillstheycouldhavedevelopedsofar.Thesecouldinclude;– resilience

(barclayslifeskills.com/resilience)– makingagoodfirstimpression– teamwork,dealingwithcriticism– workingwithdifferentpersonalitytypes– thinkingonyourfeet– the‘Discoverthevalueofpeopleskills’(barclayslifeskills.com/peopleskills)pagecould

beusedasapromptorfollow-up• Askstudentswhytheythinkbusinessesofferworkexperiencetoyoungpeople–what

arethebenefitsforemployers?Encouragethemtoreferencethevideoe.g.theywanttosupportyoungpeopleindevelopingtheirskills,youngpeoplebringnewideastothebusiness,theymightfindnewtalent,itprovidestrainingopportunityfortheirownstaff

Oncethevideohasfinished,chooseanactivitytosummarisethelearning• AskthestudentswhatimpressiontheworkexperiencestudentleavestheFreeformersteam

withattheendoftheday.Whatimpressionwouldtheywanttoleaveanemployerwith?• Cangroupscomeupwithanactionplantheycouldfollowtoensuretheyleavean

employerwithapositiveimpression?Thiscouldinclude;prepareinsightfulquestions,knowwhereyouaregoing,befriendly,beproactiveinthetasksset,askforadvice,sendathankyouemail,askforareference

• Askgroupswhatthevalueisofemailingafterthey’vecompletedaplacement,tosaythanksforsupportingthemduringtheirtimeattheorganisation.Considernetworking,sourcingfutureemploymentopportunitiesandsecuringareference

Preparingforworkexperience

Takingthenextstep

Lastingimpressions

– problemsolving(barclayslifeskills.com/problemsolving)

– buildingyournetwork– leadership– communication

(barclayslifeskills.com/communication)

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Activitysteps(16-19)LoadtheVirtualWorkExperiencetoolandplaythefilmuntilLucywelcomesyoutoFreeformersandopensthedoor• Askthegrouphowtheythinktheycouldsecureapart-timejoborshort-termwork

experience.Intwominuteshowmanyanswerscantheythinkof?

• Ifyouhavetime,refertothearticle‘HowbeingproactivegotAlfredhired’(barclayslifeskills.com/alfred)andfollowupbyaskingiftheycanthinkofsimilarlycreativewaystosecureworkexperience

• TomakethelinkwithFreeformers,askthegrouptoconsiderwhatskillsemployersinadigitalorcreativeworkplacemightbelookingforwhenrecruiting

FollowingthemeetingwithMartainmarketing,pausethefilmwhenLucyinvitesyoutogodownstairs• Introducetheconceptof‘personalbrand’asawayofpromotingyourselfeffectively.

Dotheyhaveanyuniqueskillsorwaysofthinking?Todemonstratetheirpersonalbrand,askgroupstodiscusswaysinwhichtheycouldshowcasekey21stcenturyskillslike:

– problemsolving(barclayslifeskills.com/problemsolving)

– communication(barclayslifeskills.com/communication)

– andproactivity(barclayslifeskills.com/proactivity)toapotentialemployer

For example:

–Resilience–askforfeedbackafteratasktoensuretheycanimproveonperformanceinthefuture

–Proactivity–followupwithanemailtoaworkexperienceemployertoenquireaboutfuturejobopportunities

• Highlightthatsomeindustriesareverycompetitiveandoftenemployersarelookingforthewhole‘package’–beingabletoshowcaseyourtransferableskillsandthepersonalitythatyou’llbringtotheirorganisationduringanintervieworworkexperienceplacement,aswellasoutliningyourqualificationsandexperience,cangoalongwaytoleavingagoodimpression

• Takingacoupleofemployeesinthevideointurn,cangroupssummarisetheirpersonalbrand?Toextendthis,youcouldusethe‘DictionaryofSkills’(barclayslifeskills.com/dictionary)toolonline,andfollowthelinksabovetoexploreeachoftheskillsinmoredetail

