Creating Meaningful Work Experience Through Partnership and Listening

Supporting young people as they take their first steps toward working life is something that matters to all of us at Right to Succeed. Work experience can build confidence, uncover new interests, and help young people imagine futures that feel within reach. Yet for some students, securing a placement can feel almost impossible. That is why NRThirty commissioned this year’s work experience programme and the accompanying report, so we could understand what young people were experiencing and design a programme that genuinely met their needs.

The report captures what happened during the second year of our work experience activity. It reflects on what we learned, how we adapted, and how young people responded. More importantly, it shows what is possible when we listen closely and work collaboratively with schools and local partners.

Building on What We Learned in Year One

The first year taught us a tremendous amount. NR Thirty commissioned the Year 1 work-experience activity as a pilot, knowing that experimenting would help us understand what worked and what needed rethinking. As part of that pilot, young people were interviewed in order to understand their interests, match them with employers, and provide support throughout their placements. Thirty students were onboarded, with strong engagement in the preparatory sessions, and seventeen young people ultimately completed a placement.

The experience highlighted how complex it can be for some students to access traditional work experience, especially when trying to secure opportunities in the specific industries they were most excited about. We learned about the barriers they faced, the demands placed on schools, and the realities of employer engagement across different sectors.

Rather than seeing these challenges as setbacks, we used them to learn and shape a new model. The Year 2 report highlights how this shift emerged directly from feedback, evaluation, and thoughtful discussion with our partners. It shows how listening helped us create a more flexible, inclusive, and engaging programme.

A Work Experience New Model Shaped by Young People’s Needs

NRThirty commissioned a redesigned work experience (WEX) programme that centred on flexibility and responsiveness. Instead of securing individual placements months ahead of time, we worked with schools to identify the young people who still did not have placements, even right up to the week before. This simple change meant we could focus our support where it was genuinely needed.

Five specialist delivery partners were commissioned to design week-long WEX-style placements that were ready for students as soon as the cohort was confirmed. This approach made the process easier for schools and more meaningful for young people, creating a smoother experience for everyone involved.

Partners Who Made the Experience Real

The report highlights the incredible contribution of our five delivery partners. Each organisation brought its own expertise, planning, and youth-work support, creating a week that genuinely reflected the working environments they operate in.

Young people explored:

• trade skills with ACE, including brickwork, plastering, and automotive work

• creative media and interviewing with Freshly Greated

• youth work and circus skills with Out There Arts

• professional cookery with MAP, including time in a commercial kitchen

• heritage craft and conservation skills with Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust

  
  

These placements were practical, structured, and rooted in real-world activity. Many young people told us that this was the first time they had tried something that felt directly connected to their interests.

Supporting Independence by Creating the Right Conditions

The report also explores an important theme raised by partners: how to support independence while still meeting young people where they are. Independence is a meaningful outcome of work experience, yet some students face additional barriers to securing placements on their own. Instead of expecting them to navigate this alone, the commissioned model created environments that supported participation and confidence-building.

With the right scaffolding, young people were able to engage fully, develop new skills, and experience genuine responsibility. The report shows that engagement improved significantly with this approach.

A Sustainable and Scalable Model

One of the most striking findings in the report is the improved sustainability of the new model. Even with trained staff, structured activities, and pastoral support provided throughout the week, the cost per placement was substantially lower than the previous model. This provides NR Thirty and its partners with a strong foundation for future years, featuring a model that can be maintained and grown even as funding landscapes shift.

Looking Ahead Together

The Year 2 report tells a powerful story about collaboration, responsiveness, and possibility. By listening closely to schools, partners, and young people, NRThirty commissioned a programme that created more accessible routes into work experience and delivered richer, more engaging options for young people.

Through this collaborative effort, young people were able to try trades, arts, heritage work, community engagement, and professional cooking. Schools experienced a smoother process with far lower administrative burden. Most importantly, engagement increased, and young people reported positive, confidence-building experiences.

When we listen, when we share insight, and when we work together, we create experiences that help young people see a place for themselves in the world. By continuing to build on what we learn, we can support even more young people to discover their strengths, explore new paths, and shape brighter futures.