Modern work experience: The role Careers Delivery Providers can play

For schools, special schools and colleges looking to expand their modern work experience offer, working with a Careers Delivery Provider can be a powerful way to unlock new opportunities and deliver high-quality experiences of the workplace at scale. 

From September 2026, all schools are expected to reform their work experience programmes in line with the guidance and the Government's work experience ambition. As education institutions move towards delivering progressive, high-quality modern work experience for all young people across their education journey, partnership becomes more important than ever.

Providers are much more than a bridge between education and employment; they play a crucial role. They bring expertise in programme design, employer networks and delivery support; they can help schools and colleges broaden access, enrich experiences and alleviate the pressure of planning and logistics.

Over the past academic year, The Inspirational Learning Group (TILG) worked with Three Spires Trust, a multi-academy trust of 7 schools in the West Midlands, to pilot new models of employer engagement to help its schools deliver high-quality workplace learning at scale. Together, they aligned with our equalex framework, which sets out learning outcomes and objectives and allows educators to embed meaningful workplace experiences within a progressive whole-school careers programme.

Rather than reaching only small groups of students, TILG’s programme supports entire year groups to access meaningful employer encounters. Designed for students in Years 7–10, the pilot explored how schools can provide scalable workplace experiences while maintaining a strong focus on employability skills, industry insight and career pathways.

Through employer-informed challenges, based on real workplace briefs, students developed collaboration, problem-solving and creative thinking skills. For example, employers such as GE Vernova, an energy equipment manufacturing company, led a sustainability challenge in which students designed a sustainable town of the future. GE Vernova brought in volunteers who could engage with the students and share their engineering knowledge and experience directly in the classroom. Students had the opportunity to interact with industry professionals, ask questions, receive feedback and understand how the skills they were developing connected to real roles within the world of work.

A key strength of TILG’s pilot is its ability to extend workplace learning opportunities to all students, addressing one of the biggest challenges of traditional work experience: limited placement capacity. The partnership between TILG and Three Spires Trust demonstrates how providers can complement existing careers programmes while helping schools deliver and widen access to meaningful workplace experiences at scale.

Lizzie Leek, Director of Post-16 and Pathways, Three Spires Trust, said:

“I genuinely don't believe Three Spires would be where we are today without The Inspirational Learning Group and the extraordinary network of employers they have brought alongside us. They haven't just supported our careers strategy. They've helped us redefine what careers education can look like. They've enabled us to move from talking about careers education... to transforming careers education. Most importantly, we can now demonstrate impact.”

The model has also enabled employers to engage with young people in a structured and impactful way, helping students develop skills, gain industry insight and better understand future career opportunities.

Following the sustainability challenge, Muhannad Al-Masri, GE Vernova said:

“The students were highly engaged and came up with creative, thoughtful ideas. Most impressive was how seriously they took the challenge and how well they worked in teams. Having multiple employer volunteers meant students benefited from diverse perspectives, helping to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world application and making STEM education feel relevant and motivating.”

As education embraces more flexible approaches to modern work experience, working with providers can bring valuable expertise in programme design, alignment with frameworks such as equalex and the Gatsby Benchmarks, and the employer engagement capacity needed to deliver high-quality workplace experiences at scale with stronger outcomes for young people.

Ben Dyer, Co-Founder of TILG, said:

“At The Inspirational Learning Group, we are committed to ensuring that every young person has access to meaningful experiences of the workplace.

That is why all of our employer-led challenges are now mapped to the equalex framework, helping schools provide high-quality, progressive workplace experiences that can reach entire year groups and create meaningful impact at scale.

We believe every student deserves these opportunities, regardless of their background, school or location. By bringing together schools, employers and organisations like ours, we can make that ambition achievable and ensure young people develop the skills, confidence and understanding they need for their future.”

If you're looking to strengthen your modern work experience offer, check out CEC’s Provider Directory to find Provider in your area.  

You can find out more about TILG's equalex programme or by contacting hello@tilg.co.uk.