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Workplace experiences are evolving and modernising to provide young people with broader, more diverse opportunities to engage with the world of work. 

This extends beyond the traditional work experience placement to include innovative models such as workplace visits and embedded, employer-led projects. Engaging young people in quality, outcome focused workplace experiences younger, ideally from year 7, enables employers to have more impact.

When young people and employers work together with purpose there are benefits to both:

• Young people gain insight into the world of work – including the skills required. This helps them make future career decisions and builds motivation in the here and now.   
• Employers learn about their future workforce (and even begin the recruitment process).  
• Disadvantaged young people who have fewer connections and social networks disproportionately benefit from high quality interactions with employers.  

It presents a model that will:

• Ensure each young person gets a guaranteed number of hours during their time at school or college
• Support them to ensure young people develop the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed for their working lives
• Build a young persons career readiness by ensuring each experience builds on the last one, links to the curriculum to bring meaning to their educational journey

The equalex framework is underpinned by learning outcomes and objectives. The learning outcomes articulate the aim and intent of a programme, the objectives translate these into measurable goals for specific activities/experiences. They describe the knowledge, skills, or behaviours learners should be able to demonstrate after completing a given activity, ensuring a clear link between planned intent and tangible outcomes. Employers can map this against their offer for education to identify which elements of the equalex framework they are supporting.

What does this mean for employers?

Currently being piloted in Careers Hubs and Multi Academy Trusts across England, equalex offers an opportunity to transform work experience and ensure every learner has access to an offer which is delivered with equity, quality and through progressive experiences, whilst enabling employers to see the part they can play and allow them the flexibility to support activity in a way which meets their needs as a business rather than intense 121 week long placements.

It aims to support young people to be inspired across their educational journey with multiple touchpoints around experiences of the workplace giving them valuable insight into different industries to support them in their career planning but more importantly delivering this with real employers to make sure they are developing the relevant skills, knowledge and behaviours for their best next step.