03/03/2026
The world of work is shifting faster than ever. Hybrid and remote working are now firmly embedded across sectors, and the labour market has cooled significantly. By late 2025, youth unemployment had risen to 16.1%, reaching its highest level in over a decade, and the number of young people not in education, employment or training remained high at 946,000 (12.7%). These indicators underline how competitive and uncertain early-career entry has become for young people.
Amid this backdrop, meaningful work experience is more important than ever — yet also more difficult to secure.
My own experience — and why this matters
Like many young people, I grew up wanting to become a professional footballer. Fortunately, my school and college helped translate that ambition into realitybased experience, arranging work placements at leisure centres and professional football clubs. These early exposures shaped my first job in sports coaching and ultimately my career in people services.
I was lucky. But too many young people today face barriers that prevent them accessing even a single meaningful encounter with employers.
Unequal access persists — and is widening
Recent evidence shows that access to quality work experience remains deeply unequal. Employer encounters and exposure to the workplace positively influence future employment outcomes — including reduced NEET risk and improved earnings — yet young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds engage less consistently in career development and are less likely to experience these opportunities.
The inequality becomes particularly stark when looking at internships, which now form a key stepping stone into many professions. In 2025:
- 61% of recent graduate internships were unpaid or underpaid.
- Only 1 in 10 internships were openly advertised.
- 40% of unpaid interns relied on parental financial support.
- The participation gap between working-class and middle-class graduates widened to 20 percentage points.
This means that talent without financial or social capital is being systematically excluded — long before they even begin their careers.
The labour market reality in 2025–2026
The youth employment landscape paints an increasingly challenging picture:
- Youth unemployment rose to 16.1% in the final quarter of 2025 — increasing faster than the overall unemployment rate.
- Nearly 40% of unemployed 18–24-year-olds had been out of work for over six months, a point at which long-term scarring effects begin to take hold.
- NEET numbers remained persistently high at 946,000 young people in mid-2025.
Access to authentic work-related experiences — whether in person, hybrid or project-based — is becoming a defining factor in whether young people can successfully navigate the transition into employment.
A positive shift: redefining what ‘experience’ means
The good news is that innovation is happening.
In my local area, schools are increasingly collaborating with professionals to deliver employer talks, enterprise challenges and mock interviews. One school designed a hybrid programme for Year 9 and 10 pupils unable to secure placements. Their activities included:
- community action projects
- resident and visitor surveys
- creating a children’s summer trail
- photography and social media content
- gardening and environmental improvements
- intergenerational community work
This approach echoes findings from the 2023–2025 National Citizen Service evaluation, where young people reported high levels of enjoyment and demonstrated improved leadership, teamwork and problem-solving skills. These forms of experience provide structure, challenge and real-world impact — often more accessible and sometimes more relevant than traditional placements.
The careers system is strengthening — but inconsistently
Progress is being made across schools and colleges. National data for 2023/24 shows that institutions now achieve an average of 5.8 out of 8 Gatsby Benchmarks, with experiences of workplaces (Benchmark 6) improving significantly to 72%. This signals a stronger commitment to workplace exposure across the system.
From September 2025, updated Government guidance will require all secondary schools, colleges and independent training providers to adopt the revised Gatsby Benchmarks — including a clearer, more rigorous definition of what constitutes a meaningful workplace experience. This aligns with the Government’s Work Experience Guarantee and places experience firmly at the heart of career education.
However, the availability and quality of opportunities still vary significantly across regions and school contexts.
How our sector can shape the future of work experience
Strengthen partnerships with schools — especially in underserved areas
Areas with high youth unemployment or lower employer engagement should be prioritised to ensure fair access to early career insights.
Offer flexible, hybrid and short-format opportunities
A one or two-day placement can be transformative. Hybrid formats allow employers to widen access and manage capacity more efficiently.
Invest your time, not just your vacancies
Mock interviews, skills sessions, live business challenges and community-based projects all count as meaningful experience.
Commit to fairness and transparency
Openly advertise opportunities and pay interns fairly. Unpaid internships disproportionately exclude young people who lack financial support.
Give young people real problems to solve
Invite students to design marketing campaigns, analyse data, propose service improvements or lead small projects. These activities build both confidence and employability skills.
The world of work will keep evolving — so must work experience
The labour market data from 2025–2026 makes one thing clear: young people need structured opportunities that help them understand the world of work, discover their strengths and build the skills that employers value.
Our sector is uniquely positioned to facilitate this — through our employer networks, our social value commitments and our ability to create diverse, accessible routes into experience.
Now is the moment to ensure that every young person, regardless of background, can take their first meaningful step towards the future they want.
Rob Houlston,
Director of Performance, Development and Growth
References
- Office for National Statistics — NEET data, Aug 2025. [youthemplo...ent.org.uk]
- Young People Joblessness 2025 — ONS labour market release. [visaverge.com]
- Sutton Trust (2025) — Unpaid and underpaid internships. [suttontrust.com]
- Sutton Trust (2025) — Access and participation gap in internships. [independent.co.uk]
- OECD — Teenage career readiness research. [oecd.org]
- OECD Education Working Papers (2021–2025) — Career development indicators. [one.oecd.org]
- National Citizen Service Evaluation 2023–2025. [gov.uk]
- Careers & Enterprise Company — Gatsby Benchmark results 2023/24. [careersand...rise.co.uk]
- Government update on Gatsby Benchmarks (2025). [gatsby.org.uk]
- Institute of Student Employers — Hybrid work experience challenges (2024). [ise.org.uk]
- Personnel Today — Hybrid work experience trends (2022–2025). [personneltoday.com]
