Work Placements
Skip to Section Navigation ↓Whizz-Kidz provides work placements to disabled young people in two ways - either a company will offer us a placement and we'll find someone to fill it, or you can get in contact and ask us for a specific placement and we'll do our best to find it! Here you can browse through a few of the placements we've been offered by companies that you can apply for.
You can apply for a Work Placement using our online application form. Alternatively, you can apply using our paper forms. Download and complete both the General Application Form and the Work Placements Application Form then send both back to our address here.
If you'd like to speak to us about a different placement, or to find out about others we have on offer, please email workplacements@whizz-kidz.org.uk or call on 0800 151 3350.
Your work placement stories
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Upcoming Work Placements
Click below for more information on any of the following placements.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Tesco Work Placements - National
Whizz-Kidz has developed a fantastic partnership with Tesco where stores across the UK offer young people with disabilities amazing work placements! You can gain experience in the following areas:
- Retail
- Customer Service
- Digital/technology
- Stock checking
- Marketing
- Clothing
And much, much more!You will be able to gain invaluable experience and learn more about the day to day running of a successful superstore!
If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 161
Email: workplacements@whizz-kidz.org.uk -
Jardine Motors Group – Car Dealerships - National
Jardine Motors Group are the fourth largest automotive group in the UK, representing 23 of the greatest vehicle brands on the planet including Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Harley-Davidson, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Land Rover, McLaren, Mercedes, Porsche, Toyota and Volkswagen.
The state of the art dealerships offer customers an amazing retail experience when buying their vehicles, plus some of the most experienced technicians and service teams in the industry, making sure those vehicles stay on the road. The friendly reception and hosting teams are there to deliver a warm welcome and, behind the scenes there are significant accounting and finance teams, administration and employee support teams.
With over 75 locations in the UK, we can offer work experience opportunities in a wide variety of roles including:
Accounting and finance
Customer service
Vehicle sales
Vehicle servicing
Office management and administration
Reception and hosting
IT (Sunderland)
HR (Colchester)During a placement with any of the teams, you will have the opportunity to spend time with colleagues at every level in the business and gain experience of a fast-paced business – whether you are on the shop floor or behind the scenes. Jardine can provide a placement where you spend time in several departments to gain an overview of how they all work together, or you can specialise in an area you feel passionate about. Whatever you want to get from your work placement, Jardine would be delighted to help you make the most of it.
If you're interested in applying for one of these placements or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Macfarlanes - London
Macfarlanes is a leading law firm based in London. It advises clients around the world on their most complex corporate, commercial and private legal matters. The work placement will provide insight into how this successful law firm runs, however, you do not have to have a keen interest in Law to undertake this opportunity as they are offering placements in the following areas:
- General office
- Print room
- Hospitality
- Facilities
- IT
- SwitchboardIf you’re interested in applying for this work placement or would like more details, please contact our Work Placements Team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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BLM Law- London
BLM is the UK and Ireland’s leading risk and insurance law business, with over 200 partners and 800 lawyers, and they are currently offering three day ‘taster’ placements in their central London office for young people who are interested in pursuing a career in law.
Whether you are choosing your A-Levels or recently graduated from University, BLM are looking to offer these placements to up to six enthusiastic candidates in 2016, with the intention of providing an insight into the life of a law firm and improving their CVs with sessions on interview technique and CV writing as well as experience shadowing lawyers at work.
Our work in the insurance sector means that we have lawyers working in diverse areas including but not limited to
-personal injury workplace and road traffic accidents
-product liability
-construction disputes
-medical negligence and abuse.
If you have any particular interests, please do tell us in your application and, if successful, we will try to include them in your placement.
If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 161
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Barratt Homes – National
Barratt Homes are a leading residential design company that builds housing around the UK. They are experts in construction and provide new-build housing for thousands of people every year. During 2015, Barratt Homes PLC supported 53,000 jobs around the country. Are you interested in gaining experience with a large national firm, within their Mercia Divisional Offices in Solihull?
Some of the areas include, but are not limited to:
- Engineering
- Architecture Design
- Surveying
- Drawing & Planning
- Construction
- Sales & Marketing
Times and dates are flexible to accommodate the needs of any individual who may be interested.
If you’re interested in applying for this work placement, please contact our Work Placements Team on:
Phone: 0207 798 6138
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Diesel - London
Diesel are a leading pioneer in denim and casual fashion and are offering a few Whizz-Kidz work placements in their London office! This is a rare opportunity to see behind the scenes and work within different teams in the fashion industry.
If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Transport for London - London
Transport for London (TFL) keep London working and growing by providing transport all around London. They employ over 25,000 people! TFL are offering a variety of different placements around their locations in London.
