Powering real-world experience: Students partner with E.ON to discuss work experience
In a recent Purpose Lab session, students joined E.ON and The Purpose Coalition for a conversation about work experience - who gets access, what good looks like and how to scale it fairly.
Students heard details about E.ON’s current work experience – this includes a large variety of opportunities across different sites throughout the UK. Students are given a dedicated point of contact and exposed to a range of activity which links to their interests.
Currently this largely happens through family and friends placements - an approach the company recognises isn’t fully inclusive or consistent.
Plans are being explored to broaden access and standardise the experience. E.ON also runs ad-hoc insight days, site visits, school engagements and partnerships to broaden opportunity for people looking to gain work experience.
Student feedback
Students stressed that visibility and clarity matter - opportunities need to be easy to find on company websites. They also asked for a blend of online and in-person experiences - interactive, not just information overload - so more people can access E.ON regardless of location, while still getting the benefits of on-site contact and networking.
Students also encouraged E.ON to include transferable skills (communication, teamwork, problem-solving) so placements help at any career stage, not only for a single role.
What “good” looks like
Many of the students outlined poor experiences that they had in the past. Examples included being under-used, doing generic tasks or struggling to find opportunities.
However, there were also lots of examples of best practice in work experience and ideas of how people could get the most out of it.
The most consistent theme was around the importance of meaningful participation over passive shadowing. Students asked for real tasks, routes to meet people across levels (including senior leaders), and a welcoming, guided experience that builds confidence - mirroring the best of E.ON’s existing practice when placements happen.
A blueprint for work experience success
The Purpose Lab students had some ideas around what great work experience might look like. This starts with making opportunities easy to find via one clear webpage covering every pathway (school, college, university, career returners and changers). Other ideas included opening access beyond friends and family and running targeted outreach with schools and colleges in disadvantaged areas, and blending online and in-person by using short, interactive online modules to introduce E.ON and surface interests/skills, then inviting students to purposeful on-site days where appropriate.
Students were also keen for there to be guaranteed and tangible outcomes from every placement (even a small project, reflection or presentation) that can live on a CV or LinkedIn, and also that mentors and feedback are included from the start.
The session underlined E.ON’s commitment to an inclusive approach to early careers and gave them insight into what students really value from work experience.
