Pupils: Work Experience

(asked on 24th April 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to introduce compulsory work experience for secondary school students.


Answered by
Anne Milton Portrait
Anne Milton
This question was answered on 29th April 2019

The careers statutory guidance makes it clear that schools should offer experiences of work and other employer-based encounters as part of their careers strategy for pupils from year 8 to year 13. Schools are free to decide how this is delivered. The Gatsby Benchmarks also recommend that secondary schools offer every young person at least 7 encounters with employers throughout their education.

We want all young people, irrespective of their background, to learn from employers about work and the skills that are valued in the workplace. Activities involving employers, such as careers insights, mentoring, work tasters and work experience, are crucial in giving young people the skills that they need to succeed.

That is why we are funding the Careers & Enterprise Company to help connect schools and colleges with employers in order to provide meaningful encounters with the world of work for young people. They do this through their Enterprise Adviser Network, Careers Hubs and investment funds. We are also working with the Careers & Enterprise Company to better understand the barriers that students face in accessing work experience.

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