The future of work experience
Work experience is changing to make it more meaningful for both students and businesses. The government’s ambition is for every young person to complete 10 days of meaningful work experience during secondary school. And the new model will benefit business too.
What does the new work experience look like?
The government’s ambition is for every young person to complete 10 days of meaningful work experience during their time at secondary school.
These days can be offered flexibly to suit the business.
The ambition is for businesses to decide which kinds of work experience they can offer, so that the activity is meaningful to both the business and the students.
Experiences could include activities such as group site visits, workplace safaris, block placements (in person or hybrid), shadowing, or more hands-on employer-led projects.
“In the world of hybrid working, the traditional five-day work experience is ever challenging to achieve. Our approach offers experiences of the workplace of different lengths and venues for maximum flexibility and scale.”
Ian Browne, Early Careers Leader, Lloyds Banking Group
Benefits to business
- Employers who offer work experience are 77% more likely to report business benefits such as a stronger talent pipeline. This likelihood rises to 90% for employers providing a wide range of experiences
- Access to future talent: early engagement helps students see your sector as a viable career path, building your talent pipeline
- Reduce recruitment challenges: in a competitive recruitment environment, showcasing your sector and career pathways can help ensure your business, and the opportunities available, are front of mind for school and college leavers when they start to apply for work
- Influence curriculum relevance and close skills gaps – help to ensure that young people leave school/college armed with the relevant skills your sector needs
- Promote your brand to a wider audience with word of mouth: students share their work experiences with family and friends
- Bringing young people into your business can give your existing staff the opportunity to develop their own mentoring skills, and boost workplace morale
- Young talent brings fresh new perspectives into your business and can help drive innovation
- Boost your brand reputation with a more inclusive hiring approach
Work experience in practice
In 2024-2025 Surrey Careers Hub, Runnymede Borough Council and Business Runnymede worked in partnership to design and deliver the Runnymede Open Doors programme, supported by the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund – with some outstanding results:
- 100% of employers agreed the scheme provided greater visibility and understanding of their business as a potential employment destination
- 100% of employers taking part recognised the value of engaging with schools and colleges and would participate in the programme again
- 86% of teachers felt they now understand the full range of job roles and careers in the current labour market that are linked to their subject
“Offering work experience is a key part of how we recruit and helps our team grow by developing their coaching skills. We create flexible opportunities, which fit around our business. At the end of each placement, students share what they’ve learned, and that’s when we know we’re making a difference.”
Davinder Lotay, Owner & Managing Director, Altimex Ltd
How your business can get involved
- Get in touch with Surrey Careers Hub using our Contact us form
- A member of the team will get in touch to arrange an initial chat to discuss your needs and the types of experiences that could benefit your business
- Sign up to Career Thread using the link provided
- Post your offers to schools and get matched to schools who are looking for the type of experiences you can offer
- Review your matches and choose which school/s to work with – you can choose one or several, it’s up to you
- Your matched schools’ Careers Leader/s will get in touch to take it forward.
“At KPMG, we’ve seen first-hand how these experiences broaden horizons and help young people connect their strengths to real opportunities. But this only works when businesses collaborate. By opening our doors wider and involving a range of organisations, we can offer young people a clearer picture of what’s possible and, in doing so, strengthen the future workforce.”
Cath Burnet, Head of Audit, KPMG UK
Next steps
Complete our Contact form with your details and a member of the Careers Hub team will get in touch for an initial chat.
Get started today