Business students at Barking & Dagenham College (BDC) have used their Erasmus + mobility placement as a stepping stone to prepare them for the ‘Career Ready’ paid internships that they will be undertaking over the summer.
Career Ready is a UK wide charity that links employers with schools and colleges to open up the world of work to young people. They aim to increase employment chances for young people in the UK and sure that more young people are ready for the world of work.
The Career Ready internships are coordinated by Dilon Beqa, the business studies programmer at BDC. Dilon is, himself, a Career Ready alumnus and this year won the award for the London and South East Santander employability champion.
Dilon has worked with the Erasmus + host organisations in Prague to set up placements that will support his students to work towards completion of Unit 10 of their business course, ‘Learning from a work placement’ and build their employability skills.
Prior to the mobility placement, students covered aspects such as selection, recruitment, CV and cover letter writing. During their placement, they had the opportunity to develop key skills such as team working, communication, presentation and confidence. Students completed a log to analyse and evaluate what they have achieved once they returned home. Placements included the British Chamber of Commerce, Albina Grammar (a brand and design agency) and Ivana Rosova (a fashion company), with roles covering tasks such as research, marketing, social media and event management.
You can read more about the experience of previous BDC business students on our case studies page.