Every teenager should be forced to do work experience by law, ministers urged

EVERY teenager should have to get experience in a workplace before they leave school, ministers have been urged.

Former employment minister Mims Davies today backs calls for kids to legally have to sign up for two slots of work experience to help teens from disadvantaged backgrounds get a leg up on their career ladder.

Currently it's just advised for school kids.

But new research from YouGov for Speakers for Schools has found just a third of teenagers aged 16 - 18 had work experience while they were in full time learning.

And those who go to private schools are twice as likely to have done a work experience placement - compared to those from state funded schools and colleges.

The social mobility charity - which works with over 1,000 employers from Google to Spotify - are launching a fresh campaign to pile pressure on ministers.

Their research shows students who do work experience can earn more - and are far less likely to become unemployed.

Mims Davies MP, Mid Sussex & former Employment Minister, told The Sun: “Work experience plays a vital role in opening up opportunities for all students - increasing social mobility and helping young people get a leg up on the employment ladder.

"This campaign from Speakers for Schools would ensure young people are not locked out from gaining valuable experience with different employers and sectors, no matter where they live or what their background is."