Oncethevideohasfinished,chooseanactivitytosummarisethelearning• Askthegrouptoconsiderwhattheycoulddoasafollowuptomakethemostofawork

experienceopportunity.Isthereanythingthatmightbespecifictodigitalorcreativeindustries?Examplesmightinclude;followingupwithkeycontactsafteraplacementtoenquireaboutfutureopportunities,addingcolleaguesonLinkedIn,findingamentor,oraskingforareference

• Youmightwanttosummarisethesessionbysignpostingto‘Whyallworkexperienceisgoodworkexperience’(barclayslifeskills.com/goodwex)or‘TopTipsforyourLinkedInProfile’(barclayslifeskills.com/linkedintips)toolontheLifeSkillswebsite

Preparingforworkexperience

Takingthenextstep

Lastingimpressions

– creativethinking(barclayslifeskills.com/creativethinking)

– resilience(barclayslifeskills.com/resilience)

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Activitysteps(19+)LoadtheVirtualWorkExperiencetoolandplaythefilmuntilLucywelcomesyoutoFreeformersandopensthedoor• Askthegrouptosharetheirexperiencesoftheworkplace–havetheybeenonwork

experience,hadapart-timejob,orcompletedaninternship?

• Collatesuggestionsoftheskillstheythinktheyhavelearntfromtheseroles.Havetheyincludedskillssuchasproblemsolving,creativity,communication,resilienceandproactivity?

• Oftheskillsdiscussed,whatonesdotheythinkwouldapplytoadigitalorcreativeworkplacelikeFreeformers?Dotheythinkalotoftheskillswouldbetransferableacrossdifferentsectorsorindustriesthey’reinterestedin?

FollowingthemeetingwithMartainmarketing,pausethefilmwhenLucyinvitesyoutogodownstairs• Introducetheconceptof‘personalbrand’asawayofpromotingyourselfeffectively.

Dotheyhaveanyuniqueskillsorwaysofthinking?Todemonstratetheirpersonalbrand,askgroupstodiscusswaysinwhichtheycouldshowcasekey21stcenturyskillslike:

– problemsolving(barclayslifeskills.com/problemsolving)

– communication(barclayslifeskills.com/communication)

– andproactivity(barclayslifeskills.com/proactivity)toapotentialemployer

For example:

–Resilience–askforfeedbackafteratasktoensuretheycanimproveonperformanceinthefuture

–Proactivity–followupwithanemailtoaworkexperienceemployertoenquireaboutfuturejobopportunities

• Highlightthatsomeindustriesareverycompetitiveandoftenemployersarelookingforthewhole‘package’–beingabletoshowcaseyourtransferableskillsandthepersonalitythatyou’llbringtotheirorganisationduringanintervieworworkexperienceplacement,aswellasoutliningyourqualificationsandexperience,cangoalongwaytoleavingagoodimpression

• Takingacoupleofemployeesinthevideointurn,cangroupssummarisetheirpersonalbrand?Toextendthis,youcouldusethe‘DictionaryofSkills’(barclayslifeskills.com/dictionary)toolonline,andfollowthelinksabovetoexploreeachoftheskillsinmoredetail

Oncethevideohasfinished,chooseanactivitytosummarisethelearning• DiscusstheskillstheythinktheyhavelearntfromtheVirtualWorkExperience.Ask

whetheranyoralloftheskillsthey’vehadtheopportunitytopractisearefeaturedintheirCV.Ifnot,cantheythinkaboutwaystobetterdemonstratethesetransferableskills?

• HowmightyoutalkaboutthisexperienceonyourLinkedInprofiletoshowcaseyourskillstopotentialemployers?AskindividualstodraftashortpersonalstatementfortheirLinkedInprofile.Toextendthis,youcouldusethe‘TopTipsforyourLinkedInProfile’(barclayslifeskills.com/linkedintips)toolontheLifeSkillswebsiteforinspiration

Preparingforworkexperience

Takingthenextstep

Lastingimpressions

– creativethinking(barclayslifeskills.com/creativethinking)

– resilience(barclayslifeskills.com/resilience)