A day of structured activities showcasing different careers with a range of employers in your local area.  

Working with a range of employers in your local area allows students to explore a breadth of different workplaces and gives them the opportunity to interact with a wider variety of volunteers.  Staff not only get to engage with students using skills that they employ in their work, they also get to network with colleagues from other organisations and develop their own skills.  

Quick Stats – Workplace Safari
Time commitment
~4 hrs including planning
Age group
Year 7 and above
Volunteers needed
Depends on no. of employers
Complexity
Medium — requires coordination
Timetable – Workplace Safari
Example timetables
Example A
Local Workplace Safari
Students attend a series of mini events taking place with each employer in the local area.
10:00 am
Arrival and welcome
Greet students, introduce the day's structure and the employers they'll be visiting.
10:30 am
Visit employer 1
Students split into groups and attend their first employer session — a 60-minute activity repeated to each group.
11:45 am
Visit employer 2
Groups travel to and attend their second employer session.
1:00 pm
Lunch
Ideally with an employer to allow for informal networking.
1:45 pm
Visit employer 3
Groups attend their final employer session of the day.
3:00 pm
Debrief
Students reflect on the day and record key insights and next steps.
3:30 pm
Depart
Early finish to avoid rush hour.
💡 Delivery tips
1
10:00–10:30am is a good start time to allow for transport issues.
2
Build in travel time between each employer visit — factor this into your timetable.
3
Each company prepares a 60-minute activity — such as a research task or pitch — which is then repeated to each group.
4
Meet with all companies in advance to ensure their sessions are coherent and varied across the day.
5
This works best for employers located close to each other — e.g. a business park or town centre.
Arrival
Core activity
Lunch
Debrief
Depart
Example B
Meet the Clients / Client Safari
Students complete a series of activities at your workplace, each with a different client.
10:00 am
Arrival and welcome
Introduce students to the day's structure and the clients they'll be meeting.
10:30 am
Session 1 — Client A
Students split into 4 groups and rotate to their first client. Each client runs a 60-minute activity in a separate room.
11:30 am
Session 2 — Client B
Groups rotate to their second client session.
12:30 pm
Lunch
Ideally with a client or employer to allow for informal networking.
1:00 pm
Session 3 — Client C
Groups rotate to their third client session.
2:00 pm
Session 4 — Client D
Groups attend their final client session of the day.
3:00 pm
Debrief and depart
Students reflect on the day, record insights and next steps, then depart.
💡 Delivery tips
1
Each client should be set up in a different room so students can move from room to room.
2
Each 60-minute session should include a brief intro from the client about their company, key roles and entry routes.
3
This model suits companies with a wide range of clients who are able to provide volunteers.
4
Meet all clients in advance to support their preparation and ensure a varied offering across sessions.
5
Ensure each client has a space large enough to accommodate a group of students comfortably.
Arrival
Core activity
Lunch
Debrief
Depart
 

Conditions for success

  • Meet in advance with all companies/clients involved to support with event preparation and ensure coherency across the day 

  • A variety of different employers and a range of staff (role, seniority) makes the event more rewarding 

  • Provide enough time for students to transition to different areas 

  • Include time to brief and debrief with students at the start and end of the day to ensure they get the most out of each interaction 

  • Ensure you and the other companies have a space large enough to accommodate groups of students 

“Staff enjoy networking with other companies and interacting with clients.’ ”
“It is a perfect way for students to experience a number of different employers on one visit.”
“We enjoy discovering a variety of different workplaces in our local area and learning about a range of career paths. ”
 

Maximising impact 

Additional components you could include 

  • Icebreaker – including a fun “getting to know you” icebreaker at the start of the day could ease nerves before students break off into group activities with employers/clients. 

  • Application support activities – such as a CV or application writing workshop for students to start recording what they have learnt from the experience. 

  • Professional Skills Workshop  – such as a professional communication workshop, to give students the chance to develop their email writing skills for example. 

  • Mentoring - opportunities for particularly engaged students. 

Priming and debriefing support 

  • Provide schools with information about the employers/clients involved ahead of the event so they can get students to do some brief research and prepare questions for volunteers 

  • Provide students with a takeaway information pack or action planning activity about entry routes to the careers showcased so that they can reflect on these when they are back at school 

  • Provide schools/colleges with information about opportunities at the organisations involved which they can use in follow-up careers conversations with students 

Learning Outcomes – Workplace Safari
Introduce and Inspire

Students can describe different sectors and jobs.

Investigate and Explore

Students can identify growth sectors within their local area and the range of opportunities on offer.

Apply and Demonstrate

Students will be able to critically express their experiences of the workplace and how their aspirations have been raised and stereotypes challenged.