THE VALUE OF HANDS OF
As a placement student at VCCS I’d
like to tell you about the benefits of hands on experience in the workplace. I was initially a client at VCCS looking for
employment. The services I received motivated me to want to give back and help impact
others’ lives. I am now in my final semester of Fleming College’s Social Service Worker program with the
intention to become a counsellor.
In my opinion, workplace
experience is extremely beneficial, especially for students or individuals who
lack the experience required to break into a field of work that they have no
experience in. These benefits include;
1) Being more qualified than other job seekers.
2) Having the hands on experience that
employers value. The experience I have gained will look great on my resume
and make me more confident in my job search.
3) Needing less training because of your
first-hand experience. For example, I have gotten the opportunity to train
on several industry specific software programs.
4) The opportunity to be hired by your co-op
employer.
5) Great networking and positive work related
references.
6) Developing
your own personal professional style.
There
are things that I have learned that cannot be taught in a classroom. In my program we often practiced using ‘Enactments’, which are scenarios between a
counsellor and client . At VCCS I have had the opportunity to shadow several
different counsellors which is a truly educational experience. By doing this, I
am able to observe various counsellors’ approaches to certain situations and
counselling style. This has allowed me
to observe the solutions I find most helpful and helped me develop my own style
to use with future clients.
There are several ways you can go about getting hands on
experience;
1) A co-op placement.
2) Offering to complete an unpaid internship.
3) Volunteering. (VCCS assists clients looking
for volunteer opportunities)
4) Through Job Development Services at VCCS.
5) By participating in the Youth Employment
Fund through VCCS.
Overall, my placement has really
opened my eyes so far. I was successful
throughout my classes and my assignments but I hadn’t felt quite as
accomplished as I do now from gaining this one-of-a-kind, first-hand
experience.
