Work experience can be a valuable step in helping young people understand the world of work, build confidence, and explore future career paths. For employers, it is also an opportunity to support the next generation, showcase their industry, and help young people develop practical workplace skills.
However, when welcoming a young person into the workplace, employers have an important responsibility to make sure the placement is safe, well-planned, and properly supported.
The Health and Safety Executive has clear guidance for employers taking on young people for work experience. The key message is simple: work experience students should be treated like any other young worker when it comes to health and safety.
If an employer takes on a young person for work experience, they have the main responsibility for that student’s health and safety during the placement.
This does not mean creating unnecessary barriers or making work experience overly complicated. In fact, the HSE makes it clear that there are very few activities a student cannot do purely because of health and safety law. Instead, the focus should be on making sure risks are understood, controlled, and clearly explained.
Employers should ensure that students know:
A good induction is one of the most important parts of a safe and successful work experience placement.
Risk assessments do not always need to be repeated from scratch for every work experience student. According to HSE guidance, what an employer needs to cover will depend on the level of risk involved in the workplace and the type of tasks the young person will be doing.
Employers should review their risk assessment before the student starts if they:
Where an employer has recently taken on a young person for work experience, and the new student has a similar level of maturity and understanding with no additional needs, the HSE advises that the risk assessment does not need to be repeated unnecessarily.
The important thing is that employers take a sensible, proportionate approach.
Every work experience student is different. Before the placement begins, employers should speak with the placement organiser, school, college, parent, or carer where appropriate, to understand anything that may affect the young person’s experience.
This may include:
This is not about excluding young people from opportunities. It is about making sure they are properly supported and that the placement is suitable, safe, and beneficial.
For children taking part in work experience, employers should ensure that parents or carers understand any significant risks involved and what has been put in place to control them.
This does not need to be a complicated process. The HSE advises that this can be done in whichever way is simplest and suitable, and it is often handled through the school or college.
Clear communication helps everyone feel more confident about the placement and ensures that expectations are understood from the beginning.
A strong induction should never be treated as a tick-box exercise. For many young people, work experience may be their first time in a professional or operational environment, so it is important to explain things clearly and check their understanding.
An effective induction should cover:
Supervision is also key. Young people may be unfamiliar with workplace hazards, may lack experience, or may be less confident asking questions. Having a named person they can go to for help can make a big difference.
The HSE guidance also confirms that, in many cases, existing employers’ liability insurance will cover work experience students, provided the insurer is a member of the Association of British Insurers or Lloyds.
Many insurance policies define employees broadly enough to include people on work experience schemes, including students. However, if an employer is unsure, they should check directly with their insurer.
If a business does not currently require employers’ liability insurance but is planning to take on a work placement, it should speak to its insurer to make sure suitable cover is in place.
Health and safety are essential but work experience should also be meaningful. A well-planned placement gives young people the chance to learn, ask questions, develop confidence, and gain insight into the workplace.
Employers can make placements more valuable by:
When done well, work experience can help young people make more informed choices about their future while also helping employers build positive links with schools, colleges, communities, and future talent pipelines.
The HSE guidance is a useful reminder that health and safety should enable work experience, not prevent it.
Employers do not need to overcomplicate the process, but they do need to take their responsibilities seriously. By reviewing risks, communicating clearly, providing a proper induction, and offering suitable supervision, businesses can create safe and positive opportunities for young people.
Work experience can be an important first step into the world of work. With the right planning and support, employers can help make that first step a safe, valuable, and confidence-building experience.
