News Outlets: ‘Expert warns schools are struggling to keep up with workplace skill demands’
By Sarah Stone
Published across news outlets - Dec 2025
Changes in the workplace are happening so fast the education cannot keep up in terms of training young people in the correct skills, it has been warned.
Startup Sherpas, a company which develops school pupils in skills not generally learned in the classroom, said employers were concerned about a gap between supply and demand.
Speaking to the Let’s Talk Social Value podcast, founder Kathy Walker said areas like entrepreneurship and innovation were lacking in the curriculum, and external bodies were left to “fill the gaps”.
Podcast host Sarah Stone, director of social value agency Samtaler, added that addressing those areas would increase opportunities for young people and boost the economy.
Ms Walker discussed her company’s internship scheme, where children as young as 13 do 21-hour placements over several weeks with companies looking for new skills.
The online platform has enabled 4000 young people across the country to sample the world of work and learn new skills since launching in 2022.
In turn, the companies who pay for them – each supplying the minimum wage for their age-group – access enthusiastic young people with new ideas.
Kathy Walker, founder and CEO of Startup Sherpas, said:
“We need to bridge the gap between the skills young people are learning at school and the skills they will need in the workplace.
“This needs to be done at scale. We want to work with thousands of young people across the UK.
“We talk to a lot of different employers, across different industries and sectors.
“The problem we find is the world of work is changing so rapidly, the skills young people need are changing at pace.
“These skills are not being taught as much as we need them to be, and that’s because changing the curriculum is a really hard thing to do – it can take decades.
“But the skills needed are changing all the time so you need companies like us to fill the gaps.
“We focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, that’s what the employers are telling us they need from young people.
“As they’re learning they are almost doing so without knowing – it’s like skills development by stealth.
“Young people across the UK know their school, know their friends, know people in their town or area – the world is quite small to them.
“This scheme allows them to get to meet people from completely different backgrounds and parts of the country.”
Sarah Stone, director of Samtaler, said:
“The world is changing so quickly and that’s why we need organisations like this to help prepare young people for what’s next.
“Teachers across the UK do an amazing job but there will only ever be so much the education system can do.
“By training up young people in skills like entrepreneurship and innovation, and giving them so much confidence, it doesn’t just help them. It will boost the economy and productivity of our businesses too.”
Let’s Talk Startup Sherpas Podcast Episode