Understanding impactful work experience opportunities with Marnie Bourne

Meaningful encounters and experiences with employers help young people feel inspired and motivated about their future. These experiences boost young people’s confidence in their career readiness, improve their awareness of the labour market, and their understanding of different pathways into work.

Employer engagement is especially important for young people with limited social capital or informal networks. Connecting students with employers provides access to professional relationships, career insights, skills development and real-world opportunities that they cannot access through family or community connections.

Our work shows that high-quality, modern work experience can act as an early protective factor against disengagement and future risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training). This is why partnerships between education and employers are so important; they help connect students with a sense of purpose, belonging, and progression.

2.     From your work with employers, what does “good” engagement with young people look like in practice?

Our work with employers shows that effective employer engagement is inclusive, intentional, and meaningful. When it’s interactive and tailored to young people’s needs, it ensures they gain relevant insights and experiences.

High-quality engagement is also a great way to support the development of essential skills while improving understanding of career pathways and recruitment processes. To make it effective, it’s vital to seek feedback – from young people, educators, and your own volunteers. This helps to evaluate against the learning outcomes identified for young people, as well as your own organisational priorities. 

CEC’s Employer Standards framework outlines these principles in detail, and the free assessment tool allows employers to review their work against the nine standards to ensure a high-quality approach that delivers impact.

3.      Are there any common challenges or missed opportunities you see when employers try to engage with young people?

One common challenge can be an absence of relatable role models. It’s important to include diverse representation, particularly from early careers or entry-level employees, so young people can better see themselves reflected.

One opportunity is to ensure that employee volunteers delivering workplace experiences are equipped with accurate, up-to-date information about career pathways and recruitment processes. This is essential for connecting outreach activities with current and future opportunities in the organisation.

Another opportunity is to really target those young people who will benefit most. Free School Meal eligibility can be a useful indicator and an important way of identifying young people who may benefit from additional opportunities. However, we know that many young people face a range of ways their needs are not being met. With intentional targeting, in partnership with educators, employers are more likely to reach the young people who tend to have unequal access to opportunities such as work experience. This targeting can be supported by the OnTrack+ feature in schools’ Compass+ careers education platform.

4.      What has your experience of working with EY Foundation been, particularly in delivering work experience and supporting young people? Have you implemented any new ways of working in this area as a result?

It’s great to see EY Foundation’s work around modern work experience. CEC played a part in shaping EY Foundation’s Beyond Horizons programme, which is designed to build soft skills, connect students with diverse role models, and ensure workplace experiences start strong at an earlier stage in a young person’s journey. Beyond Horizons in Bradford works with local schools and businesses to create experiences that prepare young people for the future of work and is aligned with the equalex framework, CEC’s national framework to support high quality, meaningful work experiences.

We’re proud to work with EY Foundation, contribute to programmes such as Beyond Horizons, and partner with an organisation that’s committed to addressing inequality and driving change, showcased by its commitment to modern work experience.

We also recently welcomed students to our office through EY Foundation’s Impactful Futures programme, which offers paid work experience designed to give young people an insight into the not-for-profit sector. The young people who joined us arrived ready to learn, develop their skills and full of questions!

With support from EY Foundation, we tailored each placement to the interests and needs of the young people involved and to the equalex framework. Colleagues found the experience valuable as the young people brought thoughtful observations and new perspectives that contributed to ongoing conversations about our work and, in some cases, influenced how we approach certain practices going forward. For example, we have now changed elements of our internal workplace experiences programme as a result of the young people’s presentations and research.

Overall, it was a rewarding experience with several colleagues choosing to continue their involvement through future internal work experience activity or by volunteering as mentors with EY Foundation.

5.      What more can employers do to make opportunities like work experience more accessible and inclusive for young people from all backgrounds?

Employers looking to make their opportunities more accessible and inclusive can take three practical steps: 

1. Connect with their local Careers Hub. Hubs bring together employers and education settings to support young people in finding their next step. They can offer valuable guidance, connections, and practical support to help ensure opportunities are accessible, inclusive, and responsive to local needs.

2. Find out more about modern work experience. There is a growing range of guidance and resources available to support employers in designing high-quality, inclusive experiences. For example, the Careers & Enterprise Company offers tools that cover the ‘what, why and how’ of delivering modern work experience.

3.  Review and strengthen their employer engagement activity. Frameworks such as CEC’s Employer Standards for Careers Education can help organisations reflect on their current activity, identify areas for improvement, and strengthen their overall impact. The free assessment tool can be a useful starting point for this. 

Ultimately, sustained, high-quality employer engagement is key to ensuring that all young people can access meaningful opportunities and realise their potential.

If you're an employer looking to start your social mobility journey or explore how your business can benefit from diverse talent, learn more and get in touch today.