Some of the areas include, but are not limited to:
- Engineering
- External Relations
- Human Resources
- Project Management
- Enforcement & On-Street Operations
- Public AffairsIf you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Esmée Fairbairn Foundation – London
Esmée Fairbairn Foundation is one of the largest independent grant-makers in the UK. They aim to improve the quality of life for people by funding charitable work in the arts, education and learning, the environment and social change. Whilst on placement you will get an overview of how the foundation works.
You'll learn all about:
- Dealing with visitors to the Foundation’s office
- Assist with the management of meeting rooms
- Deal with post, couriers, stationery etc.
- Responding to general emails
- Undertake an in-house design projectThere will also be the opportunity to answer the phones and assist with the funding applications.
If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Royal Mail Finance Team - Bolton
Royal Mail is one of the biggest companies in the UK, generating over £600m in profits annually and delivering mail and parcels to over 29 million addresses, with a fleet of 45,000 vehicles and 140000 employees.
Royal mail are offering a work placement in the Finance Business Services Team you'll be working within an award winning team in a fast moving and challenging commercial environment. You will get an insight into all activities from Account set up, credit risk, enquiries, debt collection, litigation and banking.
If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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National Express - London, Bristol, Manchester
National Express run the largest scheduled national coach network in the UK with over 800 million journeys on their services a year! It will include a visit to their Heathrow branch on their coaches where you will work with a team of staff based at Heathrow. You will work alongside staff to support customers, learn about their coach network and the work behind this as well as working with ticket sales!
If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Back2Bikes - Stafford
Back 2 Bikes is an organisation that refurbishes and recycles pre-owned bicycles, in order to encourage a healthy lifestyle through the use of affordable bicycles. The placement at Back 2 Bikes can be an opportunity to learn hands on mechanical skills to refurbishes, repair and rebuild bikes and trikes. They also offer the opportunity to learn offices skills and how the business runs.
If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Motability - Essex
Motability is a charity that enables disabled people to lease a new car, scooter or powered wheelchair, using their Government funded mobility allowance.They are a large charity that have many departments that you could experience work in, such as;
-Finance
-Fundraising and Events
-Human Resources
-IT
-Communication
-Refereals and Grants
-Facilities
If you're interested in applying for this work placement or would like more information, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 161
Email: workplacements@whizz-kidz.org.uk -
FareShares -Preston
FareShares is a charity that save good food destined for waste and send it to charities and community groups who transform it into nutritious meals for vulnerable people. This placement provides an number of opportunities such as:
-Administration duties
-Booking deliveries
-Allocating food to charities
-Contacting charities to check they are happy and record their preferred orders.
-Searching on the internet for potential charities and groups that would benefit from FareShare
-Contributing to their newsletter
-Responding to emails and calls.
If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 161
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Advantage Resourcing - London
As a recruitment agency, Advantage Resourcing makes a particular commitment to helping people into the workplace. This is expressed through our extensive work experience schemes, providing local talent and those on professional qualification schemes with varied and tangible experience in the workplace.
The work placement will give you the opportunity to get an insight about roles across a number of departments such as:
- Sales and Marketing
- Finance
- Training and HR
- Support functions including Admin and ReceptionAs part of your work placement you will get the opportunity to sit with our experienced consultants and discover if a career in recruitment is just what you’re looking for. At the end of your placement we will ask you to deliver a short presentation about your time with Advantage Resourcing and sharing your favourite moments with us.
If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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HarperCollins - London
HarperCollins is one of the UK’s foremost, diverse and innovative multi-platform publishers. They publish a wide range of books, from cutting-edge contemporary fiction, to block-busting thrillers and from fantasy literature to children’s literature and enduring classics. They also publish a great selection of non-fiction titles. With nearly 200 years of history, they publish some of the world’s foremost authors, from Nobel prize-winners to worldwide bestsellers.
HarperCollins are currently offering work experience within their Editorial, Foreign Rights, Marketing & PR departments.
Key duties:
- Support the team in dealing with the media, authors, booksellers and the general public
- Shadow members of the teams in meetings and at events to gain an insight into publishing
- Read manuscripts and write reader reports
- Assist in event preparation, including Book Fairs, book launches and internal corporate events.If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Red Brick Road- London
Red Brick Road is an independent integrated advertising agency, 70 strong, in the heart of Clerkenwell. The unique team of brand, digital, data, social and PR specialists means they deliver unique creative solutions for their clients. There’s a strong culture and they come together every Friday to catch up with each other and on agency news. They also have their own resident dogs!
During your placement you will:
-Gain exposure into how an Advertising Agency works
-Support the Account Management team, including help with key meeting preparation, shadowing within various meetings and updating client work showcases
-Undertake the preparation and presentation of an assignment
-As well as Account Management, you will also spend time with the Planning, PR & Social & Creative teams
If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Royal Bank of Scotland - London & Manchester
RBS were Founded over 200 years ago and have over 24 million customers who are at the heart of everything we do. RBS earn their trust by focusing on their needs and delivering an excellent service. They operate through many different brands such as NatWest and Coutts.
