Speakers for Schools responds to Education Select Committee session with Robert Halfon on CEIAG

Dr Elnaz Kashef, Ph.D our Head of Policy and Research, responds to the recent Education Select Committee and shares her top four takeaways from the session.

It was fascinating to hear the Skills and Apprenticeships minister Robert Halfon MP give evidence to the House of Commons Education Select Committee yesterday. Minister Halfon discussed his views on the critical impact and importance of work experience and endorsed the principles of universal access while highlighting the work we carry out here at Speakers for Schools.

We were incredibly grateful that Committee Chair Robin Walker MP raised the importance of work experience in the session and cited the recent Social Market Foundation (SMF) policy paper commissioned by Speakers for Schools. We appreciate his contribution to our launch event and his endorsement of the findings.

1. Gatsby Benchmarks are saving the Treasury billions of pounds

Minster Halfon mentioned that meeting Gatsby benchmarks reduces the probability of young people becoming NEET (not in employment, education, or training), which has a broader impact on saving the economy billions of pounds. Work experience is part of the Benchmarks, and our research with YouGov validates his point. Speakers for Schools recent policy research undertaken by Social Market Foundation shows that an investment of £75 million would be enough to provide two placements to all young people before the age of 18. This investment in their future would reap significant economic benefits for all of society and benefit public finance significantly in the long run.

We believe some of this potential expenditure is already in the system and simply needs to be displaced and reallocated. Additionally, this should not mean an extra burden for the school's budget as organisations such as Speakers for Schools can help deliver a scaled programme cost-effectively. Investing in existing systems ensures sensible spending on work experience for all.

2. Opportunities for young people from rural areas and cold spots

The Minister was also asked about access to work experience in rural areas and the difficulties young people face in places where there are fewer employers and from limited backgrounds. We believe remote work experience can successfully overcome geographical barriers or regional disparities. We ramped up our virtual delivery post-pandemic and are getting great feedback from employers and participants alike. We must look at all options when delivering work experience, as there cannot be a one size fits all approach. We also welcome the Minister's focus on cold spots and the need to prioritise the areas that need the most help. This goes to the core of our mission, and we are here to support our network of employers and guest speakers.

3. Local infrastructure hand in hand with central support

Our report suggested that we need local infrastructure to deliver work experience for all, and the career hubs might be the best place for it. Therefore, it was great to hear in the session that around 90% of schools are now part of a career hub

We need the right investment level to deliver for every young person in England regardless of where they are from or where they went to school. We also think the funding should cover additional support to schools and colleges to find the time and human resources in their already pressured budget by recruiting staff to look after coordination and logistics. We hope to meet with Minister Halfon also to present the evidence on the barriers educators face in terms of the admin burden of work experience for all young people and some practical solutions.

4. Flexibility 

Finally, the Minister discussed a flexible approach to a universal work experience. We could not agree more. A modern, relevant and flexible approach can help schools and employers. We need to make it easier for them to support and not seek to impose a prescriptive plan which does not reflect their local needs, but that requires careful planning and investment.

It was immensely gratifying to hear our work experience campaign being discussed in an important forum like the Education Select Committee. I am also incredibly proud that there was an acknowledgement of the great work of our charity in delivering opportunities to young people, in addition to the hundreds of inspirational talks which take place.

We will continue to promote the benefits of universal work experience access, and please do get in touch with me directly to find out more.

Download the research reports and keep in touch on the Work Experience For All campaign here.