HITZ Students Make a Positive Impression With Local Partners
Since February half term seven of the students on Newcastle Falcons’ Hitz course have taken up work experience placements with organisations throughout the North East.
Partner organisations including Land Rover, Greggs, the Falcons Community Foundation and Barclays, as well as a number of local secondary schools played host to the students, providing various job roles.
The students were able to carry out a variety of activities throughout their week-long placement such as customer care, communications with staff and customers, session planning, assisting on coaching sessions and baking.
Work experience not only provides an eye-opening account of what real working life is all about but also gives the students ideas about possible career options and ideas, and gives them the opportunity to impress ready for any potential job openings at these companies.
All of the students involved received glowing reports from their host organisations, many highlighting the students’ positive attitudes and willingness to learn and try new roles. A number of the students were asked to hand in CVs at the end of their week-long placement.
Newcastle Falcons Hitz Officer Joe Brown said: “I believe it was vital to gives these students an opportunity to experience working life for a week and take them out of their comfort zones to see how each students coped.
“The feedback we received from everyone was that they all coped very well and left great impressions on everyone they came across.
“I would just like to thank all of the companies that gave our students the opportunity to join their work force for a week and gain invaluable experiences which will help these students in the future.”
The award-winning Hitz programme is delivered nationally by Premiership Rugby and aims to increase young people’s resilience, self-reliance and confidence. The programme uses rugby alongside a range of other projects and techniques to help participants gain the skills they need to get back into education, vocational training, apprenticeships and employment.
Aimed at young people aged 16-18 who are not in work, education, employment or training, the Hitz programme also enabled participants to work towards a BTEC in Sport while also improving their skills and work experience, and gaining qualifications in Maths, English and ICT.
