AIBU to stop offering work experience?

[Itsallacademic]

Background: I work for a very large employer with many departments, my particular role involves specialised laboratories and equipment. For the past several years, I have offered work experience placements to 6th form students within my team (usually lasting a week or two). While this does require additional paperwork and specialised risk assessments, I felt it was worthwhile both to inspire the next generation and to contribute positively to the organisation’s wider profile.
Current situation: I now have a DD in Yr12 who is trying hard to secure summer work experience. Importantly, her subjects are not related to my area of work. DD's college regularly shares information about work experience opportunities, but due to our family’s income level/education level/postcode/etc, she is eligible for very few of the schemes. She has applied for everything she can but has not been successful so far.
So, I suggested that DD contact other teams and departments within my organisation assuming that there would be colleagues offering placements in the same way I have. However, every response so far has been negative - most say the organisation does not offer work experience at all, often citing H&S even for departments that are just office-based (obviously, as I work at the same employer, I know exactly what paperwork is required so I know this is not true).
My AIBU: This has left me wondering whether I have been overly generous all these years. Providing work experience for under-18s is time-consuming, comes with administrative burden and does require resources. I had always believed I was doing something worthwhile and contributing as a responsible member of the organisation. However, it seems that very few, if any, others are doing the same - basically they can't be bothered?
I have told DD that she is welcome to do her work experience in my team, even though it is not directly relevant to her studies (and perhaps it won't look so positive on her CV to have worked with her mum). But after this summer, I am seriously considering "closing shop" and declining any future requests from 6th form students. AIBU?

My Y13DD has never done any work experience, but has had a part time job since she was 15.

My Y10 DD is doing work experience later on this month - at her old primary school.

Why don't you try and push through work experience at the company level. It helps when identifying students for apprenticeships or taking on new juniors.

Please don't be dog in the manger because your own child can't get a place.

I’m a care home manager and I always offer work experience to pupils from the local high schools. They don’t carry out personal care, but they work with our activities coordinator and it lets them see that the elderly are individuals who still love to have fun. It’s wonderful having them, and the residents love having young people around. Everyone benefits, despite the extra paperwork it entails.

I think it’s wonderful you offer it to young people when there are so many others who won’t take the time to. Please don’t stop!

'While this does require additional paperwork and specialised risk assessments, I felt it was worthwhile both to inspire the next generation and to contribute positively to the organisation’s wider profile.'

Honestly I would just take pride in the fact that you're still providing these opportunities when other departments are simply choosing not to. You're doing a good thing.

I think companies in general are short sighted if they don't see the potential benefits of offering school kids work experience.

Yanbu - you can choose to not do it. However, I'm sure you have helped a lot of young people over the years and you should feel good for that.

That can backfire

OP is very lucky to be allowed the autonomy to offer it themselves

If you push higher for it, it can get taken over by HR, and as with the company I work for, that actually ends up making it less accessible for the kids that really need that first taste of it

Thanks for the suggestions and perspectives

I have to reiterate that our organisation is absolutely massive and it's impossible know anybody unless we've had specific professional contact, let alone to tell whether I've mentored somebody's kid in the past.

When I say colleagues I only mean we all work for the same organisation. But I take everyone's point that perhaps I should flex my internal connections to secure DD some work experience.

It is rather ironic that in the efforts to widen access, we seem to have instead entrenched nepotism because that seems the only way for some DC to get placements (and thus taking away slots from others).

I agree with this. What you're saying makes no sense, OP. All the reasons you've given for providing work experience are MORE important if others aren't providing it, not less important.
There's a big shortage of work experience these days, because people don't want to bother with the paperwork, etc. It's short-sighted and selfish. These children are the workers of the future, and work experience helps them to choose the right path, to push themselves, to develop skills, etc.

Supporting internships or work experience is such a faff and lots of extra work. Its not always obvious that the young person has benefitted immediately because they are rarely self confident and put on a front when mildly terrified. But I strongly believe that each one gets something out of the process - My daughter definitely benefitted

As someone who worked in a multi national which had great engagement programmes supported by HR and corporate office based.

