Undertaking work experience as part of your career-planning programme is the key to securing a great job down the track. Here are a few great tips on how to gain hands-on work experience and the benefits it can bring to your career.

Temporary Jobs: Temping or working on temporary assignments is a great way of acquiring valuable practical experience. In addition, temp assignments provide you with useful industry exposure and could open doors to permanent job offers.

Volunteer Work: There are many ways to volunteer your time and expertise in order to gain hands-on experience. You could be a volunteer writer for a community newsletter or organise charity events for your church, temple or mosque. Keen in sports? How about volunteering your time to coach tennis for your neighbourhood youth club? Besides gaining hands-on experience, engaging yourself in volunteer work is a great way to meet new people and it is personally fulfilling.

Take up a course: Some courses would require you to undertake a certain amount of on-the-job training, thus giving you the hands-on experience that you require.

Work experience will help you in many ways:

• It helps you to decide if a particular industry is right for you before you commit to a career change or to pay for a course.
• As you gain work experience, you also develop, build and refine your skills.
• It allows you to see how different companies approach the role or industry.
• It provides you with knowledge of the position, the industry and the company's operations.
• It complements any academic study that you have been doing.
• It builds confidence in a new trainee and helps him/her become a professional.
• It provides the opportunity to find someone to learn from.
• It gives you an insight into any jargons used in the industry.