Work Experience: New Guidance, New Challenges
By Karen Holmes
Back in the day, when I lived in rural North Yorkshire, there was a system for (unofficial) work experience. Many local kids started with a paper round (yes, real newspapers put through the letterbox), then progressed to a couple of hours washing up in the local pubs. ‘Promotion’ to working as a server during weekends and holidays came when it was age appropriate.
Some young people worked on their family farms, in village shops, swept up at the hairdresser’s, helped out the dog groomer. One enterprising chap made a respectable income by establishing a business, putting out wheelie bins for elderly residents on collection day. The work was welcome because it brought in some much-needed pocket money; work itself was just something you grew up with and expected to do.
Cut to 2026 and so much has changed. A major concern among employers is that many young people leaving school or college lack the social and personal skills needed to join a workplace. The demands of working life – being part of a team, communicating with strangers, following instructions, turning up on time every single day – can be overwhelming because they lack experience of any kind of working environment.
Because of this skills and experience shortfall, the DfE had updated its statutory guidance for schools and colleges in England to develop its Work Experience Guarantee. I waded through numerous websites and documents (many of them impenetrable because of their length) before coming across what looks like a manageable summary.
In May 2025, the Government’s Work Experience Guarantee set out their ambition that every young person is able to access two weeks’ worth of high-quality, multiple workplace experiences. […] Over a student’s journey through secondary education they [should] experience 50-hours of workplace experiences. These opportunities should go beyond the horizons of their immediate friends and family to broaden aspirations and build confidence. They can include employer-engagement in after-school clubs, employer-led projects and small-group visits to employers.
This report, from West Sussex, Brighton and Hove Careers Hub, provides a clear summary of what is required and how it can be provided. There are practical ideas to support the aspirations of those ultimate blue-sky thinkers, the government report writers. Nevertheless, for many of you reading this, the realities of meeting the new guidelines will mean yet more demands on your time and expertise.
Your first port of call may be the Careers and Enterprise Company’s website https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/modern-work-experience/ There’s a lot of helpful content available, spread across a number of attractively designed pages. Overall, it’s a useful site, but make sure to allow time to explore and locate the specific guidance you need.
What I noticed as I researched this topic was that there is theory in spades but very little practical help in finding opportunities to get young people into a workplace if you want to give them hands-on experience. When it comes down to it, the suggestions remain the same (and here I paraphrase the government guidance on sourcing work experience):
- Pray that your school/college has a dedicated placement tutor.
- Talk to local businesses.
- Rely on family and friends (networking).
We’re actually back to where we began with the paper round and the local pubs…
There are no easy answers – but as those of you who work in education are aware, there never are.
However, the new guidelines do offer considerably more flexibility in the definition of ‘work experience’. Over time, that may allow you to establish closer connections with local organisations that can support your students by offering exposure to the workplace and to different careers.
Good luck!
