Work experience is more than just a week away from the classroom – it’s a valuable opportunity to explore the world of work, build confidence, and develop the essential skills that employers look for. Whether you're considering a specific career path or simply want to understand what it’s like to be part of a professional environment, work experience helps you grow in ways that go far beyond technical knowledge. 

At NCFE, we recently welcomed two students, Eva Rutherford and Toby Todd, for a week of work experience. As part of their time with us, we asked them to reflect on the core essential skills they developed throughout the week and why these matter as they prepare for the future. Here’s what they had to say: 

1. Communication  

“Communication is a real-world skill you gain through work experience because you are constantly practising interacting with others in an appropriate way,” shares Eva. “You start to understand how to talk to colleagues in a professional manner, which means that your confidence is further expanded. 

“During my week at NCFE, I worked closely with the Customer Services team to help to resolve issues efficiently by actively listening to customers to ensure their issues are promptly resolved. The team and I had to demonstrate clear and timely communication, so that the issue at hand could be resolved quickly.” 

2. Confidence 

“Confidence is a crucial skill required to be successful in any workplace”, outlines Toby. “When you're confident, you're more likely to assert yourself and share your ideas in meetings, which leads to greater respect, recognition and opportunities for growth.  

“I had to use the essential skill of confidence during my work experience in order to communicate my ideas in various meetings with a multitude of colleagues. Having confidence can make all the difference in achieving career goals and reaching your full potential.” 

3. Organisation  

“Being organised can help with managing tasks and deadlines, as you learn urgency and importance,” says Eva. “It sets you up for the future as organisation is a key skill utilised within all workplaces. It can also enhance productivity through reorganising things in a way that you can help you to get more things get done. Time management is key to productivity. 

“I managed multiple tasks and responsibilities during my week at NCFE by staying well organised. I learnt how to prioritise and stay on top of workload so I could ensure that I could meet the deadlines that I’d been set.” 

4. Networking 

“Networking is another key skill which is valuable in every profession, because it allows you to build relationships with colleagues and industry leaders,” explains Toby. “During my time at NCFE, I used networking skills to communicate effectively with employees. 

“If I was unsure on something, or needed help with work, I'd ask a colleague. Networking is an important skill because it allows you to speak to employers effectively, boosting your chances of getting a job, or getting a place for work experience; it can give you the competitive edge over other.”

5. Resilience  

“Resilience will be developed when you’re in a work experience setting, as you are being put into different unfamiliar environments – so you will need to overcome problems, learn from mistakes and be able to try again,” shares Eva.  

“This is not only necessary in work, but also day to day life – you will need to persevere through setbacks and adapt to change. During my work experience I developed resilience because I adapted to different environments and workplace routines despite the change.” 

6. Problem-solving 

“The final essential skill which is important to have in a workplace setting is the ability to solve problems,” writes Toby. “Would you be in the position you are without the key skill of problem solving? No! This is why I believe that problem-solving is the most essential skill to have for employment/work experience. 

“I have used this skill during my week here for work experience when I was tasked with finding a way to improve colleague wellbeing. In summary, this core skill is essential for coming up with unique solutions to problems in the workplace.” 

Building skills for the future 

As part of their reflection, we asked Eva how important she felt the skills she gained during her work experience were. She shared: 

“These skills are all vital in a workplace, as well as outside of the workplace in day-to-day life, which is why I think work experience is necessary for all students to gain a better understanding of future careers. These skills are all transferrable to any job, they complement each other and ensure confidence, problem-solving, and networking are all successful.” 

At NCFE, we believe that work experience plays a vital role in preparing young people for the world of work. As Eva and Toby have shown, the skills gained – from communication and confidence to resilience and problem-solving – are not only valuable in the workplace, but in everyday life too. 

Plus, these are skills that we’ll all continue to grow and shape throughout our careers, inspired by a learning culture that encourages us to continually evolve and adapt. These essential skills are therefore the building blocks of future success – and we’re proud to support learners in developing them. 

To find out more about career opportunities for young people at NCFE, visit our early careers page.