‘Don’t let the nepo babies win’: TV stars champion work experience

To do this, the charity wants to convince every political party to commit to a minimum of two work experience placements for every child in England, leveling the playing field for those without a private education.

Speaking to The Drum, the organization’s chief marketing officer Dan Walsh said of the benefits of work experience: ”It provides the connections, confidence and horizon-broadening experiences that young people need to be able to achieve their potential. It also has tangible, measurable effects.”

He adds that it can also boost the craft skills needed for the world of work, such as problem-solving, creativity and communication.

Sadly, back in 2012, the Department of Education removed the statutory duty placed on schools to enforce work experience. Walsh explains that the research Speakers for Schools commissioned by YouGov demonstrated that around two-thirds of young people now leave school without doing any work experience.

“The removal of the statutory status and associated funding has once again reinforced the age-old divide between the economic haves and have-nots, with private school kids now being twice as likely to have done multiple work experiences than their state school counterparts. This is not only wrong from a moral perspective, but it is limiting talent pipelines and damaging the economy.”

In support of the project, a star-studded film features well-known faces explaining how work experience benefitted them. Walsh adds that the level of support they have received has been astonishing. “Deborah Meaden still credits her time working at a bingo center for her business success. All of the talent agreed, however, that whether their work experience was positive or negative it helped shape who they are today and that it is crucial that all young people get to have their own work experience story.”

The key though, is getting to the politicians. “The campaign is working on multiple levels, we started by analyzing the effect that the removal of the mandate in 2012 has had, we have then worked with the Social Market Foundation to provide clear policy recommendations for politicians to take forward and this third phase is about reaching out to the general public and making them aware of the scale of the problem.

“As we know, politicians are most likely to respond to those issues that are top of mind with the general public, the purpose of this stage of the campaign is to do just that.”

Created by Lucky Generals, the campaign film is backed by out-of-home activations and digital assets. Paul Mallon, head of special ops at the ad agency, concluded: “When Speakers for Schools came to us, we were totally inspired by their mission – there are few greater challenges than trying to end education inequality and so using our creative powers, our contacts, and our own experiences, we’re fully on board with trying to drive genuine change in the corridors of power here.”