The reality of work experience in 2026

The data on work experience is hard to argue with. Students who have four or more meaningful encounters with employers are 86% less likely to be NEET and can earn up to 22% more in their future careers. 

In schools achieving all eight Gatsby Benchmarks, disadvantaged young people see a 20% reduction in NEET rates, which is an amazing outcome. 

Yet the gap between what the evidence says works and what most schools can realistically deliver is widening. 

Fewer large employers are offering traditional placements. SMEs desperately want to help but find the compliance burden overwhelming. Remote working has changed the types of placement available. And, most importantly, career leaders are often being asked to coordinate far more interactions, across more year groups, without an uplift in resources. 

This article is about making it work in practice. 

Greater access means better outcomes

WEX Month, launching this July, frames the challenge well: parents and carers have significantly different networks and contacts, so the opportunities students secure can vary dramatically. 

The guarantee exists to close that gap. But it only works if schools are deliberate about who they're reaching. Not just counting placements, but checking which student groups are accessing them. Are students with SEND getting the same range of experiences? Are disadvantaged young people getting opportunities that genuinely broaden their horizons, or just the ones that were easiest to arrange?

Under the 2026 model, a mainstream student's pathway typically builds to 53 or more hours across three or more sectors and nine or more employers. A tailored SEND pathway focuses on depth and routine, often reaching 89 or more hours with more supported, frequent interactions. 

Both need planning and support. 

What's working

Schools and colleges managing this well tend to share a few things.

They've moved away from the big Year 10 block. Instead, they're building gradually. A workplace visit in Year 7. A short placement or virtual experience in Year 8. Something more in-depth in Year 9. By Key Stage 4, students have already built confidence and context. The learning and experience layers up rather than arriving all at once.

They're also broadening what counts. Virtual work experience, project-based work with real employers, sector visits, college tasters, community projects. If it has a clear purpose, genuine interaction with employees, real tasks and structured reflection, it meets the "meaningful" criteria under the updated Gatsby Benchmark 6. The good news is plenty of schools are finding that activities they've run for years already fit. They just weren't necessarily tracking them against a framework, such as equalex. A Year 8 enterprise day, a college open day visit, and a virtual employer talk might already cover several Tier 1 and Tier 2 outcomes.

Schools are also benefiting from engaging parents earlier. Not just through the permission slip, but involving families in the conversation about why this matters, what their child is doing and how they can support at home. Research shows 70% of young people turn to parents for careers advice, yet parents in lower socioeconomic groups are significantly less likely to be asked. That's a gap schools can actively close by building parent engagement into the programme, particularly for students who need it most.

A big area of opportunity is also reducing friction for employers, who are under particular economic pressure right now, despite strong interest. When compliance is handled digitally and communication runs through a central system, employers are far more willing to say yes.

That matters when you're asking the same employer to come back year after year. It matters even more when you look at the business case: Surrey County Council reported that employers who engage in work experience are 77% more likely to report business benefits, rising to 90% for those offering a wider range of experiences. When you're approaching a local business, leading with that evidence is far more persuasive than asking for a favour.

Practical starting points

If you're looking at September and wondering where to begin, here are a few things worth considering:

Map what you've already got

You might be surprised how much of your current provision already meets equalex learning outcomes. Competitions, community projects, virtual employer sessions, college visits. Plot them against the three tiers and see where the depth already sits.

Check who's missing

Look at your provision by student cohort. Which groups are well served? Which aren't? A Careers Impact internal leadership review (Theme 5) is a useful diagnostic, but even an informal mapping exercise will show you where the gaps are.

Plan the journey, not just the placements

Think about where each year group sits in the Tier 1 (Introduce and Inspire), Tier 2 (Investigate and Explore), Tier 3 (Apply and Demonstrate) progression. You don't need to fill every gap straight away. Having the map gives you something to build towards and makes the case for resources. 

Diversify on purpose

Virtual experiences can reach students who struggle with traditional placements. Project-based work engages employers who can't host on-site. Hybrid models open up sectors and locations that weren't accessible before. Think about which formats work best for which students and which year groups.

Make the employer case

When you're asking businesses to get involved, lead with what's in it for them. Structured work experience helps employers build a more diverse early-career pipeline. The evidence shows they're likely to see real business benefits, especially if you work with them to offer a range of experiences rather than a single block placement. Frame it as a mutual investment, not a favour.

Get the admin under control

If you're coordinating across multiple year groups, managing employer relationships, tracking participation and evidencing outcomes, spreadsheets and email will only take you so far. It's worth looking at platforms that handle compliance, tracking and employer communication centrally, so you can spend your time on strategy and relationships instead of paperwork. 

Morrisby's Work Experience module does this and because it sits within our careers guidance platform, your placement tracking connects to Gatsby evidence and the wider student journey rather than living in a separate system. 

For Multi Academy Trusts, this also means one system across the trust, with visibility of provision and outcomes across all your schools.

The bigger picture

No school can solve this alone. The employer engagement challenge, the equity challenge, the sheer scale of what's being asked: these need a collaborative response. Regional partnerships are already showing what's possible. The South West Work Experience Partnership manages over 10,000 listings and placed more than 6,000 learners in a single year.

Your part starts with your own provision. Understand where you are. Be honest about who you're reaching. Build progressively. Find the partnerships, networks and support that make it sustainable and leverage technology to support the admin and reporting.

The evidence for meaningful work experience is as strong as it gets. The young people who'll benefit most are the ones who wouldn't have had these opportunities otherwise.

Further resources

These free resources from Morrisby can help you, your students and your placement providers:

For students:

• Finding work experience and great alternatives - a practical guide covering virtual work experience, volunteering, and shadowing
• Making the most out of work experience - how to prepare, what to expect, and how to present the experience in applications

For employers:

• Employers hosting work experience - covers the legal framework, safeguarding, induction, and setting placement objectives. It’s a useful link to share with any employer considering offering a placement.

‍