The Directors of my-work-experience.com are saddened by the conclusion that pre-16 work experience has ‘had its day’ following the very questionable, unsupported findings of the Wolf Report.
The Directors of my-work-experience.com have been involved in the delivery of work experience for 14 to 16 year olds since it began in the early 70’s, took part in its growth throughout the 80’s and 90’s until by the early 00’s most schools in the UK were sending their young people on work experience. Then in 2004 the Government of the day decided it should be statutory for all and provided some funding support through the now defunct LSC.
History seems to be repeating itself now because a programme introduced 1971 as a way of stimulating and engaging young people who were being asked to stay on at school for an extra year is, we believe, being usurped to fund the new priority of preparing for the new compulsory leaving age of 18.
Whilst we definitely believe that there will be a vital place for work experience in the new post-16 curriculum we also fervently believe that this should not be done at the expense of a very valuable but different experience pre-16.
Work experience at 15 is a life changing experience for most young people, raising their aspirations, deepening their understanding of ‘the world of work’ and giving them practical experiences on which to shape thoughts about their futures. It doesn’t have to be related to a particular course of study or a particular career to be effective. At 17 work experience will have a different purpose and for many will be pre-cursor to further studies or the start of a career.
Don’t we need our young people to have these two different experiences as they progress from full-time education into work?
The following appeared on the DfE website on Thursday 6 October 2011
We need to ensure that all young people are able to gain real experience and knowledge of the workplace. Genuine work experience is an important part of a student’s programme of study while remaining in education and Government is committed to supporting schools and colleges in achieving this aim.
In line with the changes that are being made around work experience for students post -16, Government will seek to remove the statutory duty to provide every young person at Key Stage 4 (14-16 year olds) with work-related learning. However, schools will still be free to determine whether and how work experience for young people at Key Stage 4 is provided. (our highlighting)
This particular consultation is seeking views from the public about the Government’s intention to remove the statutory duty to deliver work related learning at Key Stage 4. The consultation will last for 12 weeks .
The consultation is open to all members of the public, including schools, governing bodies, local authorities, teacher unions and other representative organisations for those in the education sector, voluntary groups, parents and young people.
Closing Date for submissions: Wednesday 4 January 2012
The Directors of my-work-experience.com will be submitting their case to the Government for supporting schools in the delivery of work experience at Key Stage 4. To help with this submission we would very much like to hear your views.
Please send your comment / views to keystage4work@my-work-experience.com
I wonder if young people were consulted on this issue?! In my 23 years as a careers adviser, the feedback I have heard from students has been overwhelmingly positive about work experience and in some cases it led to a job or apprenticeship offer too! It provides an invaluable insight into working life and can help confirm or change young peoples’ career ideas which surely is useful. If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it!