Small businesses across Britain are being invited to provide 50,000 work experience placements for teenagers under a new government-backed campaign designed to widen access to the workplace.
The Open Your Door initiative, led by Small Business Britain, forms part of the National Mission on Work Experience, which aims to create 200,000 additional opportunities for young people aged 14 to 16.
The campaign is supported by the Careers & Enterprise Company, Enterprise Nation, and the British Chambers of Commerce. Its organisers want smaller employers to participate in a system that has traditionally relied heavily on larger businesses with established placement programmes.
Participating companies will be offered toolkits, practical guidance, and assistance finding suitable pupils. Employers will not need a dedicated HR department or an existing work experience scheme to become involved.
Under the arrangements, pupils in Years 10 and 11 can spend shorter periods with several businesses rather than completing a traditional two-week placement with a single employer.
For example, a pupil could gain experience across a café, an accountancy practice, a retailer, and a marketing agency during one working week. The approach allows several smaller employers to participate without each committing to a lengthy placement.
The campaign follows the government’s September announcement of its wider work experience mission and comes ahead of Alan Milburn’s review into young people and work.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “Sometimes all it takes is for someone to open a door. A few days in a workplace can give a young person the experience, confidence and sense of possibility they need to take that first step into the world of work.”
He encouraged businesses without substantial administrative resources to participate, pointing to the support available through the initiative.
Smaller employers bring different opportunities —
Small Business Britain founder and chief executive Michelle Ovens CBE said work experience arrangements had often favoured organisations capable of managing lengthy placements through dedicated teams.
She said: “Traditional work experience schemes have often focused on larger scale organisations with the headcount and teams to handle the necessary complexities, but you shouldn’t have to have a whole HR team to take on a motivated and enthusiastic young person for a few days.”
The campaign includes examples of smaller organisations already offering placements and incorporating young people into everyday business activities.
Marie Cavanagh, of Fired Works Glass Gallery and Studio, said she regularly welcomes students from a local secondary school. Their contributions include ideas for glass decorations and involvement in producing designs.
At family-run embroidery and printing company SpeedStitch, Sinead Ryan said work experience participants can observe manufacturing, retail activities, and business management. Some have subsequently returned as seasonal employees.
Danielle McKinnon, of equine sanctuary Eat Sleep Ride, described how placements involving animals, outdoor activities, and responsibility for individual projects can help participants develop confidence. Some young people have progressed to awards or paid work following their involvement.
These examples illustrate the range of commercial and community organisations able to offer placements, including businesses that might struggle to accommodate a conventional two-week programme.
The shorter format also gives pupils an opportunity to compare different occupations and working environments before making decisions about further education, training, or employment.
The campaign’s target represents one-quarter of the government’s planned 200,000 additional opportunities. Small businesses interested in participating can access guidance and register their interest through the Open Your Door initiative.
