Experiences of workplaces
Every learner should have first-hand experiences of workplaces to help their exploration of career opportunities and expand their networks
What good looks like
Schools
- By the age of 16, every pupil should have had meaningful experiences of workplaces.
- By the age of 18, every pupil should have had at least one further meaningful experience.
Further Education
- By the end of their programme of study, every learner should have had at least one meaningful experience of a workplace, in addition to any part-time jobs they may have
Gatsby have provided a definition of what constitutes a meaningful experience:
A meaningful experience is one in which the learner has an opportunity to explore what it is like to work in that environment, the skills valued in the workplace, recruitment processes or what it takes to be successful.
A meaningful experience will:
- Have a clear purpose, which is shared with the employer and the learner.
- Be underpinned by learning outcomes that are appropriate to the needs of the learner.
- Involve an extensive two-way interaction between learners and employees.
- Include opportunities for learners to meet a range of different people from the workplace.
- Include opportunities for learners to perform a task set by the employer or produce a piece of work relevant to that workplace.
- Include feedback from the employer to learners on their work.
- Be followed by opportunities for learners to reflect on the insights, knowledge or skills gained through their experience.
Schools, colleges and ITPs can take into account any part-time work a young person may have, if it genuinely offers them a meaningful experience.
The resources below are designed to support you with Gatsby Benchmark 6. To explore all of the Gatsby Benchmarks in greater depth, download the toolkit that best aligns with your setting.
Embed experiences of workplaces within progressive careers provision. Define specific, measurable learning outcomes for learners to achieve during their experiences of the workplace. Set clear expectations and reflection milestones for both learners and employers to ensure the experience is mutually beneficial and impactful. Access this resource for support in mapping your entire provision, including a progressive approach to work experience.
Consider your approach to modern work experience. By providing multiple, varied work experiences – encompassing both conventional placements and innovative, non-traditional opportunities – you can create progressive Careers Learning Journeys that equips learners with what they need to make informed and aspirational decisions and to be careers ready. Find out more about modern work experience via the CEC webiste.
Use the checklist in the Understanding how to embed impact driven modern work experience resource when planning all experiences of workplaces.
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.
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IGD Work Experience week
If you are interested in helping your students learn about the food and grocery industry, we would recommend IGD Feeding Britains Futures. It is a free initiative that brings the industry together to develop students’ employability skills and learn about the wide range of roles in the industry.
Intern Video Resource
The Careers & Enterprise Company hosted two students from School21 as interns as part of the Real World Learning Programme. As the first ever year 10 interns, Adil and Uyiosa bring to you their video resource on what young people want to know learn and experience when transitioning from education to the world of work.
How to Support Careers and Enterprise Activities in Schools: a Practical Guide for Employers
We partnered with the CBI to undertake research to better understand how employers engage with schools. From this research we have produced this practical guide for employers who want to engage with schools together with a compendium of case studies from businesses.
OAT: Making Work Experience Work for All
These resources have been developed by Ormiston Academy Trust as part of a work experience project, to support the amplification of Technical and Vocational Education routes in Alternative Provision settings.
AutonoMe Supported Employment and Independent Living
AutonoMe uses the power of personalised human support combined with technology to enable neurodiverse people and those with learning disabilities to gain employment and develop skills for independent living.
This is a costed resource with possible funding streams identified.
Enterprise Advisers: Ideas for supporting schools
Developed by Somerset Careers Hub.
This resource details the ways in which Enterpriser Advisers could support schools to develop their careers programme. Ideas have been categorised under each specific benchmark.
Virtual Work Experience Packages
The LEAN has created a series of resources to help schools and colleges provide their students with virtual experiences of the workplace. The first two virtual work experience packages are available to download and feature two key sectors, Digital and Technology and Construction.
Careermag for Parents, Carers and Guardians
A great resource for your Parents Evenings and Newsletters! Careermag for Parents, Carers and Guardians is a publication with information for parents of school-aged children offering support and information on careers and qualifications.
It also includes information on how to help support young people with mental health issues, managing the UCAS system, apprenticeships and in-depth features on various sectors and opportunities in them.
Careermag for School Leavers
Careermag for School Leavers is a termly publication with information for school-aged children offering support and information on careers and qualifications.
Year 10 AET and EKFB MFL resource
These resources have been created by curriculum subject experts from Academies Enterprise Trust through collaboration with EKFB to engage and support students in learning by placing teaching points in the context of the world of work.
Blueprint: Virtual experience of the workplace
Created by the London team this resource supports thinking around virtual experiences of the workplace for schools and businesses.
Virtual work experience programme Kennedys Law
Kennedys virtual work experience will allow students to take the first step of their legal career with a global law firm that does things differently. The programme gives students the opportunity to complete legal work experience virtually, completing real life tasks created by Kennedys trainees and apprentices.