Cross-sector alliance to incentivise and enforce work experience opportunities

The Problem

Young people often face a confusing, unfair, and demotivating path when transitioning from education to employment. Careers advice can be inconsistent, impersonal, or outdated. Work experience placements are short, poorly supported, and rarely meaningful. And yet, young people’s voices are almost entirely missing from the systems meant to guide them.

Policy Proposal:

A collaborative working body consisting of government, council, education, business and charity stakeholders, to develop incentives and infrastructure to increase meaningful work experience and opportunities.

Amendments:

• Establish local and regional cross-sector partnerships between schools, employers, unions, charities, and local government, with standardised guidance and government incentives (insurance coverage, tax relief) for businesses

• Retrain and accredit career advisors to provide one-on-one, culturally sensitive guidance with access to real-time local data on work opportunities and skills in demand

• Support longer-term, recurring placements starting from Year 9, with options for earlier exposure from Year 6-7, alongside accessible digital infrastructure that can help match a young person with the placement and earn them certifications

• Ensure youth-led design and evaluation of all career programmes using participatory data collection, with existing funding streams spread strategically across education, youth services, and small business support to incentivise meaningful and individualised work experiences