About our Work Experience Programme
Futures For All opens up real-world work experience for young people, wherever they are on their journey. We offer a mix of in-person and remote placements, as well as shorter Insight Days, in partnership with hundreds of leading UK employers. Together, we help students build practical skills, confidence and a clearer sense of what different careers are really like, while giving employers the chance to inspire and support the next generation.
Our high-quality, fully funded programme is open to 14 to 19-year-olds in state schools and colleges across the country. Students can explore opportunities that match their interests and goals through our trusted Work Experience Finder, with clear guidance on how and where to get started.
We work closely with educators and employers through our dedicated education and delivery teams, offering step-by-step planning, proactive programme management and robust safeguarding support. This ensures every placement is structured, supported and genuinely impactful for the young people taking part and the organisations that host them.
Futures for All opens up real-world work experience for young people, wherever they are on their journey. We offer a mix of in-person and remote placements, as well as shorter Insight Days, in partnership with hundreds of leading UK employers. Together, we help students build practical skills, confidence and a clearer sense of what different careers are really like, while giving employers the chance to inspire and support the next generation.
Our high-quality, fully funded programme is open to 14 to 19-year-olds in state schools and colleges across the country. Students can explore opportunities that match their interests and goals through our trusted Work Experience Finder, with clear guidance on how and where to get started.
We work closely with educators and employers through our dedicated education and delivery teams, offering step-by-step planning, proactive programme management and robust safeguarding support. This ensures every placement is structured, supported and genuinely impactful for the young people taking part and the organisations that host them.
What is work experience
and why is it important?
Work experience is a way for young people to spend time in a real workplace, build practical skills and see how different careers work day-to-day. It helps them grow in confidence, understand their strengths and make more informed decisions about their next steps.
For employers, offering work experience is a chance to inspire and mentor the next generation of talent, while also spotting potential future employees and strengthening links with the local community. This can take many forms, from longer in-person placements to shorter insight sessions, virtual experiences or project-based opportunities.
We support employers with clear guidance on designing work experience that is meaningful and manageable for their teams. This can include structured project tasks, shadowing opportunities, interactive workshops, Q&A sessions and online learning activities that give young people a genuine feel for your organisation and sector.
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Work Experience Finder
Our one-of-a-kind Work Experience Finder is designed to give employers a space to showcase their opportunities and young people an easy way to see what’s available right now.
Users can search, filter and sort opportunities by career type, industry, subject and closing date, making it simple to narrow down what matters most to them.
Why work experience matters
Boosts prospects
89% of young people feel confident that they can achieve their career goals, post placement.
Lifts future salary
For each additional type of work experience undertaken, future annual earnings increase by £1,088.*
Ups employability
Attending
work experience reduces a young person’s chance
of becoming NEET
from 11 to 7%.*
Attending work experience reduces a young person’s chance of becoming NEET from 11 to 7%.*
Yet, 50%
of young people leave school without doing any work experience.*
*Based on the results of a YouGov survey of 2,098 18-30-year-olds
Your work experience options
Whether it’s a half-day, full-day, or multi-day placement, we offer flexible options:
01
In-person work experience
Face-to-face placements at an organisation’s site including tours, presentations, project work, and employer Q&As.
02
Remote work experience
Live, interactive online placements accessible from anywhere in the UK, including remote tours, talks, polls, presentations, and projects.
03
Hybrid work experience
Discover impact
Multi-day placements combining in-person site visits with online activities for flexibility and accessibility.
How our Work Experience Programme works
We make it simple for schools, students, and employers to plan meaningful placements from start to finish.
01 Explore opportunities
Students browse our Work Experience Finder to discover placements across industries, searching by location, career interest, or dates.
02 Choose the right format
Select in-person, remote, or hybrid options. We support schools and employers with structured work experience ideas.
03 Prepare and plan
Our team provide step-by-step planning, safeguarding and risk management support, while coordinating with employers and maintaining clear communication with schools and families.
04 Take part in the placement
Students complete employer-led activities, projects, and workplace experiences that build skills and confidence.
05 Reflect and build next steps
Students reflect on learning outcomes and future pathways. Feedback helps us continuously improve placements.
How our Work Experience Programme works
We make it simple for schools, students, and employers to plan meaningful placements from start to finish.
01
Explore Opportunities
Students browse our Work Experience Finder to discover placements across industries, searching by location, career interest, or dates.
02
Choose the right format
Select in-person, remote, or hybrid options. We support schools and employers with structured work experience ideas.
03
Prepare and plan
Our team provide step-by-step planning, safeguarding and risk management support, while coordinating with employers and maintaining clear communication with schools and families.
