This presentation from the OECD Disrupted Futures 2023: International lessons on how schools can best equip students for their working lives conference looks at Work experience placements “Work experience for all; exploring the relationship between work placement and employment outcomes”. Presented by Elnaz Kashef and Chris Percy. Discover the videos and other sessions from the OECD Disrupted Futures 2023 conference at https://www.oecd.org/education/career-readiness/conferences-webinars/disrupted-futures-2023.htm Find out more about our work on Career Readiness https://www.oecd.org/education/career-readiness/

1. Work experience for all
OECD Disrupted Future Conference
June 2023
Dr Elnaz Kashef – Head of Research and Policy Speakers for Schools
Dr Chris Percy – Independent Career Researcher

2. The approach
• In a YouGov survey commissioned by Speakers for Schools, 2,000 18–30-
year-olds were surveyed to recall work experiences in school and
college. The data was collected in March 2022.
• We asked about current economic activity, if they are in employment and
whether they did work experience with employers in the past.
• We also asked them a series of questions about their socio-economic
backgrounds including gender, social grade, highest level of qualification,
school and college type attended and so on.
• Borrowed methodology from influential papers in the world of careers
education; asking young people to recall their experiences at school and
college

3. Declining trends in participation
• Since 2012, school-age work experience was removed as a statutory duty for schools.
• We have seen a decline in participation rate with stark differences regionally.
• This trend changed sightly when the Career Strategy and the Gatsby benchmarks were published
in 2017 but it never fully recovered.
• Despite increase in post-16 work experience participation, overall young people recall fewer
opportunities when looked at trends by age groups.
58
49
65
68
44
74
77
38
81
School-age Post-16 14-18
Total number of wex 14-18 (%)
18-21 22-25 26-30

4. • There is a statistically significant
relationship between social grade
and the number of work experience
activities while young people in
education.
(p-value: 0.06)
• Young people from higher social
grades are more likely to have done
more than two work experience
comparing to those coming from
more disadvantaged families.
No. of WEX 14-18
Social Grade
Total
C2DE ABC1
None
Count 91 214 305
% 28% 22% 23.6%
One
Count 119 353 472
% 37% 36% 36.6%
Two
Count 63 240 303
% 20% 25% 23.5%
3plus
Count 48 162 210
% 15% 18% 16.3%
Total
Count 321 969 1290
% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%
Social Grade and Volume
of WEX

5. School type attended and volume of
work experience
• The cross-tabulation of volume and school type shows that
 overall young people who attended private schools are significantly
likely to have done 3 plus work experience compared to their peers at
state schools.
 Young people from independent schools are twice as likely to have
attended 3 plus work experience (33%), including virtual and
in-person as opposed to only 17% of state school young people.
• This pattern is similar when looking at 16-18 age group. Young people from
independent sixth-form colleges are significantly more likely to have done 3
plus work experience compared to young people from state-funded colleges.

6. • This is total WEX (in-person and
virtual) across 14-18 with live
employers
• There are differences across UK
region and the difference is
statistically significant.
• The lowest participation rates are
among West Midlands, Scotland and
East of England.
• Northern Ireland, Wales, North East
and London show the highest
participation in WEX.
WEX Participation
14-18 total
No Yes at least one
Which area of
the UK
do you live
in?
North East
Count 13 53
% 19.7% 80.%
North West
Count 33 131
% 20.1% 79.%
Yorkshire and the
Humber
Count 37 106
% 25.9% 74.%
East Midlands
Count 26 85
% 23.4% 77%
West Midlands
Count 46 91
% 33.6% 66%
East of England
Count 40 94
% 29.9% 70%
London
Count 41 172
% 19.2% 81%
South East
Count 54 156
% 25.7% 74%
South West
Count 31 99
% 23.8% 76%
Wales
Count 12 61
% 16.4% 84%
Scotland
Count 38 82
% 31.7% 68.3%
Northern Ireland
Count 6 41
% 12.8% 87%
Total
Count 377 1171
% 24.4% 75.6%
Geography and Work
Experience Participation
Across 14-18

