The recent budget renewed attention on young people and particularly those most at risk of poor employment prospects.
Entry points to work are increasingly difficult for young people, making it difficult for them to hit the ground running. Work experience provides the foundations for that.
The eight trailblazer pilot projects in devolved regions that underpin the youth guarantee are adopting work experience among a range of activities to help young people re-engage with their education and to reduce inactivity and unemployment.
This and more are needed. A growing gap is leaving too many young people on the outside looking in. This isn’t about motivation or talent; it’s about whether the system around them opens doors, especially in regions where opportunity remains sparse.
This gap – often driven by local socioeconomic conditions – is becoming a major driver of inequality in progression and a leading cause of young people becoming NEET.
Today’s labour market is shaped by continuous technological change and persistent skills shortages. Rather than fulfilling a tick-box exercise, young people’s work experiences should help them step confidently into further study, apprenticeships and employment.
Work experience should not be a nice-to-have; it is an essential stepping stone into the world of work. Employers agree. Around eight in 10 business leaders say work experience is a great way to attract entry-level employees and apprentices. Yet the opportunity gap persists.
What employers tell us
Our poll of 750 business leaders helps illuminate why the gaps remain. Employers are committed to offering work experience, but many face barriers: 36 per cent find it too time-consuming, 35 per cent believe they lack suitable tasks, 34 per cent are worried about safeguarding, and 22 per cent don’t feel equipped with a clear structure.
Schools and colleges, grappling with demands and shrinking budgets, report similar constraints.
For small businesses, issues arise around capacity and a need for more flexibility in the way student engagement is offered. Small firms account for 60 per cent of UK private sector jobs, and play a crucial role in opening young people’s eyes to real workplaces.
The budget offers incentives to do that by extending funding for SME apprenticeships for individuals under 25 and creates an opportunity for smaller businesses to engage earlier and with purpose to attract young talent.
Momentum grows
There is firm policy momentum behind a work experience guarantee, trailed in revised statutory guidance, restated in the skills white paper and highlighted through the curriculum and assessment review.
And we are seeing a growing consensus behind this approach. Around 1,600 leaders from business and education recently assembled to explore how they can break down barriers and transform work experience as agents of change to support growth, strengthen skills, and reduce disparities.
An abundance of goodwill was reflected in a shared ambition to make work experience more inclusive and impactful.
Evidence of what works
CEC’s mission has been to support the conversion of intention into action. We have been working with regional partners across Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, Liverpool City Region and West Yorkshire, plus multi-academy trusts and employers such as KPMG, to test approaches to modern work experience.
Early signs are encouraging, showing a more flexible approach can reduce pressure on employers, increase the relevance of local skills and offer entry points for young people who might otherwise be left out.
The budget’s additional investment in regional growth and local priority sectors, if well directed toward activities such as meaningful work experience, could offer a powerful spur to redoubling focus on the skills employers are seeking.
Stakes never been higher
We face the unignorable prospect of one million young people becoming NEET, alongside an escalating number of learners with special educational needs who, without meaningful support, risk being locked out of the workforce.
The conditions are in place: policy impetus, cross-sector consensus, proven models and growing urgency. What we need now is coordinated ambition.
National and local government, employers, schools and colleges pulling in one direction, amplifying the importance of high-quality work experience, committing to practical, scalable models and ensuring every young person can access experiences that shape their future.
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