Partnership with the College of West Anglia
Sandringham Estate has partnered with the College of West Anglia (CWA) to inspire a new generation. Offering opportunities to experience the daily running of a prestigious tourist attraction through work experience placements in Visitor Operations to Travel, Tourism and Business students College.
Nine students recently completed work experience in visitor operations at Sandringham House and Gardens, rotating roles in admission, visitor services and retail which will contribute towards their final qualification. The experience also offers opportunities to support events running throughout the year.
Work experience forms a significant part of further education courses at CWA, with all students carrying out at least 30 hours of work experience with a local employer.
Alec Ackah, Business, Travel & Events student, has enjoyed his time at the Sandringham Estate.
“I rotated around different roles in visitor operations at Sandringham such as the ticket office, admissions gate, and helping visitors to the shop and house. This gave me the experience I need to progress through my course, such as customer service skills. It also helps with my communication skills, as I greet customers and give them information about Sandringham.”
Lesley Anderson, Work Placement and Career Co-Ordinator at CWA said,
“I am very thankful to Sandringham Estate for working with us in accommodating students on work placements this academic year to contribute towards their qualification. They have made our students feel very welcome and part of a team. The employability skills that the students have gained have included interview skills, customer service, organisational and time management skills. Interviewing can be a very stressful experience at the best of times and during these unprecedented times young people may not have experienced an interview before. Their experiences at Sandringham have enabled the students to grow in confidence, helping them to feel good about themselves and feel positive about their future careers.”
We look forward to welcoming more students and young people to the Estate in future seasons.
