Majority of Year 10 pupils in England 'did not get work experience'

A report has has revealed the majority of Year 10 students missed out on work experience last year, sparking fears of a widening opportunity gap.

The educational charity The Key Group has uncovered a stark divide in access to work placements between teens in the south and those in other regions. Some schools have cited costs and pandemic-induced logistical issues as barriers to continuing the programmes.

This emerges against Labour's election promise to "guarantee two weeks’ worth of work experience" for every young learner alongside enhanced school career guidance. Data from 756 secondary schools analysed by The Key Group reveals just 49% of 14-15 year olds had any work experience in the 2023/24 academic year, with time spent at firms averaging less than five days.

Under 2% managed a full two-week stint. When broken down regionally, 33.5% in Yorkshire and The Humber had any work experience contrasted with 59.4% in the South West. The figures show a disparity linked to socio-economic status, withonly 42.1% of pupils on free meals going on work placements versus 51.5% of their better-off peers.

The Key Group has reported that school career leaders are finding it more difficult to secure work experience placements since the pandemic, due to changes in workplaces.

But the research suggested that a higher proportion of schools and Year 10 pupils are taking part in work experience placements post-pandemic than in the 2018/19 academic year.

The analysis found that the average number of work experience sessions completed by Year 10 pupils was lower in 2023/24 – 9.3 sessions (just under five days) – than before the pandemic.

Only 1.7% of Year 10 pupils reported doing at least two weeks of work experience (20+ sessions) in 2023/24, compared to 5.2% in 2018/19.

The report concluded that the Government faces a "huge challenge" in fulfilling its pledge, as work experience placements in England are a "long way off" from a two-week entitlement. School leaders told The Key Group that they no longer run work experience placements as they had been required to pay for a health and safety check on the premises that pupils were visiting.

One school expressed uncertainty about whether they would be able to continue placements as they currently outsource their work experience scheme at a cost of £75 per pupil. The research focused on attendance data from Year 10 only, as this is a popular time for work experience placements in schools in England.

Chris Kenyon, chief executive of The Key Group, commented: "It is deeply worrying that there is such unequal access to work experience. ".

"When we look at who is missing out, it is those who are more disadvantaged, have special educational needs, or who live in certain regions of the country. It’s clear that we need to increase their opportunity to access work experience because they are arguably among the ones who need it the most."

"We don’t yet know what this Government means by its pledge to guarantee every young person two weeks’ work experience – whether that might extend to sixth formers, or include employers coming into schools, or virtual work experience. ".

"But we do know that we are currently a long way off giving two-weeks’ worth of placements to all pupils in Year 10 – a time when they are making important choices about what they might want to do later in life. There is a huge challenge ahead to fulfil that election pledge for all pupils."

"We need to encourage many more employers to step up to take on more pupils. To meet a target of all pupils doing two weeks’ work experience, we will need to quadruple the number of placement days offered by employers. We also need to make it easier for employers to make contact with schools, for example via a standardised form on all secondary school websites."

Claire Pritchard, the chief executive of Broadleaf Partnership Trust in Sutton Coldfield, which oversees five schools, emphasised the importance of practical learning experiences, saying: "There is so much our children can learn in the classroom, but equally so many valuable experiences that we need to make sure all of our students are given to complement this – work experience and career insights are top of that list."

Meanwhile, Nick Brook, the head of Speakers for Schools, a charity aiding 11-19 year olds to connect with employers and leaders, highlighted an inequality issue: "We know that young people who do have work experience are typically from more affluent families as they often rely on parental networks to arrange it."

He added: "We cannot have a system that relies on who your mum and dad know, or where they might work, to determine whether you have access to workplaces and potential future employers."

A spokesperson for the Department for Education responded with a commitment to equal opportunities: "This government is determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all our young people and transform their life chances."

"Too many young people are still being held back, and we are determined to change that by ensuring that every young person receives two weeks’ worth of work experience and better careers advice at school."