The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has called for an improvement to the quality of work experience in the UK. 

The CIPD claims that better quality work experience placements for young people would help tackle youth unemployment and improve perceptions about the value of work placements. 

The CIPD has partnered with Jobcentre Plus to launch ‘Work experience placements that work’, a guide to help employers to improve the quality of the work experience that they offer. 

The guide aims to encourage employers to give young jobseekers a foothold on the career ladder by providing them with meaningful work experience. 

The guide is designed to support the Government's ‘Get Britain working’ initiative. It contains a checklist for employers running a placement and a "work experience agreement" that can be signed by the employer and the young person, helping to ensure commitment on both sides. 

Katerina Rüdiger, CIPD skills policy adviser, said: “Employers can be reluctant to employ a young person with no work experience as they see them as a risk rather than as a productive employee, especially in difficult economic times. Managed properly, though, a work experience placement can benefit both the individual and the employer. This guide will be a great tool for employers wishing to run quality work experience programmes, which, in the long run, should go a long way in dispelling any negative perceptions.” 

Posted by Beth O’Shea

• Visit Employment & Training

All articles