Recent discussion around sixth-form students has highlighted how encounters with employers and workplaces help young people connect classroom learning to future possibilities.
We couldn’t agree more. At Tutorfair Foundation we believe that while classrooms can give young people knowledge, real-world experiences show them what to do with it. Here’s our perspective on why education needs to make more room for workplace experiences.
Students can turn knowledge into capability
Students learn concepts in a classroom but it is only a real-world experience that teaches them how put that knowledge to use. A mentor’s feedback, a product glitch or a customer complaint are fertile learning ground. This is where subject knowledge gets layered with the resilience, teamwork and communications skills.
Additionally, while gaining the confidence of “I can handle this,” students are better able to answer the question of, “Do I belong here?” Early exposure can help them identify the environments in which they are motivated to succeed before they invest in those pathways.
Employers get what they are looking for
In a 2025 Barclays report, 77% of employers said a lack of work experience holds young people back, and 60% pointed to a lack of employability skills. “Businesses tell us that difficulties in hiring an appropriately skilled workforce are hampering their ability to grow.”
No one expects perfect professionals at entry level positions, but employers do want a young person to be able to demonstrate that they have taken the initiative to develop necessary skills.
NACE research affirms that students with experiential learning report more job offers, higher starting salaries and stronger workplace networks.
Teachers can show why learning is relevant
It’s not unusual for a student to be staring at a pile of homework, of maths for example, and wondering, “What is the point of this?” Sitting in a budgeting session in a real business makes the penny drop. When students see the connections and purpose of environmental science or chemistry to things they have experienced, they are more likely to be motivated to learn.
The playing field becomes less uneven
Some young people have family networks and easy access to professional environments while others don’t. Targeted employer engagement can help students who might otherwise be left out. Without deliberately-created access, talent can stay hidden simply because no one has shown a young person the route.
At Tutorfair Foundation, we’re on a mission to connect disadvantaged students to experienced tutors, industry mentors and real-world opportunities, so that they can explore their interests and discover what they are capable of.
Classroom education develops what young people know. Real-world experience develops who they can become, and both are essential if talent is to be recognised, nurtured and fairly rewarded.