Schneider Electric: Part 3 – Hosting students on industry placements
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Contents
Part 3 – Hosting students on industry placements
Introduction
This is Part 3 of a case study showing Schneider Electric’s journey with T Levels and industry placements. It shows that when students are welcomed into the business and take part in meaningful work, they and the organisation gain huge benefits from the experience.
Who it’s for
It will be useful for:
- Employers who are interested in T Levels and industry placements as a route to training and subsequently employing skilled technical and professional staff
- Managers who are responsible for work experience, early careers, apprenticeships and recruitment
- Staff supporting students as line managers and mentors
Although the case study features a large utility company, it’s relevant to organisations of all sizes and types, in all sectors of the economy.
The organisation
Schneider Electric (SE) is a global company providing systems and products that help people and organisations use electricity safely, efficiently and in ways that conserve energy and other natural resources.
SE employs more than 135,000 employees globally. Over 4,000 people are employed in the UK and Ireland in SE’s manufacturing facilities and international distribution centres. SE’s early careers programme includes a wide range of apprenticeship and graduate pathways in different business functions.
The Digital Energy Business Unit at SE uses digital technologies to offer solutions for power distribution, energy automation, and grid management, helping customers optimise their energy usage and operations.
What’s in the resource
The case study consists of short videos describing the industry placement experience from four perspectives:
- Industry placement coordinator
- Line manager
- Students
- Training providers
Industry placement coordinator
Dawn Helsby, Industry Placement Coordinator
Video 1 – Why Schneider Electric welcomes T Level students
Video length: 2 minutes 13 seconds
“We need people that are going to challenge, so somebody that's really curious, that comes into the business that always wants to know why we do it that way – that’s brilliant”
Video 2 – How students fit in and what they contribute
Video length: 2 minutes 19 seconds
“The dynamic of the teams has changed – they didn’t expect someone to come in and be inquisitive and curious and passionate about engineering”
Line Manager
Tracy Holder, Service Operations Manager
Video 1 – Welcoming the student
Video length: 2 minutes 13 seconds
“Yaqoub is enthusiastic, curious, wants to learn and has just brought a freshness to that – he puts a smile on all the engineers’ faces”
Video 2 - Giving the student meaningful work
Video length: 2 minutes 21 seconds
“Yaqoub is integrated into what we’re doing on site – he’s been working in the field, doing fault-finding on plant and equipment, modifying things on a heating and ventilating control system”
Video 3 – Helping the student to learn
“Working with us on our sites and with our customers has really developed his inner confidence – it’s that real social interaction in the workplace”
Students
Jack
Video 1 – Jack’s placement
“We’re based in one of the plant rooms or in an office reviewing the software – if there’s an issue, we’ll physically go to the plant room and sort it out”
Video 2 – Learning from the experience
Video length: 1 minute 39 seconds
Learning in the workplace is better for me because I’m a lot more of a hands-on person – I feel like every time that I'm on site, I benefit from it, I never leave with an unanswered question”
Yaqoub
Video 1 – Yaqoub’s placement
Video length: 2 minutes 18 seconds
It’s interesting having to problem solve, troubleshoot, make and fix things – my favourite part was going to site because I got real-world exposure to how a building runs behind the scenes“
Video 2 – Learning from the experience
Video length: 1 minutes 52 seconds
“All the engineers have helped me a lot, teaching me new things I didn’t know and giving me demonstrations of how things work”
Jake
Video 1 – Jake’s placement
Video length: 1 minute 55 seconds
“We control the air handling units and fan coil units, we find problems and fix them – it’s interesting because every site has different components”
Video 2 – Learning from the experience
Video length: 1 minute 42 seconds
“Not everything’s handed to you on a plate – you’ve got to work hard and work around different problems and find a way”
Training providers
Janice Tricks, Careers and Employer Engagement Lead
Video 1 – Partnering with the employer
Video length: 1 minute 12 seconds
“The placement has allowed the company and the learner to really build some great, innovative working time together”
Video 2 – Reviewing the student’s progress
Video length: 1 minutes 32 seconds
“We would have the line manager there if possible but certainly the people working directly with the learner – the objectives can really be discussed in detail”
Video 3 – How the student benefits
Video length: 1 minute 23 seconds
“Working with Schneider closely like that changes young people's lives – it gives them their next step”
Abigail Shepherd, Industry Placement Coordinator
Video 1 – Partnering with the employer
Video length: 1 minute 26 seconds
“We look for companies that are willing to help students through their journey – and into that adjustment of starting the placement”
Video 2 – Reviewing the student’s progress
Video length: 1 minute 36 seconds
“We do a lot of check-ins to make sure they are picking up the relevant knowledge and technical skills”
Video 3 – How the student benefits
Video length: 1 minute 17 seconds
“The students have benefited from it incredibly – they feel like they're being given a great opportunity”