At Westway Development Trust we work in co-ordination with schools and colleges to provide work experience opportunities to help develop students’ skills and experience and to give them an insight into the world of work.
We take on up to six work experience students each year within different areas of the organisation. We look for enthusiastic students who are interested in working within the Leisure Industry or Business Service functions. Successful applicants will have the drive to learn the most they can for the week or two that they are with us.
If you are thinking of applying to do work experience at Westway, please read through the positions and locations guide below to give you a better idea of what experience can be gained at the Trust and then you can decide if it is right for you.
Carrying out your work experience at the Sports Centre will entail shadowing different employees who are experienced in the area in which they work; from Recreational Assistants who may be working while gaining a qualification (NVQ), to Sport Coaches and Duty Managers.
You will gain an understanding of how the centre operates on a day-to-day basis. This type of exposure will also give you the opportunity to identify key areas of interest where you’d like to develop your career. In addition, you will also be exposed to the key skills that are required to work in the different positions you shadow and what transferrable skills employers seek when recruiting.
At the Trusts’ office, you will gain an insight into the day-to-day activities of the different business functions such as Finance, Administration, HR, Property and Maintenance. You will shadow various professionals in these areas who can answer any queries you may have about the profession and the best routes to get your career off to a good start.
At the Fitness Club, you will observe the day-to-day running of a busy gym. You will shadow someone in the areas of the gym, membership sales, marketing, and management. This will offer the opportunity to see a variety of functions that are required to run a successful gym and give an insight into the key skills required to work in the industry.
We work closely with the Boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham and take on students via these councils.
If you would like to be considered for one of these work experience placements, please express an interest to your school who will contact your local council. Once the request has been passed onto us, we will review it and if successful we will arrange to meet for an informal interview prior to offering the work experience placement.