“We cannot have a system that relies on who your mum and dad know” – New report reveals less than half of Year 10 students complete work experience before GCSEs

A new report has found that few students do any work experience before they sit their GCSEs.

Most secondary schools in England allocate time for students to go on a work experience placement in Year 10, at the age of 14 or 15, rather than in Year 11, the last year of GCSEs.

However, an analysis of almost 147,000 Year 10 students reveals that fewer than half actually do work experience, and the proportion is even lower for students on free school meals and those in the north of England.

The findings by The Key Group, a provider of technology and content to schools and trusts, contrast the government’s manifesto pledge to ‘guarantee two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person’.

The Key Group’s report found that on average only 49 per cent of Year 10 students go on any work experience at all and, for those who do, the average time spent on it is just under five days. Under two per cent of Year 10 students currently go on work experience placements for two weeks.

The data, which covers more than a fifth of all state secondaries in England, shows deep inequalities within the UK school system. 42 per cent of students on free school meals go on work experience, significantly less than the 51.5 per cent who go on work experience who don’t receive free school meals.

The report also shows a north-south divide. In all regions in the north of England, the proportion of students who go on work experience is lower than in the south of the country. For example, just 33.5 per cent of students in Yorkshire and the Humber go on work experience, compared to 59 per cent of students in south-west England.

Chris Kenyon, CEO of The Key Group, said: “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.”

Several schools told The Key Group that the cost of running placements was high given their constrained budgets, both in the time it took staff to organise it, and the costs they had to pay out.

One school said they had to pay £20 per pupil for a health and safety check, while another currently outsources their work experience scheme at a cost of £75 per pupil, which they said was financially unsustainable.

Other schools said running a work experience programme had become more difficult after the pandemic as many employees now work from home. However, data analysed in the report shows there has been an increase in the proportion of students who do work experience between 2018-2019 and 2023-2024, from 43 per cent to 49 per cent.

Nick Brook, the CEO of Speakers for Schools, a charity that helps 11-19-year-olds to
engage with leading employers and high-profile leaders, said: “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.

“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.”

By law, schools must record when pupils are on work experience in their morning and afternoon registers. The schools in the report used a W code to note work experience. The Key Group then analysed occurrences of this code between September 2023 and July 2024 and compared this with the same data between September 2018 and July 2019.

At the launch of Labour’s manifesto in June, Bridget Phillipson, the then Shadow Education Secretary, said: “We will train a thousand new careers advisers, and deliver two weeks’ worth of high-quality work experience for every young person at secondary school to boost opportunity.”

Responding to the report, Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “School leaders recognise that work experience and high-quality careers advice are crucial in encouraging students to think about, and plan, their future.

“However, delivering work experience became extremely challenging when the previous government cut the funding schools received to provide it, and schools no longer have the dedicated staff or resources to arrange placements.

“Labour’s welcome manifesto pledge on work experience will need to be properly funded and have buy-in from businesses and employers if it is to become a reality.”

In response to the growing need for accessible work experience opportunities for young people, AJP Ltd are a leading independent civil and structural engineering consultancy, trusted in the construction industry for over 40 years. 

Based in the North West, AJP Ltd has partnered with Springpod, a platform that offers free virtual work experience programmes, to transform traditional work experience models. Recognising that hands-on experience is essential yet often out of reach for many students, they are pioneering virtual work simulations designed to give students real insights into civil and structural engineering.

Responding to the report’s findings, Kenny O’Brien, director, AJP Ltd, said:  “At AJP Ltd, we’re reimagining work experience for students through our collaboration with Springpod. Our virtual work simulations provide immersive, digital environments that mirror real-world challenges in civil and structural engineering.

“This innovative approach disrupts traditional methods, offering over 7 hours of engaging content for secondary, further, and higher education students regardless of background.

“We’re proud to be the UK’s first SME in the civil and structural engineering sector to partner with Springpod on these cutting-edge work experience modules.” 

Kenny added: “Our programme levels the playing field, granting equal access to valuable industry insights and career opportunities

“At the core of this partnership is our commitment to nurturing talent and raising aspirations for all. 

“We’re excited to offer free access to our online platform for schools and colleges across the UK, opening doors to the fascinating world of civil and structural engineering.”