Editorial Comment:

Focus

This summary presents the main findings of the yearlong study for the Department of Education and Employment (DfEE) evaluating the scope and quality of pre-16 work experience in England and Wales. The main aims of the study were to map out work experience provision, to assess the quality of work experience programmes and examine the impact of the new funding provided under the Competitevness White Paper (and People and Prosperity in Wales). The research centred on a survey of area work experience co-ordinators and six detailed case studies, in areas adopting different approaches to work experience. It is based on interviews with teachers (from 30 schools), 150 employers and a survey of over 1,200 work experience students.

Findings

The authors conclude that the vast majority of placements are of good quality and the new funding has provided an important impetus to improve provision. However, perhaps as many as a quarter of placements fall below generally accepted minimum standards. Limited resources, changes in the National Curriculum and the perceived lack of relevance to academic attainment may further constrain the quality of work experience programmes. Nevertheless, the authors feel there is scope for further improvements in respect of:

• developing individual learning objectives for each student;
• helping central agencies to provide schools with labour market and strategic support;
• encouraging schools to provide two-week placements, where they are not yet in place;
• encouraging schools to avoid arranging placements close to school holidays, to maximise the scope for integration of the experience into the curriculum;
• developing IT systems so schools can access employer databases to make matches in ‘real time’;
• providing more clerical support in schools to release high value teacher time to matching and preparation;
• ensuring the efficient checking of health and safety and other requirements;
• co-ordinating the development of common quality assurance systems to accredit effective schools, and;
• disseminating support materials to employers to help them develop worthwhile programmes.