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Work placements ?essential? to boosting starting salaries

Young people could bolster their earning power by over £1,000 a year straight after college or school with the right work experience, employers claimed yesterday. New research conducted among Britain’s bosses for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) shows that young people are likely to earn £1,050 a year more if they have gained relevant work experience while at college or school.

The study shows that young people’s earning power is boosted even further if a young person combines relevant work experience with a set of qualifications equivalent to five A*-C GCSEs or a Level 2 diploma, so the LSC suggests young people should strike a balance between work and learning.

Julia Dowd, Director of Young People’s Learning at the LSC, says: “Work experience is absolutely crucial in today’s competitive job market. Not only does gaining practical work-based experience give young people an opportunity to see whether they are suited to a job, it also means a bigger pay packet when they enter the world of work full-time.”

Phil Hope MP, Skills Minister for the Department of Education and Skills, said: “We need employers to be working increasingly closely with schools and colleges - by offering Apprenticeships, work based learning and work experience for those in learning.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .