Half of state school students lack access to work experience, putting them at a “double disadvantage” when applying to top universities, a new report warns.
One-third of universities take work experience into account when assessing applications, according to today’s report by the Speakers for Schools charity.
And students from disadvantaged backgrounds are disproportionately missing out because they often lack this experience, the report says.
University applicants from affluent areas are six times more likely to have an offer from a prestigious university, such as a Russell Group institution, compared with those from disadvantaged areas, the research shows.
This disparity in access to work experience “creates a double disadvantage for young people educated in the state sector”, the report says.
The work experience barrier to university
Nearly all Russell Group universities include work experience in their admissions criteria for courses such as veterinary science, dentistry and medicine, the charity says.
Nick Brook, CEO of Speakers for Schools, said: “With intense competition for places, it is vital that young people can compete on a level playing field.”
But the odds are “stacked firmly in favour of pupils from more advantaged backgrounds”, he added.
The report calls on Russell Group universities to extend their outreach activities to schools serving disadvantaged communities.
Compulsory work experience was scrapped by the coalition government in 2012.
Speakers for Schools wants the government to ensure that schools and colleges are “adequately funded to support universal access to high-quality work experience for all”.
It is calling on the government to make sure that schools are properly recognised for valuing and prioritising “meaningful” careers education and work experience.
With state schools under “acute funding and staffing pressures”, careers education and work experience “often get deprioritised”, it says.
The charity found that providing one work experience placement for all young people by the age of 16 would cost £35 million. According to government figures, school funding for 2024-25 totalled £59.5 billion.
The report notes that young people want careers support from schools in areas such as how to create a good CV, how perform well in interviews and how to find a job.
They would also appreciate help in understanding which skills, attitudes and qualifications employers require.
The Speakers for Schools report calls on school leaders to ensure that all young people “have access to multi-day, high-quality work experience”, adding that it is critical that career leaders and teachers are supported to secure placements for students.
Leaders are also urged to provide encounters with further and higher education during school years. The charity says that by the age of 16 every student should have had a meaningful encounter with providers of the full range of educational opportunities, including universities.
Lack of funding hits careers education
Sarah Hannafin, head of policy at the NAHT school leaders’ union, said: “Work-related learning at secondary age is crucial to help pupils to think about their future, while providing them with a valuable taste of the world of work.”
She blamed a lack of funding for the drop in work experience opportunities, saying “schools no longer have the dedicated staff or resources to set up work experience placements for students”.
Schools must be provided with the resources to provide high-quality careers education, she said, adding that broader careers education should begin at primary school.
Kevin Gilmartin, post-16 specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, echoed these comments, saying: “The problem is that schools and colleges are poorly funded and under pressure on many fronts. They often lack the time, staffing and resources needed for many things, including organising and providing these opportunities. More investment is urgently required to support this provision, as well as for careers guidance and advice.”
If it is elected to government, the Labour Party has said it will “deliver two weeks’ worth of high-quality work experience for every young person at secondary school or college”.
The party has also said it will train more than 1,000 new careers advisers with up-to-date knowledge of post-16 pathways.
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