Work experience at risk so how can we encourage our young people to make the right choices?

My dd has just done her Y10 work experience. I also agree it would be done best post-16

• very little meaningful work available if youre 14/15, nature of it could put you off
• I don't really see it as being linked to career choices at this age tbh
• it can be fun if you're in the right placement (charities and small local orgs seem to be best for fun element) but that's about it

Can't get worked out about potential loss of this I'm afraid.

I did work experience 16-18 and it was a really great time to do it.

Up to then, I am all for a well rounded education. Pick the quality basics, one GCSE for fun. Choose A level courses based on your strengths/passions.

2. There is a lot of free time after GCSEs, which could be more profitably used than hanging around parks with bottles of cheap vodka.

We are in Bucks, and DS2 is doing his Y10 work experience as I type.

I would like to see it move to after the GCSEs because:

1. A lot of employers, like the NHS won't take anyone under 16

1. There is a lot of free time after GCSEs, which could be more profitably used than hanging around parks with bottles of cheap vodka.

The Bucks scheme seems to be very well organised, and everyone gets some kind of placement- not just the kids with well-connected parents.

It's a useful experience of the real world and the boring jobs most people do. And a good source of references when the time comes to apply for a weekend job.

Bad work experiences aren't necessarily a waste of time. One of DS's mates had a rotten time on his (which, on paper, was a dream placement) but has learnt the valuable lesson that he doesn't want a job where he is stuck in an office/meetings all day.

Are there really many places where it would be appropriate to have young students?

I'm assuming anything involving confidentiality would be off limits...doctors/lawyers/social services etc

I wanted to be a journalist at 15 and so the school decided to send me to the local college library fir two weeks of stacking books. We didn't have a risk assesment we used our brains instead perhaps that could be suggested as an alternative but tbh it was a complete waste of time.

At my school, it was well known that whilst WE was technically "unpaid" there were a few employers who did used to give you £50 at the end of the week, so everyone applied for those, even though they were pretty crappy jobs. You had potential Oxbridge applicants trying to persuade the careers teacher that it really was their dream to shovel gravel at the aggregate plant just so they could bag £50.

At the time I wanted to be a journalist, but there weren't any journalism placements, so I just used to go and work for my dad, and get paid for it.

DS 1 had an aoofice placement sorted out, fell through. Finally offered a place in a local hotel which he didn't want to do. Did the work and ended up doing part time waitering there for 2 years and still goes back to help pay for uni. So as a way of getting temporary work it helps - as far as helping career choice it must be very limited.

The main dilemma of school age work experience is deciding which type of office you'd like to photocopy and make tea in.

Total waste of time.

yes school has a bank of regular businesses used and students arrange it all themselves here.
there are a group of school admin peeps that do the H&S checks

Actually now you say that Senua...I realise I didn't even know this was a service offered.

DH receives stacks of requests for WE, but all directly from the students not their schools.

agree year 10 too young for work experience
although dd bagged working with a dr friend which was invaluable as she decided she def did NOT want to be a dr

Work experience after GCSEs? You are kidding! You won't see DS for dust after GCSEs - he will be too busy having FUN.

Our school has WE in Y10 and Y12, right at the end of the year when everyone else is wasting time watching DVDs. It is an integral part of the 'experience' that they have to organise it themselves; it is not laid on by the school. No need for 'a much valued service that brokers placements between schools and employers' here.

I have to say, I cannot see the point of many of the work experience positions. The young people are simply too young.

They have to be looked after while they are there and many employers just don't have the resources at this time.

glasshalffull96: are the proposed changes part of the huge review of the National Curriculum that's going on at the moment? If so, could you link the relevant parts / interim view? (I did look, but failed to find).

My boys did their work experience after their GCSEs. It worked well as it didn't take away from teaching time.

They got their suits for sixth form then too, so very smartly dressed.

I have a year 11 daughter and work in a field where we get loads of teenagers wanting to do work experience (I'm a vet). I have to agree that in many cases the year 10 WE students are wasting their time and ours, because too few of them really know if they are interested in the career or if they have the academic ability to aim for it, and many of them are too shy or bored or awkward to ask any questions or get the most out of the experience. The post GCSE students are far more motivated and mature, by and large (of course there are exceptions both ways round) - and I think it's great for them to have something different to do to take their minds off how the GCSEs went, too. I really don't see a good reason for year 10 to do it so early through school - there's nothing to stop a year 10 who really wants to find out about something or other to try to organise something for themselves during the summer holidays, after all, is there?

i guess it's always been the way though.

if you have contacts and can wangle fantastic experiences your children won't need work experience. they'll be able to get a job through those very same contacts

don't really see the point of work experience myself. ds worked in an office and to be honest he would have been better off with a week in school.

of course, if you have contacts and can wangle exclusive fantastic work experiences for your children this doesn't apply - but doubt this is the majority

From the number of parents of older teens who have come begging to DH for work experience in the last 5 years or so, I thought it was the norm for most teens to arrange their own.

DS will only do one week work experience, he will do his in July at a photographers round the corner, which we sorted out ourselves.

They chose there gcses in year 9! To be honest my friends dd is doing her work experience at the moment in yr 10 and it has clashed with two exams, so out of a weeks work experience she will miss a whole day.
I know also that often dcs can't do the work experience they want to because they are not 16 yet and nowadays some companies won't take under 16s