The work experience landscape is evolving. Now, with the Government reaffirming its commitment to ensuring every student gains meaningful exposure of the workplace before they leave secondary education, we must consider how we will implement this change. It also raises a series of questions – what exactly will this commitment involve? Will it follow the traditional work experience model, or will it take a new approach? And most importantly, how will schools and educators manage the challenge of providing this experience for every student?

At Elevate Education Business Partnership, we’ve been involved in recent discussions with the Department for Education, and whilst no official announcements have been made yet, they do continue to specifically use the term “two weeks worth of work experience“.

 

THE CHALLENGE AHEAD:

At the EBP, we firmly believe that every young person, regardless of social or economic background, should finish their education with a meaningful work experience story. However, we’re also realistic about the challenges in delivering this.

According to a 2024 report by The Key Group, only 49% of pupils complete an average of five days of work experience before they leave secondary school – whilst just 2% manage to complete two weeks. Jumping from 2% to 100% is a huge shift, and it’d be understandable to feel concerned about how we’ll meet this ambitious target.

 

THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE READY:

Elevate EBP works closely with secondary schools across the Liverpool City Region, helping lots of them facilitate work experience that truly benefits their students along with other employer encounters and experiences of the workplace. Many of these schools have already embedded one week of face-to-face work experience into their Key Stage 4 curriculum, giving them a solid foundation to build upon. For that reason, we believe that these schools are better positioned to adapt quicker and easier to any changes and will be better abled to successfully meet the requirements of a potential additional five days or any added careers interventions.

 

TIME TO START A CONVERSATION!

Our question to headteachers and careers leads is simple: are you ready? Do you feel confident in your ability to facilitate two weeks worth of work experience for every one of your students? If not, now is the time to start a work experience conversation.

We strongly encourage these headteachers and careers leads to engage with local organisations and providers, such as Education Business Partnerships (EBPs), to explore their facilitation options and make sure they’re best prepared for any transition. Having these conversations now could be key to making work experience work for both students and staff.

 

If you’re a school in the Liverpool City Region and would like to discuss work experience with a provider that has been delivering it for over 26 years now, we’d love to chat with you!

You can contact Joanne at Joanne.Huddart@elevate-ebp.co.uk to explore how we can support your school in making impactful work experience a reality and being best prepared for the changes to come.