What Youth get out of Work Placements - Part 3: Personal Growth

Work placements are a great way to prepare youth for their future in the workforce, building on the foundations needed to set off on a career path. Besides the practical benefits of money management and socialization, work placements also provide important aspects of personal growth.

Goals for the future 

Work placements can help youth recognize their goals for the future; both personal and professional. Youth learn a lot about themselves through placement; what they like and what they don't like; what they’re good at and what they’re not so good at. These are all things that can help a youth determine what type of career they may thrive in. When developing career goals, youth may also recognize if their current job placement has certain criteria that they are looking for in a career. This may include the type of work they are doing, the kind of skills or certifications they need, and the general job structure. From this, they can begin to set career goals and get excited about what they can achieve.

Hope and Motivation 

Once they have these goals outlined, they may find more motivation when it comes to working. Work can be a hard thing to get excited about, but the right placement can give them hope for what they can achieve in the future. We try to place youth in jobs that they are interested in which will help cultivate these feelings of excitement for entering the workforce. When a youth feels good about working, they’ll have a better feeling about the future and want to put in the work to reach their goals.

Confidence 

Being in a work placement gives youth confidence in their own skills and abilities. They are given the opportunity to build on skills and demonstrate what they are capable of. The feeling that they have something valuable to offer instills confidence in them. The work they complete also contributes to their personal growth because professional work experience often gives confidence because it feels like they have accomplished something substantial.

Overall, these factors are a good basis of how a suitable job placement helps youth develop a good mindset to get them where they want to go.

- Clare, Co-op Student