What a week’s work experience taught these Year 10s about their futures
Kelsey said that when she first got to middle school, she wanted to be just about anywhere but there.
He had trouble with friendships, clashed with teachers, and often tried to avoid going to school.
But after a week-long work experience placement at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, his perspective couldn’t be more different.
He said it made him a “completely different person”, with more self-confidence, a “good group of friends” and a greater sense of purpose about where his education could take him.
Children in the UK are strongly encouraged to gain work experience while at school. In England, the government published new legal guidance in June for schools to offer two weeks of “personal and immersive” work experience in future, one between Years 7 and 9 and the other between Years 10 and 11.
But not all work experience placements are equal and finding the right one can be difficult.
Organizations such as the Sutton Foundation and the Social Mobility Foundation said some students may be limited by the availability of placements in their local area or lack of family links to local employers.
With one year to go before their final GCSE exams, BBC News spoke to three Year 10 students about how they decided which areas of study they were interested in, their experiences of finding the right placement and what it taught them about their future education and ultimate career goals.
