Having a work experience person can be a help or a hindrance and there are several things worth considering. It must be looked at as an opportunity beneficial for both parties. Someone will need to manage their time, more than a normal employee would be managed, but they may be able to help with some of the simpler tasks. It is inevitable that a work experience person will be given some of the menial tasks to do, partly because of their skill level and partly because of their status. It is however, very unfair to look upon them as a general dogsbody. They are not there to spend a week doing your menial, dull tasks. Instead, if you are prepared to take one into the working environment then you should attempt to enrich them as people as give them some new skills or at least allow them to use their talents to your advantage.

One important part of the work experience is talking to your charge in order to find out what they would like to do. You need to decide who he or she will work with and what kind of jobs will suit the person. If they have dreams or goals already then perhaps it will be possible to help them realise these in a practical way. For example, if you are working in a software house and they dream of becoming a developer then these skills could be put to good use. Perhaps there is a small issue that needs fixing on a database or software package.

Nobody is suggesting you should let them loose on live software. If they are familiar with the programming language then a test environment could allow them to explore a problem you are having and find a possible solution. Guide them with a variety of possible research and testing techniques they could employ when attempting to find a solution. Tasks can be challenging, but not risky. Test environments are a perfect solution therefore. Be sure to praise the work experience person for their successful achievements in order to encourage and motivate them.

It is worth remembering that these children may well have skills that your own employees do not have. They will know all about the latest fashions and trends and this could be used to your advantage. Having started my working life in 2001, Twitter and Facebook were a fairly recent addition to my life that had to be learned. Children these days however grow up with the concept and it is as familiar to them as television is to us. They are insiders! Recognise these skills and use them. Ask the person to look at possible advertising strategies around the web. Does your company have a Facebook Page, use Twitter or have a page on Wikipedia? If not then ask them to research this including the market that will see it and which ones are appropriate for the type of company you work for. Perhaps they could design and create the pages themselves for you to approve?

It is inevitable that a manager will delegate responsibility for the work experience to an employee. Always make sure that the person you choose has time to work with the work experience person. If they have no time at all then it will not be a rewarding experience for anyone. Ensure that this guide is also good with people. A reclusive programmer who rarely talks to anyone is unlikely to make an exception for such circumstances. It would be better to find someone capable and friendly so the new person feels welcomed and able to ask questions and get support. Do check in regularly to see that everyone is happy and progressing well. It may be necessary to move him/her around to different people or departments to give them a variety of work and experience, especially if they are unsure of what they want to do.

It is important to remember that these people are not employees and are by their nature inexperienced. They may therefore be unaware of working practices and standards that everyone else would take for granted. I had a friend who managed a bank and agreed to a work experience girl. Unfortunately she turned up on the first day in a short skirt and strappy top having gotten over enthusiastic about the lack of school uniform. In this instance it is not unreasonable to have a firm talk with the person about your expectations of them and even send them home to change. Be clear about things like the dress code, (which you may give in advance to avoid embarrassment), the working hours and the way you expect them to behave. Special treatment will not help them in the long run.

The trick with work experience people is to give them tasks that are challenging, but not too advanced. At the end of their time you should be able to say, 'well done, you achieved this and that and we were very impressed with your efforts.' It should not be the case that they were glued to the photocopier or shredder all week bored out of their minds. It should also not be the case that you set them an extremely advanced problem that they had no hope of completing and no help on where to start. This will mean they leave feeling demotivated. They should gain a realistic impression of what working life is like and come away with valuable experience that will serve them and their CVs in the future.