Barking and Dagenham College calls for reintroduction of compulsory work experience

The principal of Barking and Dagenham College has called on work experience to be reintroduced as a compulsory part of the school curriculum.

Work experience is an essential part of education, she says.

A survey by the Career Colleges Trust found that 88 per cent of teenagers in London think work experience should be compulsory.

Around 31pc of London teenagers have done no work experience through school, whilst 48pc have proactively organised their own.

Principal Yvonne Kelly said: “The results of this survey are no surprise to us.

“Work experience is an integral part of every student’s journey at the college. We don’t just provide our students with a qualification - we train them for a career.

“Working closely with employers, we provide students with real work opportunities, master classes, skills competitions and interaction with representatives of top companies.”

Ruth Gilbert, CEO of the Career Colleges Trust, said: “Our research shows that young people themselves want the opportunity to develop employability skills and recognise the importance of doing this. Schools, employers and the Government simply must work together to support this.”