Young Brits looking for work experience face a ‘broken’ system with both schools and businesses struggling with significant barriers, a new report has warned.
Short-term work placements are seen as one of the best ways to combat the growing crisis of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET).
An early glimpse at the world of employment helps show kids the skills they will need to take the leap once they leave school – and many employers value it above the usual qualifications, according to the Jobs Foundation.
However, a report from the work charity says the system is ‘broken in ways that go beyond logistics’.
It highlights statistics showing 74% of schools find it difficult to organise placements, while almost half of businesses do not offer work experience due to factors such as time constraints and staff capacity.
Chef Tom Kerridge, who offers work experience in his restaurants, said people ‘get the bug’ when they come in and ‘do a couple of hours a week’.
Everything is changing, all the time
Cut through political noise and understand how the Westminster chaos actually affects your life with Metro’s politics newsletter Alright, Gov? Sign up here.
He told the report: ‘I always think it’s so hard to get into those kinds of first jobs when you’re very young, and I think they’re very beneficial’.
Issues for schools include rising costs, logistical pressures and growing statutory requirements, the Foundation found, as well as the universal ‘difficulty of finding enough placements’.
Meanwhile, employers ‘face real costs of time and resource in making placements meaningful’.
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
In a major report released in May, former Health Secretary Alan Milburn described the growing number of so-called NEETs as a ‘moral crisis’.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed the number of Brits aged between 16 and 24 who were not in education, employment or training passed a million in the first quarter of this year.
According to forecasts in the Milburn report, 16% of young people in the UK are set to hold the status within the next five years if no action is taken.
A study by the Education and Employers charity released last month found that young people with a high level of engagement with the world of work are 80% less likely to end up with NEET status.
The charity’s chief executive Nick Chambers warned at the time that the UK ‘cannot afford a system where opportunity depends on who your parents know’.
He praised the government’s commitment to providing two weeks of work experience to every young person in the country.
But he added: ‘Without the right infrastructure, support and coordination, there is a real danger that we end up advantaging the advantaged and disadvantaging the disadvantaged.’
A spokesperson for the government said ministers were ‘determined to change’ the current situation for young people.
They said: ‘Backed by £2.5 billion, our Youth Guarantee will deliver a million opportunities across the country, ensuring every young person has the chance to earn or learn.
‘Our apprenticeship reforms will reverse the 40% fall in starts among young people over the last decade, while Alan Milburn’s review is investigating the wider barriers stopping young people from getting into work.
‘Early intervention is also key, and that’s why we are supporting families with special educational needs, lifting over half a million children out of poverty, and improving vocational learning to give every young person the best start in life.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.