President's Column: Work experience - why it’s time for business to stop saying ‘we’re not insured’

As president of the Lichfield & Tamworth Chamber of Commerce - and as someone who’s spent nearly 10 years as an enterprise adviser - I’ve heard every reason under the sun why employers “can’t” offer work experience, writes Martin Hall.

But one excuse crops up more than any other: “We don’t have the right insurance.”

Let me be absolutely clear - in almost every case, that simply isn’t true.

Unless you’re manufacturing explosives or running a high-ropes maintenance business suspended over a high rise or cliff, your Employers’ Liability Insurance already covers work-experience students and interns.

They are included in the definition of “employee” in the vast majority of UK policy wordings.

The Health & Safety Executive and the Association of British Insurers both confirm this.

So, if insurance has been your barrier, consider it removed.

And that matters, because the landscape of work experience has just changed - significantly, and for the better.

The UK Government has updated its expectations around work experience, and educators are already adapting.

The new approach is built on six principles:

• Prioritise young people who are missing out

• Ensure experiences are employer-led in their design

• Enable meaningful relationships between employers and young people

• Start early - across all five years of secondary school

• Provide access to multiple industries and occupations

• Deliver meaningful experiences aligned with the updated Gatsby Benchmark 6

This is not the old “one week in Year 10” model. This is a structured, outcomes-driven, multi-year programme designed to build confidence, aspiration, and employability. Schools and colleges are ready.

They’re more proactive, more targeted, and more collaborative than ever.

Now they need business to meet them halfway.

Every time I sit down with a business in Lichfield, Tamworth or the wider West Midlands, the same challenges rise to the top.

Talent retention. Talent attraction. Skills gaps. We talk about them constantly, and rightly so.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth - you can’t solve a talent pipeline problem if you never meet the pipeline.

Work experience isn’t charity. It’s not a box-ticking exercise. It’s not “giving up time”.

It’s talent scouting.

I’ve seen it time and time again. A student comes in for a placement, impresses the team, returns for a part-time role, and eventually becomes a full-time employee.

Sometimes they become the star you didn’t know you needed.

If you want to future-proof your workforce, this is one of the smartest, lowest-cost, highest-impact strategies available.

One of the most exciting developments in Stoke & Staffordshire is the introduction of Tool Box Talks - short, targeted sessions where educators can request employer input on specific topics, sectors, or skills.

This is not “come in and talk for an hour about your job”. This is precision engagement.

It respects employers’ time. It ensures relevance. It delivers clear value to students and teachers. And it builds the kind of relationships that lead naturally to work experience opportunities.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’d help if I knew what they actually needed,” this is your moment.

We have brilliant businesses in our region. We have ambitious young people. We have educators who are more open, more collaborative, and more strategic than ever.

What we need now is simple. Stop looking for reasons not to engage.

Start looking at the opportunities you’re missing by staying on the sidelines.

Work experience isn’t a burden. It’s an investment - in your future workforce, in your community, and in the long-term success of our region.

So, the next time someone in your business says: “We’re not insured,” you can confidently reply: “Yes, we are - so what’s our excuse now?”

And ideally, you’ll follow it with: “Why wouldn’t we get involved?”

Martin Hall is president of Lichfield and Tamworth Chamber of Commerce and managing director of M Hall Limited