Teens Want More Work Experience and Job Application Help, BBC Survey Finds

More than four in 10 UK teenagers want more work experience opportunities at school. A similar proportion are calling for more guidance on how to apply for jobs, according to a survey for the BBC.

The online survey, carried out by Survation, asked 2,000 young people aged 13 to 18 about the world of work. It also asked what help they need to find employment after they leave full-time education.

What Teenagers Want From Schools

The most common responses were more work experience (44%) and help managing finances (43%). Respondents also wanted guidance on how to apply for jobs (42%), how to manage stress and mental health (39%) and how to develop their communication skills (38%).

Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said it was the government’s “mission” to ensure teenagers leave school “confident about their next step and equipped with the skills and experience they need to succeed”.

In England, the government wants to guarantee two weeks of work experience for every young person during secondary school. The BBC survey suggests not all teenagers currently receive this opportunity. More than half of respondents said they had not done any work experience.

Four Students Try Out Work

As part of the Teen Summit project by Radio 5 Live and Bitesize, the BBC followed four students from Newcastle: Param, McKenzie, Jasmine and Javaris. They took up roles for the first time during their work experience placements.

Jasmine, 15, said she is worried about the future. “I’m terrified about the future. I feel very uncertain about it,” she said. She enjoyed working on logo designs at web design and development agency Readysalted. However, the placement made her realise she was probably unsuited to an office job. She said she was still worried about making “the wrong decision” about what to do next.

Param spent his placement at social housing group Re:Gen. He said the experience showed him that work requires more than knowledge and understanding. “Social skills are just as important as academic skills,” he said. He met clients and worked with people he had never met before. He also joined staff carrying out quality checks on social housing. He said schools should also teach other aspects of adult life. “We need to know about houses, mortgages, selling and tax,” he said.

Javaris spent a week at Siemens Energy with his friend and classmate McKenzie. He said the placement challenged his social skills in a new setting. He now wants to become a doctor, but said the week gave him an insight into how different parts of a company are run. McKenzie, who wants to study chemistry or become a firefighter, said he enjoyed speaking with people in different jobs. He also noticed the differences between “hands-on” roles and office work.

Views on AI and the Future of Work

Following the rise of AI and new technologies in the workplace, 32% of teenagers surveyed said school was preparing them badly for the future of work. More than half said it was preparing them well.

The BBC challenged Javaris and McKenzie to develop their communication skills. They put some of their questions to Aaron Smith, head of business for GT Service at Siemens Energy. Smith said academic results are not enough on their own. “You can be extremely academically strong, but if you can’t do a presentation, if you can’t speak in public, if you are in a group exercise and you step back, these are the kind of softer skills that will be picked out in an apprenticeship assessment centre,” he said.

McKenzie said AI should be added to the national curriculum. “It’s getting harder and harder to see what’s AI and what’s not,” he said. He also said he was concerned about the impact AI may have on the availability of jobs. However, he said he was “positive” about his future prospects. Smith said AI is “huge” within the industry. “We’re actively encouraging AI training, AI learning, AI applications in our business to make us better,” he said.

The teens’ deputy principal, Nigel Holmes, said it was “really important” for schools to prepare students for academic qualifications. He added that schools would be “really remiss” if they did not also teach wider employability skills.

Looking Ahead

On Sunday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he wanted the government to “invest in the success of our young people”. Plans for thousands of job opportunities are expected this week.

Despite concerns about AI and a tough jobs market, more than three quarters of the teenagers surveyed said they still felt positive about their futures. In the weeks since their placements, all four students said they feel clearer about their future opportunities.

Javaris said work experience should be mandatory. He said it “really gives you an insight of what to expect [as] you get older”. Jasmine, who was worried about what the future might hold before her placement, now feels less uncertain. After speaking to her school careers adviser, she is considering studying psychology. “I was kind of worried that I wouldn’t get the grades I wanted. I still am a bit,” she said. “But I definitely know now that even if you don’t get grade nines, you’ll still have a future and you can still be happy with your job.”