Teen Summit survey finds 44% want more work experience
A BBC Teen Summit survey of 2,000 young people aged 13 to 18 found 44% want more work experience, as ministers and reviewers debate training, benefits and life skills.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
BBC Bitesize and BBC 5 Live held a Teen Summit after surveying 2,000 young people aged around 13 to 18. The survey found that 44% want more opportunities for work experience. It also pointed to demand for life skills, including managing finance and applying for jobs.
The findings were discussed alongside a review of support for young people, a curriculum review in England and comments by Andy Burnham on vocational subjects. Teenagers in Newcastle who spent a week on work experience over the summer said the placement showed them they needed more social skills. They wanted help with presentations and with speaking to colleagues.
One teenager said good grades were not enough without the confidence to talk to an employer in a professional way. Others said school should teach them about tax, housing and mortgages, and should explain more clearly what they would study when picking options. The survey also found that more than half of respondents use AI for coursework or homework, while about a quarter are afraid AI could take their jobs.
The government said it is expanding work experience and wants every young person to get two weeks, but said employers need to help. The discussion also covered plans to change the curriculum so technical education has parity with academic education. A guest called for rebuilding youth services, noting that young people spend most of their time outside school, and warned of a mental health crisis among young people.
The panel also debated the Milburn Review, which the host said argues the benefit system incentivises people not to work. The guest rejected the idea that the review was simply about tightening benefits. She said the state had not prioritised young people and argued for more support alongside benefit spending. She said that for every £25 spent on benefits, only £1 goes on support, and that ratio should be reversed.
Asked about a different benefit system for under-25s, she said she would be open to it because the move from school to work is a vulnerable period. But she said any approach would depend on individual circumstances and on whether someone can work.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A Teen Summit survey questioned 2,000 young people aged about 13 to 18. | |
| The government said it was expanding work experience and wanted each young person to receive two weeks, but needed employer support. | |
| The survey found that 44% of young people wanted more opportunities for work experience. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This segment used the Teen Summit survey as the springboard for a studio discussion about youth unemployment and school-to-work transitions. It foregrounded young people's calls for work experience and practical life skills, then widened to government curriculum plans, youth services and benefit reform. The tone was sympathetic to young people and sceptical of the idea that the Milburn Review is only about tightening benefits.
- “44% want more opportunities for work experience.”
- “You can have the best grades, but if you don't know how to talk to an employer in a professional way, they're not going to really be looking for you.”
- “They should teach you about tax and everything because we're going out into the world.”
Broadcast Timeline
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