What came first: the chicken or the egg? Scholars and philosophers have debated this question for centuries. (Apparently, it’s the egg!)
Less common is the question of what came first: young people having experience of work or employers providing young people with work opportunities? We don’t need to be Aristotle to answer this one.
Employers have many roles in society and bring many benefits to communities. Providing people with an early taste of work, including employment fresh out of school or college, is one of their most important because of the long-term benefits of employment to individuals, communities, and economies.
It's a simple enough process:
- Employers want staff with work experience.
- Employers offer young people work experience.
- Employers get staff with work experience.
There are some brilliant examples of this happening in Buckinghamshire, including this account of two students' work experience placement at ANT Telecom. As you'll see, work experience not only allows students to grow in confidence, develop their communication skills and become more work-ready, businesses can also energise their teams and upskill their existing staff at the same time. It's the ultimate win-win!
To get started, employers can express their interest in offering work experience placements by filling in a quick online form on the Bucks Skills Hub website.
Inspiration needed
I know from our work at Buckinghamshire Business First that many employers can struggle to find staff with the necessary skills for their roles. Many would like to train up raw talent in the skills they need, but they often don’t know where to start looking and simply struggle on as they are, compounding the lack of work readiness among the next generation in the process.
Employers shouldn’t only begin to contemplate the work-readiness of young people when they suddenly have a vacancy to fill. The journey needs to start when the workforce of the future is still at school and college, waiting to be inspired about the life they can have and the careers they can embark upon.
Inspiration found at the Bucks Skills Show
The Bucks Skills Show is the biggest event of its kind in Buckinghamshire; circa 6,000 people (school and college students, plus lots of adult career seekers) visit across two days in March to meet employers of all sizes and in all sectors to learn about their future career options. It has proven to be an event where employers often find their next star employee.
Earlier this year, we welcomed Gary Grant, founder of the UK's biggest toy chain, The Entertainer, onto our podcast. Among his many nuggets of advice was why businesses should exhibit at the Bucks Skills Show: “Many businesses are hidden behind the front door of their office, but if you can inspire a young person that's in front of you, they go home and start to consider what their future might look like, and they're more likely to join you.”
Gary also said that "every young person has got a nugget of gold in them”. Everyone – peers, family, teachers, influencers – has a role to play in helping young people mine that gold and fulfil their potential. Employers have as big a role as anyone, and if by doing so they find that star talent they’ve been looking for, then everyone wins.
Learn more about exhibiting at the Bucks Skills Show 2026 at bbf.uk.com/SkillsShow.
Written by Philippa Batting, CEO, Buckinghamshire Business First
Listen to Gary Grant's podcast appearance alongside Victoria Brocklesby, CEO of Origin Global, on our YouTube channel or via Spotify.
