Modern Work Experience

A workshop by Kelly Dillon - Pilot Project - Newly Implemented - frameworks are valuable, but practicalities differ from the Australian Market.

EQUALex: Modern Work Experience

EQUALex is a contemporary approach to work experience that reimagines how young people — especially those with disabilities or barriers to employment — gain exposure to real workplaces. Traditionally work experience often relies on a one-week placement with limited context, minimal support, and varying quality. EQUALex was designed to fix that.

It brings together the best parts of Supported Employment, Gatsby Benchmarks (appendix a), and real employer partnerships, offering a structured, meaningful, and future-focused model.

A meaningful work experience should:

•  Have a clear purpose

• underpinned learning outcomes

• intensive 2-way interaction

• opportunity to meet a range of employers

• opportunites to perform tasks

• includes employer providing feedback

• be followed by opportunity of reflections

Understanding Equalex: What I Learned in the UK About High-Quality Career Pathways for Young People With Additional Needs.

During my time in the UK visiting BASE, employers, and education providers, one of the clearest and most practical frameworks I encountered was Equalex — a structured, evidence-based model that helps young people (especially those with additional needs) build real-world career readiness through multiple, progressive, meaningful encounters with employers.

Equalex bridges the gap between school, work experience, and long-term career development. It aligns with the Gatsby Benchmarks ( see appendix a) but also strengthens them by giving educators a concrete, step-by-step way to design real employment outcomes.

Below is a clear breakdown of what was shared in the workshop.

1. Equalex Learning Outcomes – What Young People Must Experience

The central message of Equalex is that career readiness isn’t achieved through a single placement — it’s built through a combination of:

🔵 Introduce & Inspire (T1)

Early exposure to workplaces, job roles, sectors, and pathways. Learning outcomes include:

• Understanding what different workplaces look like

• Seeing relatable job roles

• Developing initial self-awareness

• Building early aspirations

🔷 Investigate & Explore (T2)

Young people begin engaging more deeply with employers. Learning outcomes include:

• Role exploration

• Understanding requirements of different industries

• Exploring growth sectors

• Connecting the curriculum to real-world applications

🟢 Apply & Demonstrate (T3)

Real experience applying skills in workplace settings. Learning outcomes include:

• Using employability skills

• Engaging in authentic workplace tasks

• Demonstrating capabilities

• Developing confidence through hands-on practice

All of this sits inside the core principle of Immersive Experience — not simulated learning, but genuine contact with employers and real tasks.

2. What High-Quality Modern Work Experience Looks Like

Equalex defines modern work experience as something that must:

• Begin early, not just in the final years of school

• Include multiple employers, multiple industries

• Be underpinned by clear learning outcomes

• Be employer-led in design

• Prioritise students who are at risk of missing out

• Build meaningful, ongoing relationships between learners and employers

• Meet the updated Gatsby Benchmark 6 for career experiences

This is a shift away from the old “one week of work experience” model — toward a sequence of linked, purposeful interactions.

3. “Learner 1” – A Real Example of a Progressive Pathway

One of the most useful parts of the workshop was seeing a full-year pathway for a young person, showing how they move through T1, T2, and T3.

In one year, the learner completed:

Tier 1 (Introduce & Inspire)

• Sector-themed employer day (construction) — 6 hours

• Growth sectors / LMI challenge day — 6 hours

• Career Readiness Challenge Day — 6 hours

Tier 2 (Investigate & Explore)

• Employer involvement day linked to technical pathways — 6 hours

• Mock interview day with prep and reflection — 3 hours

• ½ day employer visit — 3 hours

Tier 3 (Apply & Demonstrate)

• 3 days of workplace visits or placements — 18 hours

• 1 employer visit aligned to technical pathways — 6 hours

Total exposure:

• 6+ sectors

• 9+ employers

• Multiple progressive, high-quality touchpoints

This structure is deliberate — each experience builds on the last, developing skills, confidence, and workplace readiness.

