Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to encourage large businesses to offer work placements to school leavers.

The government’s careers strategy for England, which was published in December 2017, introduces a new expectation that secondary schools should follow the Gatsby Foundation’s Benchmarks of Good Career Guidance. This means that schools should offer every young person at least one encounter a year with employers from year 7 through to year 13.

The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) is recruiting up to 150 employers as ‘cornerstone’ employers committed to increasing the number of encounters and workplace experiences offered. The CEC’s network of 125 Enterprise Coordinators and over 2000 Enterprise Advisers (who are business volunteers) is also helping to increase employer encounters and work experience. For example, in East Sussex, John O’Connor Ltd. has arranged multiple work experience placements for pupils at Saxon Mount Community Special School so that students can gain a practical understanding of grounds maintenance work.

Every 16 to 19 year old student following one of the new T levels in England will be entitled to a high quality industry placement. Industry placements are structured periods in employment that are expected to last a minimum of 45 days. We are putting in place measures to directly support employers such as providing a ‘one stop shop’ for guidance and support from the National Apprenticeship Service. This includes a simple referral platform so that employers only have one place to go to be put in touch with providers in their area. We are also investing significantly through the Capacity and Delivery Fund to help providers put in place the systems to organise placements so that the burden is taken off employers.