Bristol WORKS Home
Connecting employers with students
We ensure everyone has access to employer experiences, regardless of their background, to help shape their futures.
Bristol Works brings employers and secondary schools together to provide meaningful experiences of work for young people aged 11–16. By opening doors to real workplaces, careers insights, and practical learning opportunities, employers help raise aspirations and support young people to realise their potential.
Why It Matters
Many young people have limited exposure to the world of work. Without real insight into different careers, it can be difficult to imagine future possibilities or understand the pathways available after school.
Bristol Works helps change that. By connecting employers with schools across the city, we create meaningful opportunities for young people to explore careers, develop confidence, and build the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their future.
Our programme focuses particularly on supporting learners who face the greatest barriers to opportunity. Through sustained engagement with employers, we help broaden horizons, raise aspirations, and support positive pathways beyond secondary school.
Through partnerships with businesses across Bristol, Bristol Works contributes to improving career readiness while helping reduce the risk of young people becoming not in education, employment or training (NEET).
BLC Careers Day – Year 8
“I think the most useful part of this session would be that I may have more job options in the future.”
Student
Bridge Learning Campus
Has it helped you as a teacher
“It has made me consider more about how we develop job-related skills at school”
Teacher
Bridge Learning Campus
How It Works
Getting involved with Bristol Works is simple.
1. MAKE A PLEDGE
Employers commit to supporting young people through meaningful career engagement and experiences of work.
2. WE MATCH YOU WITH SCHOOLS
The Bristol WORKS team connects your organisation with schools and coordinates activities that are pre-booked with the school for upcoming terms.
3. DELIVER YOUR ACTIVITY
You support young people through activities such as in-school practical sessions, career carousels, career days, workplace visits or work experience placements.
Our team provides guidance and practical support throughout, including support on the day, making it easy for employers to engage in ways that are meaningful for both students and businesses.
How Employers Can Get Involved
Employers play a vital role in helping young people understand the opportunities available to them. Bristol Works offers a range of flexible ways for organisations to get involved.
We design and deliver meaningful, high-quality experiences of work in partnership with employers. Opportunities are designed to be interactive and engaging, and are tailored to work for different age groups, and different levels of ability and need.
These include:
*click the tabs above to expand
Each opportunity helps young people develop confidence, broaden their understanding of careers, and build valuable connections with the world of work.
Learn More About Employer Opportunities
Impact Snapshot
Bristol Works is a city-wide programme bringing together employers, schools, and partners to support young people across Bristol. By working together, we help students:
Explore a wider range of career pathways
Develop essential skills for the workplace
Gain confidence in their abilities and ambitions
Make informed decisions about their future education & employment
LET’S MAKE A DIFFERENCE TOGETHER
Through sustained partnerships with employers, the programme helps create meaningful experiences that raise aspirations and support positive post-16 outcomes for young people across the city.
“It’s changed how I think about the future a little bit. I already had an idea but now I have more of an idea of different places to go after school.”
Student
“I felt really good after the sessions! I feel like confidence and communication has got better. Before, I was really shy talking to people, like meeting new people, now I go straight in!”
Student
“I’ve really enjoyed doing something different. I like being practical, using tools and doing jobs.”
Student
Schools & Education Providers
Bristol Works supports secondary schools by connecting them with employers who can bring careers education to life.
SCHOOLS PATHWAY
Our team works with schools to coordinate high-quality employer encounters, workplace visits, and work experience placements that align with careers education frameworks and support students to understand the world of work.
Through these partnerships, schools gain access to a growing network of employers committed to supporting young people across Bristol.
Join Our Employers
Bristol Works is proud to partner with organisations across a wide range of sectors, from global businesses to local enterprises. Together, these employers are helping young people explore careers, develop confidence, and gain valuable insight into the workplace.
Latest from Bristol Works
Follow Bristol Works on LinkedIn to see recent activities, employer partnerships, and opportunities for young people across the city. Our LinkedIn page shares highlights from employer engagement sessions, workplace visits, and work experience programmes taking place in Bristol schools. Follow Bristol WORKS on LinkedIn.
Help Shape Bristol’s Future Workforce
Are you an employer of a business or organisation in Bristol? Let’s get together to help build the future workforce. Join companies of all sizes that have already pledged.
By making a Bristol Works pledge, your organisation can help inspire the next generation, raise aspirations, and support young people as they explore their future careers.
Whether you host a workplace visit, deliver a workshop, or offer work experience placements, your involvement can make a real difference to young people across the city.