4. Key Stage 3 Example – Bringing It to Life in Schools

Equalex also shared practical curriculum mapping.For example:

Term 1 — Dragon’s Den Enterprise Day (6 hours)

• Students design a product with employer mentors

• Present to a panel of real professionals

• Develop skills in teamwork, marketing, budgeting

Term 2 — Enterprise Lessons + Employer Visits Every 6 Weeks (12 hours/year)

• Regular exposure to workplace contexts

• Learning employability through real-world examples

Term 3 — Creative Careers (Employer-led)

Workshops in:

• Trashion (fashion from waste)

• 4 Schools Festival

• Wintertide Festival

• We CAN Dance

• Rocksteady

This model shows how careers education can be embedded, not bolted on.

5. Equalex Graduate Profile – What Success Looks Like

An Equalex graduate leaves school with:

Knowledge

• Clear understanding of pathways after school

• Insight into real industries and roles

• Confidence in their own strengths

Skills

• Ability to self-advocate

• Communication in workplace settings

• Sector-specific capabilities

• Transferable employability skills

Behaviours

• Professional behaviour

• Belief in their own potential

• Ability to make informed decisions

• Readiness for employer expectations

This is very similar to what we aim for in Customised Employment and NDIS SLES — but Equalex provides a consistent, measurable framework.

6. Why This Matters for Australia

This framework has strong implications for our work:

✔ It aligns with Customised Employment principles

Task analysis, employer engagement, and progressive exposure are built in.

✔ It gives schools a scaffold for work readiness

Particularly useful for students who need more than a one-size-fits-all placement.

✔ It supports fidelity and consistency

Every learner gets a minimum standard of exposure, regardless of postcode.

✔ It bridges the gap between school and employment services

Helping students transition before becoming isolated from the job market.

✔ It strengthens employer relationships

Employers are engaged repeatedly, early, and with purpose — not just for a single placement.

EQUALex: The Missing Layer That Makes Modern Work Experience Truly Inclusive

Throughout the UK, the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) and its Careers & Enterprise Academy have revolutionized careers education. They offer national consistency, engage employers, and provide a clear framework through the Gatsby Benchmarks.

However, while these systems lay a solid foundation, young people with disabilities or additional learning needs still encounter a common issue:

The framework exists — but access isn’t always equal.

This is where EQUALex comes in. It doesn’t replace the Careers & Enterprise Academy. It enhances it. It serves as a crucial, personalized layer ensuring that modern work experience is accessible, meaningful, and tailored for every student — particularly those requiring more than a standard one-week placement.

Where CEC Ends and EQUALex Begins

CEC provides the structural backbone of careers education:

• employer encounters

• workplace experiences

• curriculum-linked careers learning

• personalized guidance

• Careers Leader training

• tracking, benchmarking, and industry engagement

These foundations are essential — but not always sufficient for students who need:

• scaffolded learning

• sensory-aware environments

• additional communication support

• social coaching

• tailored, pace-adjusted exposure

• job-carving or strengths-based task design

EQUALex fills this gap.

It connects mainstream careers education with specialized, inclusive employment practices — like those used in Customised Employment and Supported Internships.

1. EQUALex Personalises What CEC Standardises

CEC outlines what should happen. EQUALex focuses on how to deliver it for students with diverse needs.

While a standard work experience placement might expect a student to simply “fit in,” EQUALex:

• adapts workplaces to the student

• ensures tasks match abilities and strengths

• explores sensory and environmental adjustments

• prepares employers to be inclusive

• supports communication and social interactions

• gives students time to build confidence

This aligns with Customised Employment principles, allowing students to thrive in ways a traditional model cannot.

2. EQUALex Strengthens Gatsby Benchmark 6: Experiences of Workplaces

Work experience is a key requirement of CEC’s framework, including the Gatsby Benchmarks — but for many disabled students, the traditional model overlooks their needs.

EQUALex transforms Benchmark 6 by offering:

✔ scaffolded work tasters ✔ flexible, curated work placements ✔ job-carving exercises ✔ employer awareness training ✔ job coach support ✔ structured reflection and skill tracking

Students not only visit workplaces — they engage meaningfully.

3. EQUALex Helps Employers Become Confident and Inclusive

CEC’s Employer Standards outline what good employer engagement looks like, but employers often need deeper support to achieve it.

