95 per cent. of learners participate in work-experience at key stage 4 (years 10 and 11) which represents around 550,000 learners each year. Information on types of placement is not held centrally by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The Learning and Skills Council is responsible for managing the network of Education Business Link Organisation Consortia through which work-experience is brokered and which hold information about the range and type of work-experience placements. Mark Haysom, the chief executive of the LSC has written to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply has been placed in the House Library.
Letter from Mark Haysom, dated 4 February 2008:
I am writing in response to your Parliamentary Question that asked; “What the 10 types of work experience placement most frequently attended by schoolchildren were in the last year for which figures are available.”
The Learning and Skills Council is responsible for contracting with Education Business Link Organisation Consortia through which work experience placements for 14-16 year olds are brokered.
The last year for which figures are available is the 2005-2006 academic year; in that year the 10 sectors which had the highest numbers of young people placements were:
Education/Training
Retail
Business
Catering
Personal Service
Leisure Services
Community Care
Engineering
Mechanical
Construction
These placements represent 92.4% of the total number of work experience placements for the year.