26 June 2026
Landmark report sets out options to transform work experience
Education and Employers has published a landmark report examining work experience in England and outlining four options to transform it.
In the wake of the Department for Education publishing updated Statutory Guidance move schools and colleges towards delivery of its work experience guarantee, the report details the results of research among young people, schools and employers, including a survey of career development professionals supported by the CDI.
It also included a review of international studies finding that 85% of them showed a link between experiences of working improved employment outcomes for young people, along with 78% showing a link between career exploration and outcomes.
“Young adults who reported having participated in pre-16 work experience have 62% lower odds of reporting having been NEET between ages 16 and 18 than someone with comparable characteristics who did not do a placement; each additional employer engagement activity is associated 24% lower odds of being NEET; and, the quarter of young adults reporting the greatest levels of pre-16 employer engagement had 80% lower odds of being NEET compared to those who reported the least.”
Yet the report also lays out how that support is lacking for many young people in England. The proportion of young people with no clear career expectations has risen from 5% twenty years ago to 46.4%. There is a significant mismatch between the roles most young people aspire to and those that are available – and needed – in the economy. And 54% of young people now agree that ‘school has done little to prepare me for adult life’.
The report is a comprehensive study of work experience of the past and present. From that, rather than propose a single set of recommendations, it sets out four options for government to consider.
Option 1 is to follow the current intention, where little or no additional funding is offered and schools and colleges have to meet the requirements with their own resources, with existing support from Careers Hubs and the CEC. While his is the lowest cost option for government, the analysis suggests that it will have a very modest impact on work experience provision for young people, and their outcomes, as many schools report resources constraints to fully support the policy.
Option two supports the current ambition with significant support, infrastructure and backing. Education and Employers estimate that the last time we had universal work experience in England, the government spent around £158m a year – in today’s value – to support it. This would be ring-fenced funding to support school delivery, a national and regional brokerage service, employer incentives and a quality framework. It would be the most expensive option but would support moving engagement rates back up to 90%.
Option three is similar but sales back universal support to targeted prioritisation, to those who need it most. And option four is a rethink of the policy and a wider system approach. It goes beyond a focus on work experience and looks at the whole approach to preparing young people for their careers.
This is a significant report, containing excellent detail beyond the core insights and options. You can read the executive summary and full version of the Work Experience and Work Engagement report on the Education and Employers website.
In the wake of the Department for Education publishing updated Statutory Guidance move schools and colleges towards delivery of its work experience guarantee, the report details the results of research among young people, schools and employers, including a survey of career development professionals supported by the CDI.
It also included a review of international studies finding that 85% of them showed a link between experiences of working improved employment outcomes for young people, along with 78% showing a link between career exploration and outcomes.
“Young adults who reported having participated in pre-16 work experience have 62% lower odds of reporting having been NEET between ages 16 and 18 than someone with comparable characteristics who did not do a placement; each additional employer engagement activity is associated 24% lower odds of being NEET; and, the quarter of young adults reporting the greatest levels of pre-16 employer engagement had 80% lower odds of being NEET compared to those who reported the least.”
Yet the report also lays out how that support is lacking for many young people in England. The proportion of young people with no clear career expectations has risen from 5% twenty years ago to 46.4%. There is a significant mismatch between the roles most young people aspire to and those that are available – and needed – in the economy. And 54% of young people now agree that ‘school has done little to prepare me for adult life’.
The report is a comprehensive study of work experience of the past and present. From that, rather than propose a single set of recommendations, it sets out four options for government to consider.
Option 1 is to follow the current intention, where little or no additional funding is offered and schools and colleges have to meet the requirements with their own resources, with existing support from Careers Hubs and the CEC. While his is the lowest cost option for government, the analysis suggests that it will have a very modest impact on work experience provision for young people, and their outcomes, as many schools report resources constraints to fully support the policy.
Option two supports the current ambition with significant support, infrastructure and backing. Education and Employers estimate that the last time we had universal work experience in England, the government spent around £158m a year – in today’s value – to support it. This would be ring-fenced funding to support school delivery, a national and regional brokerage service, employer incentives and a quality framework. It would be the most expensive option but would support moving engagement rates back up to 90%.
Option three is similar but sales back universal support to targeted prioritisation, to those who need it most. And option four is a rethink of the policy and a wider system approach. It goes beyond a focus on work experience and looks at the whole approach to preparing young people for their careers.
This is a significant report, containing excellent detail beyond the core insights and options. You can read the executive summary and full version of the Work Experience and Work Engagement report on the Education and Employers website.
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