To serve their customers well, they need the best working environment, supported by the best employees. Ensuring their workforce is diverse and engaged is hugely important to them and they aspire to have a mix of unique individuals within their organisation and embrace the richness of that individuality to create business success.
By joining them for work experience they can provide an excellent opportunity to work in a professional setting within the financial sector. They are committed to providing support and development and you'll have the chance to challenge yourself and develop your skills, but also the opportunity to build networks and have fun!
If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Simply Business - London and Northampton
Simply Business is the UK's largest online business insurance broker, with 300,000 customers made up of small businesses, landlords and shops. Simply Business have been featured in the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 four times and have won the Sunday Times ‘Best Company to Work For’ prize two years running!
Simply Business invests in a happy, engaged workforce and makes sure every single member of the team feels empowered to achieve their full potential. They are committed to providing support and development and by joining them for work experience you'll have the chance to challenge yourself and develop your skills, but also the opportunity to build networks and have fun!
There are work placements available in both the London and Northampton offices. The work placement will give you the opportunity to get an insight about roles across a number of departments such as:
- Admin
- Finance
- Sales
- Marketing
- HR and TrainingIf you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Columbia Threadneedle Investments - London
Columbia Threadneedle Investments is an international investment manager. Their investment approach is active, client-focused and performance driven. They manage £84.9 billion of assets, investing on behalf of individuals, pension funds, insurers and corporations. Threadneedle’s distinctive investment philosophy is based on creative thinking, sharing of ideas and rigorous debate. Threadneedle has a presence in 17 countries and employs approximately 700 people globally.
Columbia Threadneedle is the international asset management arm of Ameriprise Financial (NYSE: AMP), a leading US diversified financial services company and one of the 40 largest asset management firms globally.
Columbia Threadneedle Investments would like to offer a work placement within their Corporate Communications team.The team is responsible for all corporate affairs, including media relations, events, sponsorship and internal communications.
During the work placement you will regularly engage with employees at all levels in the organisation and gain experience of working in a corporate environment. You will gain an insight into working in a press office, working in media relations, using different social media tools and developing different types of messaging.
If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Dorsett Shepherds Bush Hotel - London
Dorsett Shepherds Bush, is a listed building with 317 rooms, 2 restaurants, a Spa, 3 meeting rooms and an executive lounge. The hotel opened its doors in June 2014 and over the last year gained the reputation of delivering excellent guest experiences in a beautiful hotel with comfortable and well appointed rooms.
We are currently offering work placements to up to 2 enthusiastic candidates, with the intention of providing an insight into the life of a 4 star hotel.
You can gain experience in the following areas:
- Customer Service
- Food serving
- Administration
- HousekeepingIf you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Stephenson Harwood - London
You will get a real taste of life at the firm by being involved in quality work and experience any areas of law you’re particularly interested in. Typically you’ll be sitting with qualified lawyers and tackling some case work, such as research, drafting and attending meetings. A placement gives you a great opportunity to talk informally to existing trainees, lawyers, partners and support teams to find out just why the law, and Stephenson Harwood, is such an attractive career option.
What do we expect from you?
Be enthusiastic and open-minded
Get stuck in and try new things
Turn up on time
Ask questions
Honour your commitment
Be professionalSkills desired
Strong intellect and analytical skills, sound judgment and meticulous attention to detail
Communication skills to be persuasive and build rapport
Drive and determination
A keen interest in businessIf you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Lorien - London
Lorien is a specialist recruitment Company who specialise in Technology. We work with a number of exciting clients across a wide range of industries, including KPMG, Futjitsu, Vodafone and RBS.
All Lorien employees are passionate about building long term, valued relationships with clients and in turn finding candidates their dream jobs. With this in mind, we are offering an exciting opportunity for someone to join our team and do just that. The opportunity will be based in our London offices in the heart of the city and you will quickly form part of our Sales Administration team.
Some of your tasks will be to:
• Help in the search for suitable candidates for our clients
• Build up talent pools of suitable candidates for all our clients and ensure that all the information for these
candidates is up to date on the database
• Telephone prospective candidates and assess their suitability (i.e. availability, geographical preference,
other possible opportunities etc.).
