Federation of Small Businesses calls for reinstatement of compulsory work experience

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said axing work experience for Key Stage 4 students in England in 2012 had made it harder for them to have their first taste of the employment skills they will need.

Mike Cherry, chairman of the FSB, said it had become increasingly difficult for small firms and young people to arrange work experience.

He added: “More than 40 per cent of small firms already offer work experience either as part of the recruitment process or through their community outreach, but now it’s time that this is taken to the next level.

“Smaller firms are more likely to hire people from harder-to-reach backgrounds, which is why the reintroduction of work experience would be a valuable leg-up for students looking to experience work and small firms looking to plug their recruitment gaps in the future.”

A Department for Education spokesman said: “The Secretary of State regularly meets with businesses to talk about preparing young people for adult life and hosted a roundtable last month with 10 of the UK’s best entrepreneurs to discuss how entrepreneurial spirit and traits could be encouraged within our school system.

“Indeed our education reforms, from introducing new GCSEs to overhauling apprenticeships and technical education, are all about giving young people the knowledge, skills and opportunities to succeed in whatever path they choose to follow.

“We have funded the Careers & Enterprise Company to set up a network of business volunteers which is now active in over 2,000 secondary schools and colleges.

“And we want all young people to understand the full range of opportunities available to them, to learn from employers about work and the skills that are valued in the workplace and to have first-hand experience of the workplace.”