Modern Work Experience: The Missing Link in the UK’s Skills Revolution
What is the national focus on skills?
Across education, industry, and government, one message is consistent: the UK’s future workforce must be adaptable, skilled, and connected to real-world opportunity.
Initiatives such as the Post-16 Skills Plan, the Work Experience Guarantee, and the Careers & Enterprise Company’s Modern Work Experience programme all point towards the same national ambition, ensuring every young person gains the knowledge, skills, and confidence employers need.
But achieving this ambition will take more than policy. It will require modern systems, local partnerships, and digital infrastructure capable of turning guidance into meaningful experience, for every learner, in every setting.
Why do traditional models fall short?
For decades, work experience has been an essential but uneven feature of secondary education.
Some students access high-quality placements and employer projects; others miss out entirely due to geography, capacity, or administration.
Manual paperwork, risk assessments, and fragmented employer engagement have made consistency difficult, especially when schools are balancing competing priorities, safeguarding requirements, and stretched staff capacity.
The result? An unequal system of opportunity, where access to the world of work depends as much on local networks as on national ambition.
How to define modern work experience?
The modern work experience approach, as defined by the Careers & Enterprise Company, is about quality, inclusion, and evidence.
It moves beyond the one-size-fits-all “two-week placement” model and embraces a blend of meaningful encounters and workplace experiences across Key Stages 3 and 4.
Modern work experience is designed to be:
- Meaningful: every experience is purposeful, structured, and linked to learning outcomes (Gatsby Benchmark 6).
- Inclusive: all learners, including those with SEND or facing disadvantage, have equitable access.
- Evidenced: experiences are tracked, reflected on, and used to demonstrate impact, for Ofsted, governors, and system leaders alike.
These experiences can take many forms, from traditional placements and employer-led projects to virtual sessions, hybrid models, or short employer encounters that gradually build confidence and awareness.
The emphasis is on progression and readiness, not simply attendance.
What is the key link in the UK’s skills revolution?
Modern work experience sits at the heart of the UK’s wider skills revolution, bridging the gap between education and employment.
The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper called for a system that equips every learner with the skills employers need in growth sectors such as digital, green technology, health, and advanced manufacturing. Yet genuine readiness starts long before post-16.
Embedding modern work experience across secondary education helps young people understand how their learning connects to real opportunities, supporting informed choices, social equity, and stronger local economies.
How does technology enable quality and scale?
Delivering this vision requires more than good intentions.
Schools need efficient systems to manage placements, track outcomes, and evidence progress, without adding administrative burden.
That’s why The Changing Education Group designed the Work Experience Suite (WES), a seamless, digital, and compliant solution that brings every element of modern work experience together.
Our platform supports schools, colleges, and Careers Hubs with:
- National and local employer engagement through our dedicated networks.
- Automated compliance and safeguarding, ensuring effortless risk management.
- Learner reflection and feedback tools, aligning with equalex learning outcomes.
- Data and analytics that demonstrate impact for Ofsted, governors, and funders.
By digitising the process, schools can focus on what really matters, quality encounters, meaningful learning, and equitable access for every student.
What does modern work experience look like in practice?
Across our partner schools and Careers Hubs, we’re already seeing the difference.
- Careers Leaders report significant time savings in administration.
- Employers find it easier to offer opportunities that match their skills needs.
- Students experience varied, inclusive encounters that build confidence and curiosity, not just CV content.
A fully connected system means every learner’s journey is visible, from their first employer Q&A in KS3 to their workplace placement in KS4.
This is what true alignment with the Work Experience Guarantee and equalex framework looks like in action.
Where can schools start?
- Audit your current provision: Map existing encounters and placements against Gatsby Benchmark 6.
- Include early encounters: Introduce employer talks, visits, or short projects in KS3.
- Align with equalex: Use the framework to link learning outcomes to skills, behaviours, and readiness.
- Engage local employers: Work with Careers Hubs to access regional growth sectors and networks.
- Digitise your approach: Implement a system that captures data, compliance, and learner reflection efficiently.
Final thoughts
The UK’s skills revolution depends on more than policy statements, it depends on how effectively schools, employers, and partners turn ambition into access.
Modern work experience represents the missing link between education and employment, connecting young people’s learning to the real world, at scale, and with purpose.
The Changing Education Group is proud to support this mission.Through our Work Experience Suite and national partnerships, we’re helping schools and Careers Hubs deliver Ofsted-ready, Gatsby-aligned, and truly modern work experience for every learner.
What would “modern work experience” look like in your setting, and what evidence would you need to prove its impact?