Medical Schools Council pledge to modern work experience

Shaping aspirations through early exposure  

Our commitment to modern work experience came from a clear recognition that early exposure, particularly at Key Stage 3, is critical in shaping aspiration. Yet too many young people, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, simply don’t see careers like medicine or dentistry as “for them.”

At the same time, the NHS England Long Term Workforce Plan highlights the urgent need to build a workforce that reflects the communities it serves. That requires a fundamentally different approach - one that is earlier, more inclusive, and rooted in real-world engagement.

Modern work experience offers exactly that: structured, immersive, and scalable experiences that build understanding, confidence, and a clear sense of pathway.  

Developing a coherent model to support visible, connected pathways  

Since committing, the conversation has shifted significantly from isolated activity to joined-up pathway design. We've been focusing on aligning outreach, widening participation, and workforce priorities into a single, coherent model.  

We've been working closely with partners, including The Careers & Enterprise Company, NHS England, universities - medical and dental schools, local NHS Trusts and system partners.  

A key theme across all discussions has been how we create visible, connected pathways, rather than one-off experiences that build on our own expertise and practice - reducing duplication and maximising impact.  

Engagement with Careers Hubs senior leaders and partners  

We are piloting early-stage engagement in partnership with the NHS, Careers Hubs and universities, this includes:  

• Introducing early-stage engagement (Years 7–9)  
• Designing multi-stage pathways (e.g. school engagement → university experience → NHS Trust engagement)  
• Embedding evaluation and tracking from the outset  
• Working across organisations to co-design delivery  

The work will include inclusive formats which better reflect the realities of modern careers. To ensure this agenda moves from good intention to system change, it is critical to involve senior leaders. Their role includes setting a clear expectation that widening participation and workforce development are strategic priorities, enabling collaboration, supporting resource allocation and championing the importance of data and long-term evaluation. Most importantly, senior leaders help create the conditions where partners feel able to work collectively for the greater good.  

Adapting long-term approaches for maximum impact  

Start small but think long-term. You don’t need a perfect model from day one, but you do need a clear sense of purpose. Focus on who you are trying to reach, what barriers they face and how you can work with others to address those barriers.  

The most effective approaches we’ve seen are those that are co-designed with partners, particularly schools, healthcare organisations, and universities. It’s about creating opportunity, building confidence, and opening pathways that might otherwise remain invisible.  

Despite our long-term approach, we have faced key challenges, including:  

1. Transport and access: This can be a barrier in both rural and urban settings. We’ve addressed this by building transport into programme design from the outset and exploring shared solutions such as buses and coordinated pick-ups.  
2. Fragmentation across systems: We foster collaboration across organisations by creating shared frameworks and aligning around common goals and data.  
3. Funding constraints: With limited resources, collaboration has been essential by pooling expertise, venues, and staff to maximise impact.  

We are hopeful that despite these challenges, we can continue to collaborate with partners and achieve our commitment. Looking ahead, we are excited about the shift from one-off interventions to genuine pathways in partnership. We are starting to see the potential for:  

• Young people engaging earlier and staying connected with their journey  
• Systems working together in a much more integrated way  
• Data being used not just for reporting, but to actively shape delivery and improve outcomes  

There is also real potential to scale these models, adapting them across regions and professions while maintaining a strong local focus.  

The challenges we are trying to address (skills shortages, workforce gaps, and inequality) are more urgent and more complex than ever. If we are serious about building a workforce that reflects society, addresses regional inequalities and supports young people to make informed choices, then we need approaches that are earlier, more inclusive, more experiential, better connected to real pathways.