Educate, Inspire and Empower
Educate, Inspire and Empower
More than four in ten teenagers want more work experience opportunities at school, according to a survey for the BBC. For employers, schools and organisations helping young people explore their futures, that is a clear invitation to act.
The survey of 2,000 young people aged 13-18 found that 44% wanted more work experience, while 38% wanted more support with communication skills.
The young people interviewed brought those findings to life. They described meeting unfamiliar people, trying practical tasks and discovering how different roles contribute to a business. They also spoke about the challenges of finding placements and the worry of making the “wrong” career choice.
Young people cannot be expected to understand the breadth of careers available without opportunities to see them first-hand. As we always say, you can’t be what you can’t see.
Construction and infrastructure offer a huge variety of roles, but many young people have limited opportunities to discover them. Meeting people doing those jobs, asking questions and taking part in practical activities can help them understand where their interests and strengths might fit.
Through Constructing Change’s Learning in Action programme, young people visit live construction and infrastructure sites, meet the people behind projects and take part in practical activities.
We have already delivered 900 hours of meaningful work experience, with girls making up 70% of participants. These experiences help young people discover different careers, build confidence and communicate with adults beyond their usual school environment.
That exploration is valuable, even if someone discovers that a particular role is not for them. Work experience should give young people room to question, reflect and make more informed choices.
One teenager in the BBC report described how opportunities could depend on being in the right place. It is a reminder that offering work experience is only part of the challenge: we also need to consider who can access it.
Young people should not have to rely on family contacts to find a meaningful introduction to working life. Deliberate connections between schools and employers can help reach those who might otherwise miss out, including girls and young people from backgrounds underrepresented in construction.
Through Learn Connect and the pilots we are developing with city regions, we are working to extend those opportunities, with a particular focus on young people in alternative provision and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Our aim is to build connections between education and employers that reach young people who might otherwise miss out.
Schools cannot create these opportunities alone. Employers have an important part to play by sharing their time and helping young people discover the range of possibilities ahead by opening up their workplaces.
The national focus on young people’s routes into work makes this especially timely. Andy Burnham’s emphasis on skills, apprenticeships and employer engagement, alongside the forthcoming recommendations from Alan Milburn’s review into young people and work, reinforces the need to act early.
Connecting young people with employers while they are still in education can help them see a purpose in their learning and understand the opportunities ahead, before they become disengaged.
Young people are making decisions about their futures now. They need access to meaningful work experience and guidance before those choices are made. Schools and employers must work together to open those doors sooner, so more young people can see what is possible and take their next steps with confidence.
Constructing Change is here to help make those connections possible.
Read the BBC story: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6m2dmdxgz2xo
Categories: Insights