During my final school years as part of career guidance and counselling, we often would travel to local companies for the day to experience the shop floor and office environments, it only gave us a small taste of different work environments but at least it was something, I'm not sure whether that still happens today.
Having spent many years in different industries recruiting school leavers, Uni Graduates etc. over the decades it never ceased to amaze me how ill equipped they all were by the education system to enter smoothly into the work environment, I include my own experiences on entering into a professional career.
We certainly need a change of emphasis /direction, remove the stumbling blocks to and mitigate the expectation for those that seek a graduate path. Whilst raising the student's perception and standing in their eyes of key skills and trades that are so fundamental to our economy that do not require a degree path but are equally valued and often more economically rewarding.
John
It was called WEEP (Work Experience on Employers Premises) a superb programme dropped when YTS was created.
BR
Colin