04
Take part in the placement
Students complete employer-led activities, projects, and workplace experiences that build skills and confidence.
05
Reflect and build next steps
Students reflect on learning outcomes and future pathways. Feedback helps us continuously improve placements.
Work experience stories
“We have worked together to design a year-long programme of aviation learning. 25,000 hours of inspiring talks, interactive activities, and mentoring, both remotely and in-person.”
Laura Macshane
DEI & Community Manager, Virgin Atlantic
“Work Experience is a vital part of lifelong learning. By offering opportunities for in-person, hybrid, and remote experiences, we’ve removed the barriers that exist for many.”
Alexander McCafferty
Careers Leader, Djanogly City Academy
“I’ve learnt so much. I think it’s so important for everyone to get work experience because you need some sort of foundation as to how to build your skills.”
Joyce
Work Experience Attendee
“Work Experience is a vital part of lifelong learning. By offering opportunities for in-person, hybrid, and remote experiences, we’ve removed the barriers that exist for many.”
Alexander McCafferty
Careers Leader, Djanogly City Academy
“We have worked together to design a yearlong programme of aviation learning. 25,000 hours of inspiring talks, interactive activities, and mentoring, both remotely and in-person.”
Laura Macshane
DEI & Community Manager, Virgin Atlantic
“I’ve learnt so much. I think it’s so important for everyone to get work experience because you need some sort of foundation as to how to build your skills.”
Joyce
Work Experience Attendee
Turn potential into opportunity with work experience
Whether you are a student ready to take the first step, a school planning meaningful placements, or an employer looking for practical work experience ideas, our programme makes it easy to connect.
Explore opportunities, discover where to find work experience, and join a growing network of organisations helping young people gain real-world skills and confidence.
Quick answers to FAQs
What companies offer work experience and in what industries?
We work with 100s of employers, including the BBC, National Trust, Spotify, Bentley Motors, Boots, the NHS and many other high-profile companies. We offer work experience from a wide range of career types which means we are able to offer placements in Creative & Media Arts, Tech, Science & Engineering, Environment & Infrastructure, Sports, Travel & Hospitality, Business, Finance & Retail, and Law, Care & Community, as well as many more specific industries.
When browsing the list of available opportunities on our website, you can filter your search by career cluster and industry. We update these opportunities every week throughout the year, so if you can't find a placement to match your exact requirements, keep checking to make sure you don't miss out on any new work experience placements!
Does work experience interfere with exams?
Exams are a crucial part of school life, and we understand that students in key exam years are already extremely busy with revision and exam timetables. We work closely with our employers to ensure that we offer a wide selection of placements for all key year groups throughout the year, so that students sitting final exams are still able to participate at other points throughout the academic year.
What are the benefits of remote work experience?
Remote Work Experience removes the geographical and cost barriers that may prevent young people from participating in work experience. It allows young people from anywhere in the UK to access a broad range of opportunities with employers from industries that may not be well-represented in their local area and it provides young people with the chance to take part in multiple opportunities to really explore their options.
All online work experience placements offered by Futures For All offer are employer-led and are hosted in a secure online setting so that young people can safely attend live presentations, participate in interactive and collaborative real-time tasks and activities, and ‘meet’ working professionals from the employer’s organisation. All multi-day remote work experience placements offered by Futures For All meet Gatsby Benchmarks 5 and 6, and our shorter sessions meet Gatsby Benchmark 5.
How do we safeguard our virtual broadcasts
Futures For All is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all users, whether that is in a classroom, workplace environment, or in a remote setting. Access the full Safeguarding Policy Statement here.
Why is work experience important?
Work experience provides a way for young people to build their skills, expand their networks, and explore the world of careers while still in education. Our research shows that doing work experience while in education increases a young person's future annual earnings and improves their employability.
Who is work experience for?
At Futures For All, we offer work experience placements for young people aged 14-19, not just school leavers or a particular year group. In order to give students and schools and colleges maximum flexibility, we also run placements throughout the year.
Year 10 and Year 12 are great times to consider doing work experience to help the young person make more informed decisions about what comes next in their life plan and to help build their confidence as they start to explore future careers. Work experience is a valuable addition to a young person's CV or personal statement and can be especially helpful as supporting evidence for a university application, a job application, or an apprenticeship application.
We are mindful that there is a lot of pressure on students in the build-up to their exams, however, we offer convenient options for work experience that can fit with even the busiest study schedules. Students can apply and take part in work experience at any point in the academic year provided that their school/college supports their participation.
We also support schools with introductory, bite-sized 3-5-hour Insight Days that take place in class time and include guided activities, and short, virtual 1-hour career talks.