Early career graduates in the company are often the very best to support and guide younger schoolkids. The smallish age difference helps both parties.

Its really good for the graduate to have the experience on their CV or recognised in their annual appraisal process as it demonstrates leadership and willingness to go the extra mile etc etc.

New graduates (at least a year in post) are a bit weary of being trained or supervised by others in the organisation. And the good ones are keen to be able to take the lead in devising a 3 day short programme and be shadowed. They can be given an example of previous programmes, the content doesn't matter that much, its about gaining access to the world of work. They often use their other graduate chums to share the load and meet up at lunchtime etc.

Can you run a workshop for other departments on providing work experience? You could help a lot more people if you can enable other teams to do it, often people do not know how to do these things so just say no.

I was thinking that by next year you’ll carry on - because you sound lovely!

The rallying cry to women to always get them to do more and more, with no reciprocation.

Thanks for the enthusiasm, energy and goodwill boost!

We really must be desperate for work placement providers if we're urging people who make no sense, are short-sighted, selfish and have lost positivity to carry out the service.

😂

People are always so happy to offer out women's labour.

It takes time and effort, but should be normal for most businesses. I am sure the time could be found in most quite easily. Less meetings that are too long and waste time, not forcing people into offices five days a week when you are more productive part of the time wfh, for example.

Ok I’ll report my own post. 😔

Keep doing it. I’m the same and I get annoyed that others don’t offer. I sometimes feel it’s taken for granted I’ll offer and the students we get done always seem to appreciate me having them but I can remember being their age and just thinking how lucky my work experience mentor was for me doing all the free work!

Please continue if you can. It’s a great thing you have been doing. I’m sorry the other departments are not as kind and good as you. I hope your daughter finds somewhere 🤞

My son was lucky enough to secure a weeks work experience in year 12 and it was helpful and useful.

Rare too! Most of my son’s friends didn’t manage to get any work experience at all and had to fall back on online work experience.

🙄
You're what's wrong with modern workplaces

Are you a middle manager? You sound like (a bad) one

💯I do understand why people are suggesting I set up workshops, contact HR or PR, round up my distant colleagues for a motivational chat, etc. There is clearly a huge nationwide problem with opportunities for our young people. But ultimately it's a version of the old "if you want something done, find a busy person" mindset.

In our organisation, it is entirely down to the individual team leaders if they want to offer work experience. We don't get extra funding, we don't get a reprieve on our actual workload, we don't get a career boost. It is completely optional and down to my aforementioned goodwill and enthusiasm.

Our work place always turn down randoms but will accept staff children.

I think this has become pretty normal. Again a who you know situation.

I’m very sorry OP that I said that sentence, but I didn’t suggest you did anything further - that was other posters. I just thought that was exactly how I’d feel. I have duly reported my post and I’m sorry again. FWIW my work experience was offered by a male in a very male-dominated (at the time) industry. One of my children’s was set up by a woman and one a man. Tbh I didn’t think too much of it.

Well, given that OP is considering shutting down the placements she offers and giving it to her DD instead, it’s kind of obvious why these schemes are needed for young people without connections, isn’t it?

@Itsallacademic I get your frustration, it’s really annoying and surprising to hear that other departments don’t do this. It is a lot of work for those who do, but so valuable for young people who otherwise wouldn’t get exposure to some of the jobs or industries that do participate. If you can’t see it, you can be it, right? Really annoying for your daughter too, but really two sides of the same coin - not everyone is as community minded as you, so places in some industries are like hens teeth.

I would try to keep going if I were you. Is there a colleague in another department that could be persuaded to take your DD on as a one off?

Honestly I didn't mind Don't report your post!

Lots of companies want to try and get a 50/50 split of male/female work experience students, and want to encourage girls to go into engineering, so she is more likely than a male counterpart to get a placement!

Rolls Royce try and have a 50/50 gender split and offer WEX programs.

AKAEA offer really good internships and work experience placements.

Also RAL (but I think the deadline was Feb!)

Hope she manages to secure something!