BRADFORD Council’s work placement organiser, Xperience is celebrating 20 years of delivering work experience and skills training opportunities in the district.

The team, based within the Children’s Services department, also delivers work placement programmes for the companies and organisations in Leeds, Wakefield and Wigan.

Over 20 years the team have delivered 190,365 work placements.

The majority of these placements are for young people aged 14 to19; but Xperience also work with graduates, lone parents and the unemployed to find relevant work experience - potentially leading to future employment opportunities.

The team has been involved with other education business projects and programmes with high profile partner organisations over the years to enable young people to gain an insight into the world of work and develop their skills to become more employable.

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Gladys Rhodes White, Bradford Council’s interim strategic director for Children's Services, said: “It is vital young people engage with employers to enhance their learning experiences, establish connections with employers and make informed choices about their career aspirations.

“By exploring real life opportunities in the work place a student’s confidence can grow and this motivates them to progress at school.

“The Xperience Team are extremely proud of their achievements and will continue to work hard to provide work related learning opportunities for young people.”

The team look forward to continuing their success and working in partnership with more organisations in the future.