Do employers have to give time off for work experience?

[Rollergirl11]

Just that really. DD is in Year 12 and has her compulsory work experience week in June. She won’t be available for one of her shifts at work as a result. Her work colleagues say she will have to take the day as annual leave. Is that the case? One of the teachers at her college told DD that employers have to permit time off for educational purposes. As far as I’m aware Work experience is mandatory for all students across Year 12 so will it fall under this or will she have to take as annual leave?

As far as I’m aware Work experience is mandatory for all students across Year 12

No it isn't. Hasn't been since 2012.

In her position, I wouldn't do the "work experience" as it's rarely of any value and she is already getting the experience of working regularly. The only benefit of "work experience" is giving students without part-time jobs or volunteering roles a feel for what it's like to have to be somewhere when you are expected to be, and to do what you're told until it's officially time to go home: can be a shock for some. If your daughter is doing regular shifts in a shop/cafe/etc., she already knows all this.

It would not be reasonable for DD's college/sixth form to expect a work shift outside normal college hours (ie pre-9am and post 3.30pm) to be foregone in favour of time at a work experience placement. If it is that your DD has contractual shifts within normal college hours, then it is more of a grey area.

A practical approach could be to get all signed off with the college and work experience setting and then negotiate with the setting so that if, for example, your DD needs Wednesday pm at her paid work, the work experience setting could simply tweak their programme to accommodate.

Worst case scenario, your DD has to use up some of her holiday entitlement. I have/have had DC in a similar position and actually think it is good they understand they have to budget their time and holidays. Yes, Open Days are more difficult to plan for but that also is a learning opportunity, as they say!

Y12 work experience can be harder to come by these days, especially office-based, with so many more WFH, so it is good your DD has secured something she sees as relevant.

This is her college requirements, not a National thing.

Ds did a Btec and there was a requirement to complete x number of work experience hours for his particular course. He did it ad hoc, he arranged to do some shadowing on several different days plus used a course he was assisting with.

Could she swap her hours to a different day/week?

Ask college for the legislation / contract that states it is compulsory? There is no national requirement and they should not be lying to their students to get them to comply 😮
If the college have a requirement to complete this as part of the course, they should explain that. But they should be flexible around the hours if they are outside of her normal college hours. If her work shifts are during the day due to space in her timetable that may be harder to argue.

She could also ask work if it is possible to swap shifts with someone - ask a manager and explain why rather than colleagues.

Depending on the course she is doing, some work experience may be mandatory? But it's not compulsory in general for Y12s. That said, if it is college policy that everyone is doing work experience this week, and she's already organised a suitable placement, she probably does need to find a way to get the time off at work.

If work is clashing too much with things she wants/needs to do, perhaps she should look for a more flexible job- e.g. zero hours so she can pick up shifts when she is free? Having very fixed work commitments may be a lot in Y13.

Or, if it's an evening job, could she negotiate an early finish with the work experience placement?

Surely this is all part of work experience, you can't just have off whenever you like even if unpaid. You are employed to attend work