• Present details of available candidates to the Account Manager, providing positive or negative feedback
according to the client’s requirements
• Assist in the formatting of the selected CVs
• Ensure all information relating to candidates is updated on Lorien’s online database at all times
Within this work placement you will:
• Build significant relationships with Account Manager / Senior Account Manager, all other team members,
candidates and other resourcers within the company
• Learn how to use Microsoft Office Suite
• Gain Basic knowledge of recruitment
• Gain good time management skills
• Work on own initiative and prioritise own workloadIf you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Kronos - Bracknell
Kronos is the global leader in delivering workforce management solutions in the cloud.Tens of thousands of organizations in more than 100 countries — including more than half of the Fortune 1000® — use Kronos to control labour costs, minimize compliance risk, and improve workforce productivity. Kronos customers include enterprises large and small across diverse industries worldwide including retail, hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing, services, distribution, and the public sector.
Kronos employs more than 4,000 people worldwide. The UK Headquarters are based in Bracknell,Berkshire. Kronos currently has a number of work experience opportunities within their sales, marketing, technical support and HR departments.
Depending on which team you joined Key duties could include
• Compiling competitor analysis
• Researching potential customers
• Arranging candidate interviews
• Shadowing members of the teams in meetings and during their work activities
• Marketing data and reference gathering
• Inventory documentation
• Researching best practice in relation to on boarding for new hiresIf you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Lloyd’s of London
Lloyd’s is the world’s specialist insurance and reinsurance market. With expertise earned over centuries, Lloyd’s is the foundation of the insurance industry and the future of it. It has a unique position in the industry for providing coverage for large complex specialist risks and the more unusual such as footballers’ legs and pop stars voices.
During your placement you will not only gain a comprehensive understanding of the Lloyd’s working environment but you will also achieve a great level of knowledge about the different areas of insurance.
We are looking for people who have an interest in insurance and how insurance impacts everyone on a daily basis. There are many different roles and opportunities but essentially you need to be intrigued and captivated by the world of risk.Skills desired:
• Ability to solve problems
• Ease at working with others
• Excellent communication skills
• Personal effectiveness
• Self-motivation
• Strong analytical skills
If you’re aged 16 or above and are interested in applying for a work placement at a Lloyd’s Market Firm or want more information, please contact Whizz-Kidz Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
Email: workplacements@whizz-kidz.org.uk -
Arcadis - London
At Arcadis everyone works together, and with our clients, to design, build and manage great places for people to live, work and play. Our core vision is Improving Quality of LIfe and we think about this in everything we do. We are a leading Design & Consultancy business that operates in in the UK, Europe and across many parts of the world. We have over 3000 people working for us in the UK, and they all bring something unique. We have project managers, accountants, researchers, engineers, environmental specialists, rail specialists, people interested in contributing to creating great schools, hospitals, residential homes, shopping markets and football grounds! We have probably been involved in a project near you!
At Arcadis we work on everything to do with buildings, infrastructure (eg roads, railways, airports and even waste water) and focus on how what we do enhances sustainability of our planet and our communities. We think that the best organizations focus on their clients and on the people within the organization and we focus on making sure that our people have a great experience with us. Together, we create award-winning solutions.
Our collaborative culture will encourage you to form relationships and build professional contacts enabling you to contribute to the development of new ideas.
Arcadis has a fantastic graduate scheme and if you would like more info on either the placement opportunities or grad scheme contact the Whizz-Kidz Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Tradition - London
Tradition is the interdealer broking arm of Compagnie Financière Tradition and one of the world's largest interdealer brokers in over-the-counter financial and commodity related products. CFT is represented in over 28 countries, employing over 2,500 people.With our largest office based in London with just over 600 employees.
Tradition’s goal is to provide superior client services. It believes its business success is a direct reflection of its employees and recruits. As such, teamwork, creativity, reliability and integrity are components of a work ethic taken very seriously since the company was founded in 1959.
Tradition is offering candidates the opportunity to take part in a one week work placements. We are able to offer placements in both front office broking roles as well as back office administrative departments such as IT and Finance. During the placement you will shadow employees in their day to day duties, sometimes being able to assist and meet employees at all levels. You will gain an insight into how a past faced, high pressurised business such as a broking environment operates and gain an understanding of whether this is the future for you.
If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127
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Together for Short Lives – Bristol
Together for Short Lives are the leading UK charity that speak out for all children and young people who are expected to have short lives. Together with everyone who provides care and support to these children and families, they are there to help them have as fulfilling lives as possible and the very best care at the end of life. They help children and families make the most of
their time together.The 5-day work placement will give you the opportunity to get an insight about roles across a number of teams within a charity, like:
- Fundraising
- Lobbying and Public Affairs
- Communications
- Family information and support
- Support functions including Admin and Finance
You may undertake the placement as a block (ie over a week) or over a number of weeks. As part of your work placement you will get the opportunity to spend time with each department to learn more about how a charity ticks and to discover if a career in the charity sector is just what you’re looking for.If you're interested in applying for this work placement or want more info, contact our Work Placement team on:
Phone: 0207 7986 127