Entrepreneurship isn’t just a career path; it’s a mindset.
Through the right kind of work experience, students can gain the confidence, skills, and curiosity they need to become the innovative business leaders of tomorrow.

At The Changing Education Group, we believe entrepreneurial thinking starts early, and we’re helping schools unlock it through purposeful, hands-on placements.

Why Is Work Experience So Powerful for Aspiring Entrepreneurs?

Traditional education often focuses on exam results, but future founders need creativity, resilience, and real-world exposure.

Work experience helps students:

• See how businesses operate day-to-day
• Understand how ideas become products or services
• Solve real problems and respond to live challenges
• Engage with mentors, teams, and professionals in action

This blend of exposure and participation gives students a front-row seat to the world of innovation, and a chance to shape their place in it.

How Does Hands-On Learning Fuel Entrepreneurial Growth?

Entrepreneurs don’t learn by watching; they learn by doing.
Work experience offers exactly that: the chance to step out of the classroom and into a business.

Students gain experience with:

• Operations, logistics, and decision-making
• Problem-solving under pressure
• Customer needs and market trends
• Budgeting, branding, and business strategy

These insights help students connect the dots between what they’re learning and what they might one day build.

How Do Students Learn to Identify Opportunities?

Great entrepreneurs don’t just see what is; they see what could be.

Work experience placements expose students to real-world industries, allowing them to spot gaps, inefficiencies, or untapped audiences.

This sparks innovation by helping students:

• Think critically about challenges in a business
• Ask “what if?” and explore potential solutions
• Explore how new ideas could meet existing needs
• Gain confidence in their ability to contribute

This mindset shift, from learner to problem-solver, is key to entrepreneurial success.

How Can Work Experience Encourage Innovation and Creativity?

Innovation thrives when students are empowered to think differently.

Through structured projects and challenges, students can:

• Design marketing campaigns
• Develop new product or service ideas
• Research ways to improve customer experience
• Use digital tools to present business proposals

These opportunities give students space to think boldly, and to see the real impact of their creativity in action.

Why Is Mentorship So Valuable for Young Entrepreneurs?

Behind every successful entrepreneur is a mentor who offered guidance, perspective, or encouragement.
Work experience opens doors to exactly those kinds of relationships.

Students can benefit from:

• Direct mentorship from business owners or managers
• Feedback on their contributions, ideas, or behaviour
• Career stories and advice from people who’ve “been there”
• Exposure to leadership styles and team dynamics

These interactions help students understand what it takes to build something from scratch, and give them someone to look up to along the way.

What Networking Opportunities Arise From Work Experience?

Even at a young age, networking matters.
The people students meet on placement may become mentors, collaborators, or even future employers.

Benefits include:

• Building professional confidence and communication skills
• Creating LinkedIn profiles and connecting with industry figures
• Receiving job references or invitations to return
• Learning how to present ideas in business environments

This exposure expands students’ vision of what’s possible and who’s in their corner.

The First Step Towards Future Founders

Work experience isn’t just about preparing students for employment; it’s about unlocking their potential to create, lead, and innovate.

At The Changing Education Group, we embed entrepreneurial learning into our placements, helping students build the confidence, creativity, and connections they need to shape the future.

Email: workwithus@changingeducation.co.uk
Call: 0161 515 7800
Book a demo to explore how our work experience programmes develop the entrepreneurs of tomorrow.

FAQs:

How does work experience help develop entrepreneurial skills?
It gives students hands-on exposure to business operations, challenges, and innovation, helping them build confidence, creativity, and critical thinking.

Can students take part in entrepreneurial projects during placements?
Yes. Many of our placements involve students contributing to real projects, solving problems, and even presenting ideas to senior staff.

What age group benefits most from entrepreneurship-focused placements?
We support students from Year 10 upwards, tailoring placements and guidance to age, ability, and ambition.

Do students get to interact with business owners or managers?
Often, yes. We actively seek placements where students can learn from inspiring professionals and hear entrepreneurial journeys first-hand.

How does this support the Gatsby Benchmarks?
These placements meet multiple Gatsby Benchmarks, particularly Benchmark 5 (encounters with employers) and Benchmark 6 (experiences of workplaces).