Experiences of workplaces
Every pupil should have first-hand experiences* of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks.
What good looks like
Every student should have first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and expand their networks.
- By the age of 16, every pupil should have had at least one experience of a workplace, additional to any part-time jobs they may have.
- By the age of 18, or before the end of their study programme, every student should have had at least one experience of a workplace, additional to any part-time jobs they may have
Why this matters
- Experiences of the workplace can create social capital for young people with more limited networks
- Experiences of the workplace give students the opportunity to develop essential skills
- 8.2 per cent of people aged 16-64 in the UK today (3.4 million people in total) have never had a paid job (besides casual and holiday work). Never ever report 2020, Resolution Foundation
Careers Leaders: Getting started with BM6
- Be clear about priority careers knowledge, understanding and application based on student needs and school priorities. Use this to shape and communicate planned intent for all experiences of the workplace.
- Gatsby Benchmark 6 describes experiences of workplaces as: “work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience”. It is important to approach this Benchmark with the understanding that work experience is not synonymous with experiences of the workplace. Remember that there is no blue print for age/key stage and format for experiences of the workplace. They should be planned for impact and implemented around what students need to know, understand and be able to do linked to a high level aim for the experience.
- Use the BM6 Careers Leader Guide to set learning aims and outcomes for experiences of work and reflect on most appropriate implementation type and time for your students based on their needs and aligned to school priorities.
- For further resources check out this page Reimagining Experiences of the Workplace.
Training: All Careers Leaders require Outstanding training
For further support with Benchmark 1 register for our fully funded Careers Leader training
Download our Training Catalogue which includes all the information you need and a helpful comparison guide on the 11 high-quality Training Providers we work with. Here you will be able to choose the right course to suit you and your development, so that you can embed a successful careers programme in your school/college.
Once you have chosen the right course and Training Provider for you, you are all set to register!
Careers in Context: Can Do Approaches
Experiences of workplaces allow students to have first-hand experiences of the workplace through online or face to face work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience to help their exploration of career opportunities, and to expand networks. Experiences of the workplace could and should reflect the fast changing nature of work, including remote working. The Gatsby Benchmarks hold the same level of relevance in an online world and continue to work as a framework for quality careers guidance. All experiences of workplaces should sit within a progressive careers programme that have clear learning outcomes and that supports positive student outcomes.
To include an activity under Benchmark 6, it must meet the following minimum requirements:
- Learning outcomes are defined, based on the age and needs of students
- Student meets a range of people from the workplace
- There is extensive two-way interaction between the student and employees
- Student must perform a task or produce a piece of work relevant to that workplace and receive feedback on it from the employer.
Opportunity:
- The current context allows us to re-evaluate and take a fresh look at the aims and value of experiences of work.
- Consider school/college priorities and key learning outcomes to shape the aims, content and format of any experiences of work.
- Schools, special schools and colleges were already exploring innovative alternatives to the traditional model of 1- or 2-week placements, including blended approaches.
- Experiences and encounters can also teach young people about digital skills, teamwork and communication in an online environment which has increasing relevance for workplaces.
How:
1. Identify relevant learning outcomes and aims for any experience of work and consider opportunities for implementation to deliver in those learning outcomes.
2. Consider how learning at school/home can be blended with structured experiences of work (online or face to face) to ensure that students access meaningful experiences of the workplace.
3. Whether face-to-face or online, work with employer partners to incorporate skills development that is up-to-date and relevant to the fast-changing world of work.
4. Consider developing workplace skills such as joining online meetings, independent working (e.g. research) and online professional etiquette to meet the changing requirements of the workplace.
“People who are literate and numerate have greater chances of success in employment and in life, but what we are increasingly understanding is that essential skills are also critical to these life chances.”
(Sir John Holman)
Education Leaders and Governors:
Education Leaders and Governors: For further information on each Benchmark, to support you in your role, please see the Education Leader, Secondary and College Governor Guides.
Filter by:
Category
SEND
Gatsby benchmarks
Key stage
Campaigns
Type
Resource type
Role
I am a...
Gatsby Benchmark Toolkit: Colleges and ITPs
The Gatsby Benchmark Toolkit for Colleges and ITPs provides practical information and guidance on the updated Gatsby Benchmarks.
Gatsby Benchmark Toolkit: Schools, Special Schools & AP
The Gatsby Benchmark Toolkit for Schools, Special Schools and Alternative Provisions provides practical information and guidance on the updated Gatsby Benchmarks .
Guidance for Middle Schools
Interpreting the Gatsby Benchmarks and Compass Completion Guidance (Updated 2021)
The guidance takes Middle School Careers Leaders through how to respond to the sub benchmark questions when completing your self-evaluation on Compass or Compass+.
This will be revised in accordance with updated Statutory Guidance and Gatsby Benchmarks (Summer 2025).
Compass+
Compass+ is a free digital product from The Careers and Enterprise Company, funded and recommended by the Department for Education. Compass+ enables you to benchmark, track and report on your whole careers provision, right down to individual learner level.
Compass
Compass is a free digital product that helps institutions quickly and easily evaluate their careers activity against the eight Gatsby Benchmarks and supports monitoring performance against the Careers Impact System Maturity Model by effectively recording Internal leadership review responses.
Compass is available to most secondary schools, special schools, sixth forms, colleges, APs, PRUs and ITPs in England.
Prime Video Career Tour
Explore the technology and careers behind Amazon’s Prime Video. From the studio to your living room, discover how computer science and incredible people come together at Prime Video.
Understanding how to embed progressive employer encounters and work experiences
These resources help Careers Leaders to plan, implement and impact evaluate a progressive and embedded approach to Benchmarks 5 and 6. The resource supports a meaningful approach and is underpinned by the following core guiding principles:
- Start early to develop a progressive approach that allows for multiple encounters and experiences across all key stages
- Be intent and outcome led
- Be responsive to learner need, evaluation data and regional/labour market context
Vocational Profiling
Supporting delivery of the Gatsby Benchmark and CDI Careers Framework.
Passport to Retail
Developed by Inspiring Worcestershire. Passport to Retail has been designed with the student’s progression at the forefront. This brilliant project will take students on a tour around the Retail industry, learning about key areas from customer services to stock rotation to build their knowledge and skill in preparation for the workplace.
Reimagining - Experiences of the Workplace
Developed by Shoreham Academy.
A set of resources designed to support both educators and employers to reimagine students’ experiences of the workplace. Containing practical guides and templates which can provide inspiration for a range of meaningful project-based activities.
You can also find a link below to our ‘Future Workplace’ webinar which highlighted these resources as part of a wider session looking at the implications (for educators and employers) of the post pandemic workplace.
Talentino!
Talentino programmes have been helping to improve career outcomes for young people with a range of learning difficulties in a mixture of settings – special schools, mainstream schools, AP, PRU, SEMH, etc.
The two programmes, “Careers at EVERY Level” and “MORE”, for different groups of young people with SEND/additional needs, are now on a subscription model with different tiers of provision – to find out more about the programmes, click here.
The Big Inclusive SEND Careers Handbook, written by Jenny Connick. Published by Trotman Publishing. View the book and download a sample chapter here!
CareermapTV
CareermapTV is a broadcasting channel that runs across several different social media platforms and it is your ultimate destination for all things careers and education. From recorded live webinars from top employers to comedic, relatable career reels, we’ve got everything you need to inspire your students in their career journey.