What is a ‘Careers in…’ WVEX Day?

The ‘Careers in…’ VWEX Day is a structured careers programme designed for an collapsed-timetable day. It supports both:

• Gatsby Benchmark 5: Encounters with employers and employees
• Gatsby Benchmark 6: Experiences of workplaces

The day is designed as one coherent experience, rather than a series of standalone activities.

‘Careers in…’ VWEX days are coming soon! You can sign up on the events tool next academic year.

What happens on the day?

Students take part in three linked elements:

1. Live employer interaction
2. Applied workplace learning
3. Structured reflection and consolidation
    

Live employer interaction

Students participate in a highly interactive, employer-led session. They’ll explore:

• job roles and responsibilities
• skills used and behaviours expected at work
• working environments and career pathways
• links between curriculum learning and the workplace

The session includes structured two-way interaction (e.g. polls, Q&A, student questions), giving all learners the opportunity to engage directly with an employer.

Applied workplace learning

Students complete one or more ‘Careers in…’ courses, where they:

• explore industries and job roles
• complete workplace-style tasks informed by employer insight
• receive feedback on their work
• develop their understanding of skills, expectations, and workplace practices

These activities allow students to apply and deepen what they learned during the live employer encounter.

Structured reflection and consolidation

The day concludes with a guided reflection session that helps students:

• compare learning from the employer interaction and workplace tasks
• identify common skills across roles and sectors
• reflect on work environments, expectations, and progression routes

This makes sure learning is explicit, connected, and grounded in the world of work.

How VWEX contributes towards the two week guarantee

Taken together, the live employer encounter, applied learning, and structured reflection form a meaningful virtual experience of the workplace, comparable to established models of virtual work experience (VWEX).

The programme:

• includes direct employer interaction (Gatsby Benchmark 5)
• provides experience of workplace tasks and environments (Gatsby Benchmark 6)
• supports reflection on skills, roles, and the labour market (Gatsby Benchmark 2)

Find out more about VWEX at Unifrog by talking to your Account Manager.

If your school doesn’t have Unifrog, you can book a demo here.

If you’re an employer who’d like to work with us on VWEX, contact us here.