The pandemic has deprived thousands of young people, currently in Year 10 and Year 11 in schools across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, of the opportunity to undertake in-person work experience.

So, Cambridge 2030, in partnership with Form the Future, Cambridgeshire Community Foundation and Cambridgeshire County Council, have launched the Careers Drive campaign and are calling on the Cambridgeshire business community to unite in supporting these young people by pledging in-person work experience placements when workplaces and offices are open again.

There are nearly 17,500 students in Year 10 and Year 11 across the county, many of who would have been reliant on their schools to help facilitate work experience for them in a usual school year. However, with so many workplaces remaining closed and many of the country’s largest employers not planning to open their offices again until the end of the year, the opportunities are severely limited, risking even further disadvantage for the COVID-19 generation of young people.

Those most severely disadvantaged by the lack of work experience opportunities are the 3,847 students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds and qualify for Pupil Premium. These young people are most likely to receive most benefit from in-person work experience but they are the least likely to be able to secure work experience placements for themselves.

We are appealing to the business community to make a pledge to support young people to gain work experience. Advice and support will be offered by Form the Future if you need it to be able to set up a meaningful work experience programme.

We are also appealing to employers who wish and are able to provide quality in-person work experience placements for students who are currently in Alternative Provision (not in mainstream schools). These young people are at greatest risk of becoming NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) and, for them, quality work experience can have an even more significant positive impact on their outcomes.