Work Experience

Work Experience Program

The FIPS Work Experience Program has been developed to provide 4 or 8 students with a structured week that allows them to experience multiple different businesses. This model is flexible and can be adapted for secondary school, college, and university students, with businesses tailoring their approach according to the age and ability of the participants.

Application Process

As student places will be limited, each institution will manage the application and selection process for their students.

In October, participating businesses will be invited to access a SharePoint spreadsheet. This will allow each business to select the schools and dates that best suit their availability. Businesses can choose to support one or multiple schools and choose to host either 4 or 8 students at the time.

Program Structure

Duration: 5 working days
Participants:  4 or 8 Students and 5 FIPS businesses.

Rotation:
Days 1–5: Either 4 or 8 students will visit one business per day, rotating daily until they have experienced all five.

Each host business will give an overview of their business and each department but is free to design the structure of the student’s day. However, they must ensure time is allocated for project work.

On the final day, at 3:00 PM, a virtual feedback session via Teams will take place. All participating businesses, students, and a school representative will attend and provide feedback on the week.

If your business would be interested in taking part, please contact Anette Gilham: anette.gilham@ipswich.gov.uk

Reflections

Reflections

Business Reflections 2025

  • “Birketts was delighted to be part of the FIPS Work Experience Programme again. It is a unique opportunity to be part of a different work experience which provides students with the chance to visit multiple businesses over a week – something which the students seem to really enjoy. We hopefully provided the students with a valuable insight into working at a law firm and it was a pleasure to have the students from Northgate High School and Suffolk New College.”

    Emma Bysouth – Birketts

  • “The Northgate sixth form students were great Ambassadors for their school; they were properly engaged and asked some great questions through the day at Willis; I think that they all learned much more about what it might be like to work within the world of Insurance and Financial Services and will take those learnings back to their friends and families”.

    Richard Brame— WTW

  • "Working with the next generation of Suffolk talent as part of the FIPS Work Experience programme, has been an exciting opportunity for AXA XL to educate and inspire local six formers about the range of opportunities that exist in the insurance industry and more specifically, in our Ipswich office. We hope that our continued involvement with FIPS will enable young people to feel connected with the businesses in their community and to understand that a fantastic future career is available to them, without having to travel to London."

    Ellie Brignell – AXA

  • “The work experience day provided an invaluable experience, not only for the students, but for us aswell. It was encouraging to see young minds brainstorming new ideas and interpretations on the industry and allowed us to delve into the perspective of the new generation. The students were delightful, and their input throughout the day proved their attentiveness. We look forward to our next day.”

    Genny Booth – Gallagher

  • "We had the pleasure of hosting this bright, engaged and ambitious group of students on 8th April 2025 and we are all in agreement that we’d have them back in a heartbeat. They really did their college proud. We kept the day interactive, and the students contributed throughout. Their viewpoints and ideas were all excellent and showed how much they had taken in and listened throughout the day. It was lovely to hear that they are now considering a career in insurance. Hopefully we will see some of their faces in the industry soon."

    Eliza Coe - Gallagher

Student & College Reflections 2025

  • "Was a great experience and I would heavily advise to any future students. A first hand look on how every work place is different so it is very helpful for those not sure on their future careers."

    Zach Tye

  • "I thought it was a good opportunity to have a look at different work places within the business industry. I found all of the activities engaging and I have gained more knowledge about the business that I didn’t know."

    Evita Gedminaite

  • "It was very insightful. It was beneficial to have worked alongside each company and their different styles of work and has given me a sense of direction in deciding my future career."

    Alicia Cox

  • “I had a great time learning about all the different careers and opportunities within these different companies. It was a good experience I am glad I got to take part in."

    Rhys Pearson

  • "I am looking to go into a career in law, it was very insightful for this. It showed the ins and outs of each department and that I would be able to practice law, not just in a law firm."

    Che

  • "It was really informative and gave me an insight to what working in a corporate field would be like. Interesting to learn about how different companies operate."

    Tolu

  • "I am Bleu Carvell from St Joseph's college writing to you about the amazing work experience I have had the chance to do over the last 4 days. Firstly, I want to say thank you for providing me with this opportunity as each company has helped me gain a better understanding of insurance, accounting, underwriting, auditing, etc. I really like how we had the chance to speak face to face with the professional in their fields in each of the companies where they were all friendly and willing to answer every question that was asked. I think all of us who took part this week can say that all companies were brilliant in making us feel welcome and they were really organised as they engaged us with little quizzes or case studies which I thought was really good in keeping us engaged throughout the day."

    Bleu Carvell

  • "This past week I embarked on a week of work experience through FIPS - Financial, Insurance and professional services, and it was nothing short of brilliant. I explored companies such as Gallagher, WTW, Fleximize and Larking Gowen looking into their firms and line of work. This was an amazing opportunity in which taught me a range of things and something that I am extremely grateful I was able to attend. We learnt how each industry worked, getting lectures on topics and then putting them into practice through tasks. This was very engaging and I believe one of the best ways to learn. We also got to speak to others who had taken the apprenticeship route into the companies which was very enlightening and a great opportunity to see how others found the transition from school to work. With the end of the academic year approaching and me moving forward to the next chapter of my life, I believe this has been a great opportunity for me to explore industries and opportunities out there whilst also seeing how the world of work will be for me soon. I can’t recommend this week enough to others, it’s a great opportunity to network and explore new areas of work, see how different companies operate and give students an insight to what they could achieve."

    Alanna

  • “This valuable opportunity has afforded learners the chance to build confidence in a professional setting and apply their learning in a real-world context. We are grateful to the companies involved for providing such meaningful experiences that help shape the future of our students.”

    Chris Gilbert - Suffolk New College

Parent Reflections 2025

  • "I wanted to drop you a quick email to say thank you for giving Ellie the opportunity to take part in the organised work experience week... Her confidence grew so much over the week, and she came away with clear ideas of what she wants to look into further and already has connections on LinkedIn."

    Cath Bright, parent

Interested in
getting involved?

Connect Anette at: anette.gilham@ipswich.gov.uk