Creating Career Pathways Through Work Experience - The Future Workforce Is Already in Our Schools

“Working with DYW has opened doors to a vast untapped pool of talent, on our doorstep” Colin Baxter, Operational Excellence Professional, NextPharma 

For many years, I believed that working in a pharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organisation was a career reserved for graduates and experienced professionals. After all, that was all I had ever known within the industry.

When I established our Work Experience Programme last year, my goal was simple: to inspire at least one young person to consider a future career in the life sciences sector. If I'm honest, I expected it to be a one-off initiative. I wasn't convinced there would be much ongoing interest, and I had concerns that the highly regulated nature of our industry would be too challenging for school pupils to fully engage with. Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), strict safety requirements, and the discipline needed to work in a regulated environment can seem complex even to adults entering the sector.

How wrong I was.

From day one, I was amazed by the enthusiasm and curiosity shown by the pupils. They embraced every opportunity, asked thoughtful and relevant questions, and demonstrated impressive problem-solving skills when faced with real-world challenges. Rather than being intimidated by the environment, they rose to the occasion. What stood out most, however, was the transformation I witnessed over the course of the week. The shy and uncertain young people who arrived on the first day gradually became confident, engaged and enthusiastic individuals by the end of day five. Watching that growth was incredibly rewarding. For a brief period, I was able to see the potential in each of them begin to unfold, much like a flower coming into bloom.

The experience also helped me recognise talents and strengths that some of the pupils may not even have realised they possessed. All they needed was the opportunity to explore, learn, contribute and, ultimately, flourish.

This is why I am such a strong advocate for the work of Developing the Young Workforce (DYW). Programmes like these demonstrate the vital role businesses can play in helping young people understand the opportunities available to them. Employers need to engage with schools and start those conversations early. Whether through school talks, workplace visits, work experience placements, mentoring, mock interviews or careers fairs, every interaction helps to broaden horizons and support informed career choices.

By investing our time and expertise today, we can help nurture the workforce of tomorrow. Every opportunity offered is a seed planted. With encouragement, guidance and the right environment, those seeds can grow into successful careers, skilled professionals and a stronger future for our industries. If we all commit to planting those seeds now, we can look forward to a bumper harvest in the years to come.

“Having young enthusiastic apprentices has brought a buzz of energy to the place” 

 Interested in getting involved? Find out more here or contact us [email protected]