More school pupils across England and Wales should be taking part in mandatory work experience as part of their school life to prepare them for the future, business leaders have claimed. 

Experts want ministers to reinstate the work experience programme to the curriculum moving forward so that pupils who have the desire or interest to work in a specific setting have the chance to see what it's like while they are still deciding what to do when they leave school. 

The Department for Education has always said that it wants to give teenagers the ability to make more informed decisions when it comes to things that can affect their future. However, the coalition government has previously scrapped the compulsory work experience for schools in 2012. 

However, in a new survey of business leaders across the UK, by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC), it was revealed that the vast majority of business people want to see it reinstated. 

Some 82 per cent of those surveyed for the study said all pupils under the age of 16 should at the very least be offered the chance to take part in a work experience programme. 

Of those who were surveyed, some 79 per cent of people said that work experience is vital for equipping young people with the skills they need, while 55 per cent said that voluntary work can teach young people a valuable experience about the working world. 

BCC director John Longworth said the government can still make this a reality and show that it really cares about helping young people shape their future. He said scrapping compulsory work experience had been "careless... but it is not too late to correct the mistake".

Mr Longworth said: "Work experience is crucial to bringing down our stubbornly high youth unemployment rate. 

"It will help ensure more young people are prepared for work. It will help close the yawning skills gaps reported by frustrated businesses across the UK, who face huge difficulty filling vacancies at every level."