Learning and Work Institute was commissioned by the Department for Education to work in partnership with Fair Train to conduct a call for evidence to understand what effective practice in work placements looks like.

This included how current work experience may be increased in scale, how this could be achieved, and any challenges to delivery and how to overcome them.

This work was part of the Government’s Post-16 Skills Plan, published in 2016, which outlined intentions to reform technical education in England. The availability of work placements (lasting one to three months) for learners on college-based technical routes was planned to be central to the successful delivery of the reforms.