Young People: Work Experience

(asked on 18th January 2024) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing young adults who are not engaging with school to attend placements with employers.


Answered by
Damian Hinds Portrait
Damian Hinds
Minister of State (Education)
This question was answered on 26th January 2024

Regular attendance at school is vital for children’s education, wellbeing and long-term development. School attendance is mandatory and parents have a duty, under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, to ensure that their child of compulsory age, from 5 to 16 years old, receives an efficient full-time education.

During their time in school, pupils should be able to benefit from a range of work experience placements as part of the wider curriculum. The careers statutory guidance makes it clear that schools and colleges should offer every pupil at least one experience of a workplace by age 16 and a further experience by age 18 through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience, in line with Gatsby Benchmark 6. This provides pupils with multiple opportunities to learn from different employers about work and the skills that are valued in the workplace.

Where a pupil is not attending school regularly, the department expects schools and local authorities to consider the individual circumstances of each pupil and family, and take the best course of action to support the child’s return to school. The department would encourage parents to work with their child’s school and the local authority to discuss the reasons behind their absence and together agree a plan so that the right support can be put in place to help the child return to regular and consistent education.

Ultimately, the local authority has the duty, under Section 19 of the Education Act 1996, to provide education for compulsory aged children. Vocational placements, as part of an alternative provision offer, can provide a valuable ‘hook’ back into learning, as well as providing essential life skills for some of our most disengaged learners.

At post-16, pupils have access to a range of work placement opportunities. Thousands of young people have benefited from world-class T Levels, all of which include a meaningful industry placement with an employer of at least 45 days.

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