7. Wage premium analysis results
Linear regression on ln wage
N R2 Coeff on Total
Live Wex Types
Robust p-value for
non-zero value
Raw 715 0.01 3.4% 0.072
Level 1 controls 646 0.16 3.1% 0.096
Level 1 + 2 controls 637 0.21 3.8% 0.039
Level 1 + 2 + 3 controls 637 0.28 3.2% 0.085
Level 1 + 2 + 3 controls; non-robust
standard errors
637 0.28 3.2% 0.010
Level 1 + 2 + 3 controls – only
include those in FT work, without
declared education/apprenticeship
622 0.27 3.0% 0.106
Level 1 + 2 + 3 controls – do not
drop any sample for data quality
concerns
686 0.27 2.1% 0.226
Level 1 + 2 + 3 controls – remove
outliers (Cooks distance D 4/N
heuristic)
604 0.33 1.4% 0.214
Level 1 + 2 + 3 controls – remove
outliers (Cooks distance D 3 times
mean heuristic)
635 0.28 3.2% 0.085
• Predictor variable of interest: “Total Live WEX
Types”: Total number of different types of live
work experience reported, being a total from 0
to 8
• Outcome variable: Natural log of gross annual
wage reported [squared term considered for
main analysis]
• For each additional type of live work experience
reported throughout secondary school, whether
virtual or face-to-face, respondents in full-time
work reported a 3.4% higher average wage,
statistically significant at the 10% level using
robust standard errors.
• Linear regression with robust standard errors
[robustness check: use non-robust standard
errors]

8. NEET analysis result
Odds ratio SE Sig N
Pre-16 0.69 0.2 0.075 1,302
Post-16 0.56 0.21 0.014 1,215
• Predictor variable of interest: “Total number of work experience attended”: Total number of different types of work
experience with live interaction with employers; total number could vary from 0 to 8
• Outcome variable: economic activity on the day of the survey
• Participation in work experience reduces the likelihood of being NEET from 11% to 7% (higher for post-16) after
controlling for qualification, gender, whether the respondent lives in urban/rural area, whether they have disability, age
FSM receipt.
• Binay logistic regression
[robustness check: model fitness at 90%]

9. Impact of work experience
• For each additional work experience, young people reported a 3.4% wage increase. This equates to an
additional £1,088 per year using the sample average salary of £32k.
• Attending work experience reduces the likelihood of being NEET from 11% to 7%, having controlled for
socio-economic status.
• One-third of young people who recalled attending work experience at school reported improvement in
essential skills such as communication and problem-solving. This rises to 45% for work experience
between the ages of 16 and 18.
• Work experience also improves confidence and self-belief. One-third of young people who reported
attending work experience at school age believed their confidence and self-belief was improved (31%).
This increased to 55% for 16–18-year-olds.
• The evidence to date suggests there is a significant causal component to these relationships, given a
theory of change and testimony from YP, but quantifying that component precisely goes beyond the
scope of the data/methodology as currently available.

10. Implications
• Extensive evidence has previously found that undertaking multiple experiences of the
workplace while at secondary school has significant impact on young people lives.
• However, young people from state-funded education recall fewer opportunities when
comparing with their peers in independent schools and colleges.
• Young people from independent schools are twice as likely to have attended 3 plus work
experience (33%) including virtual and ​in-person as opposed to only 17% of state school
young people. ​
• The responsibility for organising work experience and other career-related learning activities
for young people is passed on to schools and colleges.
• Speakers for Schools launched a campaign in September 2022 to challenge the status quo.

11. Thank you!
Question and Answer
Full report here: https://www.speakersforschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SP-2074_SFS-
Work-Experience-For-All-YouGov-Report_v1.pdf
Elnaz.Kashefpakdel@speakersforschools.org