Reflecting on Work Experience: Why Work Experience Is Important for Care-Experienced Children and Children with SEND

This blog was written by one of our brilliant work experience students, reflecting on their time with Equal Education and the importance of work experience for care-experienced children and those with SEND.

On my first day of work experience I was introduced to Equal Education and given a very interesting overview of its history, development and its different departments. This gave me a good understanding  of some of the work Equal Education does as well as getting me interested and passionate about my work experience because of the incredible mission at  Equal Education. This included  being introduced to the company and the office, I was also able to sit in on a committee meeting that has an aim to increase the social impact of Equal Education which further showed the dedication the company has to having real social impact across England.

One of my tasks for the week was to research some AI software (Google Gems) which was a very valuable experience as I was able to learn how AI can be used in the workplace and some of its amazing capabilities which I had very limited knowledge of before. I was also able to observe a weekly team meeting and got to see how the different departments collaborated and effectively communicated necessary information. This was something I saw a lot of during my work experience, where there were several meetings in which progress and needs were discussed to help everything run effectively. One of the best parts of my work experience was being able to see the recruitment process, shown  to me by Lucy, a Summer intern. I was able to see the application process, a real interview, and then later the post interview process which showed me the large amount of safeguarding that was necessary for Equal Education to do, as well as the system they use to monitor and organise this. This was one of the best parts of the week because she took a lot of time and effort to show me every step. However this was something that happened every time someone was able to show me the different steps in their departments, for example during a quality assessment on a tutor I was also able to be shown every step of the process and was asked for my input and given guidance on what to look for.

My experience at Equal Education was made so good and valuable because of the amazing team I got to work with, and the general friendliness and care everyone has there. As well as what I was taught about the work Equal Education does to recruit, review and pair tutors. I was also able to work with the social media team and brainstorm ideas to create posts celebrating Equal Education’s Tuition Business of the Year award.

On top of all the amazing parts of each department I was able to learn about, I was also given tasks to complete for the week. This meant I was able to independently work on interesting tasks like helping create  and give a presentation on a safeguarding topic, and writing this blog with support, check ins and feedback from John, my work experience lead. This helped me  make the most out of my work experience, as I was constantly supported by all members of the Equal Education team who made sure I was able to get as much out of this week of work experience as possible. Work experience was a completely new experience for me, but gave me insight into what it might be like to work in the future, from traveling, to how a day is structured, to a great example of how a workplace should be.

Why work experience is important for care experienced children and children with SEND

A government report on the value of work experience for children with less complex SEND found some benefits of work experience including  enhanced soft skills (teamwork, responsibility and interpersonal skills), greater confidence, improved self-image and construction of a ‘pro-employment identity’, increased work ethic and motivation to look for work, as well as improved employment outcomes and/or progression into further education or training . This shows that not only is work experience valuable for future employment, but also in contributing to the development of personal and societal skills.

A call for evidence by the London assembly showed Care leavers are more likely to be NEET (a young person who is no longer in the education system and is not working or being trained for work). The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care in 2022, commissioned by the last government, showed that young people aged 19-21 in England with experiences of the care system were three and a half times more likely than all other children to be NEET, with only two per cent undertaking an apprenticeship. Research from 2023 found that the vast majority of care leavers who are NEET were economically inactive, either due to disability (including mental health challenges) or due to caring responsibilities. A separate 2023 survey identified a lack of formal qualifications, housing and financial instability as additional barriers. While a quarter of care leavers are able to access higher education or stable work by the time they are 21, the majority rely on benefits or precarious work. Care-experienced students are also 38%  more likely to withdraw from their studies, with common reasons being mental health difficulties and financial difficulties.

This means that the need for work experience for care experienced children and children with SEND isn’t  just helpful, but vital to their future employment and increasing the possibility of it quite significantly. The skills work experience provides in general are great learning experiences and qualities, however when considering children in care and those with SEND, employers will have to make special considerations and adaptations to their work experience programmes, and in any other area, to meet the individual needs of the child. As said before, the effects and impact of work experience are hugely beneficial for any child but it is specifically valuable for care experienced children and those with SEND, as this is likely to be to be the first introduction and experience they would have in looking for and carrying out an employment opportunity, so it will give them experience and familiarity with the employment process which is very important to those inexperienced or who need extra help.