Educational travel has a key role to play in making young people ‘work ready’
In the past decade, adaptability has emerged as one of the most critical skills for young people’s career success. Technological advancements, globalisation, innovation in education and major shifts in the labour market have redefined the traditional notion of a stable career path. In a rapidly evolving world of work, the ability to pivot, learn swiftly and grow in the face of change is more valuable than ever.
Recently, when over 1000 employers were questioned on what skills they value most in their workforce, attributes which underpin adaptive functioning such as problem-solving, collaboration, curiosity and out-of-the box thinking ranked more highly than computer and AI skills. Employers also found that young people aged 16-24 years of age, lacked crucial social and cultural capital; finding it difficult to adapt to the workplace, particularly when communicating with new colleagues or clients.
To fulfil promise and make meaningful progress in their careers, today’s young people must be adequately prepared to be able to navigate an unpredictable job market in constant flux. This clear need, and rationale for good career grounding begins at school, benefitting both the individual and the economy. Schools and colleges are increasingly being challenged to come up with innovative pedagogy to meet academic targets and extend children’s learning, (i.e. vocational experiences) to make them ‘work-ready’ for the highly unpredictable career landscape ahead.
Evidence suggests that schools and colleges have made significant progress over recent years in providing career guidance and vocational experiences. Approximately half of schools and colleges ensure that the majority of their students have at least one experience of the workplace by the age of 16 and another during sixth form or college. Nonetheless, although good career guidance and improved attainment can be found, the robustness in these processes for building sustainable social and cultural capital can be problematic. Young people face a lengthening transition from education to the world of work, the navigation of which can be challenging due to the complexity of progression pathways and options.
Learners in England are now being asked to make decisions about subjects at school at the age of 13 and these decisions, without the social and cultural capacity to draw upon, could have significant and long-lasting consequences for them. Almost one million adolescents remain labelled as NEETS (Not in Education, Employment or Training).
To build expansive holistic learning, the Department of Education expects from September 2025, all institutions to use the updated Gatsby Benchmarks, (frameworks for organising career provision in schools), stipulating that young people should participate in real-life, meaningful encounters and experiences with employers in both cultural and educational initiatives. They define meaningful experiences as having a clear purpose, extensive two-way interactions and personal reflections on insights, knowledge and skills gained.
Experiential or’ first hand’ learning, developed through school trips and travelling, underpins the development of meaningful adaptable skill sets by blending a combination of physical, social, cognitive, and emotional forms of learning with systematic, reflective practice. Learning by a range of means and experiences with real consequences for actions, enables young people to see the world at a personalised level ‘what this means to me’ and with a global perspective ‘how my actions impact others’. This ability to ‘zoom in’ and ‘zoom out’ is the cornerstone of agile, resilient thinking, crucial when faced with new situations.
A holistic, curriculum-aligned educational travel experience helps to generate this capability; boosting social and cultural capital, vocational skill accrual and future career aspiration. PGL Beyond’s LIVE! student conferences taking place at Disneyland Paris are a great example of this. Here, they combine the benefits of an overseas residential trip and cultural experience with face-to-face interaction with subject experts who demonstrate the real-life applications of the school curriculum now and for informing future career choices.
As we look to the future, adaptability acquired through social and cultural capacity will only grow in importance. Emerging fields such as renewable energy, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence will require these new skill sets and flexible mindsets. Preparing for these shifts means cultivating curiosity, embracing change, and building a diverse portfolio of experiences. Those who can evolve with the times, learn continuously, and embrace change are not only more resilient but also more likely to lead and inspire in their career journeys.
Authored by Dr John Allan, Head of Impact and Breakthrough Learning, PGL Beyond
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