Job Shadowing Program Examples – Erasmus+ and Beyond
What form job shadowing takes depends on the setting. Professionals can develop their careers and improve their skills by shadowing more experienced colleagues. You may undergo an initial job shadowing phase while onboarding with a new company. In education, job shadowing allows teachers and lecturers to observe a tutor in the classroom. So plentiful are the benefits that the EU has made job shadowing part of its Erasmus+ programme, with job shadowing now a popular short-term mobility option. Teachers and higher education experts can visit a partner institution and observe highly skilled educators implementing the latest teaching methodologies. This post delivers job shadowing program examples, explaining the process and outlining the multifold benefits for teaching professionals and industry staff.
In many employment sectors, job shadowing now holds a firm place in career development. Regardless of the experience level, professionals or trainees expand their skills by observing peers on duty. Thus, they may broaden their perspective, discover new approaches, and gain deep insight into a profession. Job shadowing takes many forms, including in-person observation and online shadowing. Apart from learning by watching a more experienced professional at work, participants learn to collaborate while making valuable professional connections. Job shadowing not only benefits the observer but also provides the professional in charge with the opportunity to refine existing skills and discover other professional approaches.
Of job shadowing program examples there are many. Observing peers at work has long been an integral part of the training in healthcare, education, finance, technology, and law. For the most part, the professional must engage with the public, meaning job shadowing participants experience client interactions first-hand.
Depending on the industry, participants may initially observe before supporting the professional during tasks. This job shadowing stage plays an important part in the job onboarding process. A new employee observes colleagues only to take over their tasks and fully step into the new role.
The Three Types of Job Shadowing
As hinted above, job shadowing can take different forms. The following three basic types define the job shadowing experience:
- Natural, no-interference job shadowing: Participants passively observe without ever getting involved in task delivery.
- Controlled job shadowing: Candidates observe and then collaborate in the execution of succinctly devised tasks.
- Participatory job shadowing: Candidates observe before taking on duties and tasks.
The job shadowing type will depend on the organising institution, the setting or industry, and on the job shadowing objectives.
Let’s now examine job shadowing in different settings more closely.
Job Shadowing in Diverse Industries
The aforementioned industries have used job shadowing as an invaluable training and new hire onboarding tool. Each industry centres around specific skills that must be honed in practice. You may learn how to teach, provide healthcare or practice law by studying the theory, but you will only perfect the skills in the workplace.
Finance
Job shadowing in finance is as diverse as the roles the industry furnishes. You may observe an insurance broker, asset manager, economist, risk manager or equity research analyst or you may job shadow an accountant or investment banker. Your chosen finance field determines the skills you harness and the connections you make.
In all settings, job shadowing participants learn by watching while familiarising themselves with the nuts and bolts of an industry sector.
Technology
The technology landscape is so vast that you can find countless job shadowing varieties. You can observe a data analyst carrying out data cleaning, analysis or visualisation, learn to get to grips with coding by watching a software engineer or shadow a DevOps engineer to grasp the interplay between IT operations and development.
Job shadowing participants benefit by learning best IT practices, gaining insight into various IT roles, and by expanding their workplace toolsets.
Law
Law projects are among the best job shadowing program examples. Students can reach out to practising lawyers to aks to observe them during daily office tasks or in the courtroom. Most law schools make job shadowing an integral part of their training. Students may shadow experienced lawyers in government agencies, corporate law firms, or NGOs.
The objective is to experience the hustle and bustle of work as a lawyer, see the implementation of theory in practice, and to gain a deeper understanding of the legal system.
Healthcare
Anyone who has been in hospital will have seen job shadowing first-hand. Trainee nurses and junior doctors spend quite some time shadowing fully qualified peers. The wide range of healthcare facility and job types translates into numerous job shadowing varieties. Participants may shadow experienced medical staff at mental health clinics, nursing homes, hospitals, general practitioner surgeries, physio or occupational therapy rehabilitation centres and more.
In healthcare job shadowing, trainees develop skills and insight into patient care while networking and exploring career options.
Education
Job shadowing in education has long proven exceedingly fruitful. Regardless of the education level or setting qualified and trainee teachers grow their understanding of teaching methodologies significantly when shadowing. As each teacher has a unique approach every job shadowing opportunity delivers deep learning and extensive skill development.
Pre-school, primary, secondary, and university educators gain what they must from observing teachers in the classroom, resource room or during field trips to name but a few educational settings. Shadowing a special needs assistant catering to students is equally rewarding as is exploring some of the diverse roles in higher education.
Job shadowing participants can consider different roles in education, see the implementation of curricula, experience the latest teaching methodologies, and learn new ways to engage and motivate learners.
Erasmus Plus Job Shadowing Programmes
Teachers and school staff, vocational education trainers, youth workers, and higher education staff from participating countries are eligible to participate in funded Erasmus+ job shadowing programmes. The EU aims to firm up educational collaboration across Europe by making mobility training available and promoting it.
To get involved, you must first find a recognised hosting organisation and devise your job shadowing objectives. You then apply for funding and once approved, participate in your job shadowing programme. The EU also requires you to certify, evaluate, and disseminate your job shadowing experience.
The Erasmus+ job shadowing mobility programme can take between 2 and 60 days, with participants “learning new practices and gathering new ideas through observation and interaction with peers, experts or other practitioners in their daily work at the hosting organisation.”