EQUALex provides that support through:

• disability awareness and adjustment training

• clear role-design guidance

• simplified communication strategies

• job coach involvement

• problem-solving support

• workplace troubleshooting

Employers are not left on their own. They are coached, supported, and empowered to create inclusive environments — enhancing outcomes for both students and employers.

4. EQUALex Creates Long-Term Pathways Beyond School

CEC’s role includes helping students understand post-school options. But for students with disabilities or complex needs, the pathway is often unclear or fragmented.

EQUALex bridges this gap by connecting students to:

• Supported Internships

• Customised Employment

• traineeships

• micro-enterprise pathways

• specialist employment support

• local council or community programs

It doesn’t just provide a placement — it creates a transition pathway.

5. EQUALex Supports the Cohort Least Served by Traditional Work Experience

Many young people struggle in environments that assume:

• fast adaptation

• strong communication

• independence from day one

• high sensory tolerance

• the ability to generalize skills instantly

EQUALex is designed explicitly for:

• autistic students

• young people with learning disabilities

• students with ADHD

• young people with mental health needs

• those who require gradual exposure

• students needing job-coach assistance

Work experience becomes accessible — not overwhelming.

6. EQUALex + CEC = A Complete Modern Work Experience System

Here’s the relationship in one sentence:

CEC provides the framework. EQUALex provides the inclusion.

Together, they deliver a modern, high-quality, personalized work experience system that prepares all young people — not just the most confident — for real employment.

The combination ensures:

✨ Structure ✨ Personalization ✨ Employer readiness ✨ Real-world exposure ✨ Strengths-based pathways ✨ Sustainable transitions

This is how young people move from school into meaningful, valued roles in the community.

Conclusion: EQUALex Doesn’t Replace CEC — It Makes It Work for Everyone

The Careers & Enterprise Academy is a powerful national framework. But real inclusion requires an additional layer — one that goes deeper, personalizes the experience, and supports both students and employers.

EQUALex is that layer. It ensures that “modern work experience” is not just a catchphrase, but a reality for young people who deserve equitable access to employment pathways.

With CEC + EQUALex combined, schools can provide a careers program that is:

• inclusive

• practical

• future-focused

• strengths-based

• employer-led

• personalized

• sustainable

And most importantly — genuinely life-changing.

Appendix a)

The 8 Gatsby Benchmarks

1. A Stable Careers Programme

Schools/colleges must have a long-term, structured careers program that is planned, published, evaluated, and understood by students, parents, teachers, and employers.

2. Learning From Career & Labour Market Information

Young people should regularly access up-to-date information about jobs, industries, demand, salary expectations, skills shortages, and future labour trends. This includes resources for families and teachers.

3. Addressing the Needs of Each Pupil

Career guidance must be personalised. Students, including those with disabilities or additional needs, should receive tailored support that recognises their interests, strengths, and aspirations. Records of goals and encounters must be kept and tracked.

4. Linking Curriculum Learning to Careers

Subjects should connect what students are learning in class to real careers.Example: Maths → finance and engineering; English → media and communications; Art → design careers.

5. Encounters With Employers & Employees

Every young person should interact with a range of employers during their education — through talks, workplace visits, projects, or mentoring — to develop understanding, networks, and confidence.

6. Experiences of Workplaces

Students should have real-world, hands-on experiences in workplaces. This can include work experience placements, job shadowing, industry days, or Supported Internships and workplace exposure.

7. Encounters With Further & Higher Education

Students should learn about the full range of academic and vocational pathways: apprenticeships, traineeships, TAFE-style programs, universities, training providers, and alternative pathways.

8. Personal Guidance

Every student should receive individual career guidance from a trained careers adviser. Guidance should be developmental, ongoing, and aligned with their needs, including tailored support for disabled students.

Why the Gatsby Benchmarks Matter (Especially for Disability Inclusion)

• They normalise early career exploration, rather than waiting until students are “ready.”

• They strengthen school-to-work transitions, reducing the risk of young people with disabilities falling into inactivity.

• They support Supported Internships and Supported Employment pathways by ensuring meaningful workplace exposure before school ends.

• They align strongly with Customised Employment principles, especially Benchmarks 3, 5, 6, and 8.

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