Every time a young person steps into an interview room or team meeting, what do they really bring with them? Beyond their CV and grades, it’s their power to speak up — with clarity, confidence and purpose—that often makes all the difference. Yet, for many, that spark of oracy still feels out of reach.

The old-school skill that still rules

Yes, the rise of AI and automation has everyone chasing the “next big thing” in digital skills. But
here’s the surprising truth: employers today, from boutique startups to global construction firms, keep telling us the basics really matter. English, maths — and above all, the ability to articulate ideas and communicate well—remain non-negotiable skills vital to securing roles.

That demand is crystal clear: young people need more than technical know-how. They need the confidence to speak up and be heard, and in the age-old knowledge/skills debate, thankfully, the skill of oracy is a valued condition for success in the classroom.

Confidence still falls flat

The Careers and Enterprise Company’s study of over 230,000 young people, which measures career readiness, saw an encouraging uptick in self-belief across most workplace skills—except for speaking. By Year 11, many youngsters still baulk at the thought of a presentation or interview. Girls from less advantaged backgrounds report the lowest levels of confidence in speaking. It’s not that they don’t see the value—almost every young person we speak to knows how crucial oracy is. It’s that without real practice and feedback, nerves take over. How do we
work through this gap?

Bringing the real world into the classroom

Employers tend to notice the oracy confidence gap during interview and assessment processes.
Data from over 1000 businesses who work with us to improve their school outreach efforts suggests employers struggle to help young people with interview preparation. Around 40% of Year 11s report they don’t feel ready either. Imagine replacing the classic “mock interview” with
a live brief from a local employer. Frame the task with clear prompts (“pitch a new product idea in two minutes”), then sit back as students receive instant coaching on tone, structure, and body language.

That’s exactly what companies like Mace Group are doing. Their modern work experience opportunities pair students with project managers to tackle genuine site-planning challenges and build real-life skills. Teachers get upskilled, too—through handson teacher encounters where they learn to weave authentic workplace scenarios into daily lessons.

And parents aren’t left out: Mace hosts and attends evenings in local schools to demystify their industry, show career pathways, and share online toolkits so students can keep practising at home.

Work experience—more than just a taster

With government plans developing for a guarantee of two weeks’ worth of quality work experience to be accessible to every young person [ST1] [NH2] , we’ve piloted a multi-experience model that treats each placement as a building block. One experience might be on a shop floor, the next shadowing a marketing team, followed by a reflective workshop, layering opportunities to access different workplaces.

By the end, students have explored sectors and sharpened core skills—team talk, client pitches, and problem-solving huddles—all under the guidance of industry mentors. That iterative feedback loop is exactly what turns timid speakers into confident communicators.

Curriculum meets career conversations

So, how do we build oracy into everyday pedagogical approaches? Careers conversations and applied learning tasks linked to every curriculum subject really present an opportunity to do this. Over the last couple of decades, educators have mainstreamed the concept that literacy is the role of all teachers; students can’t access stretching GCSE examinations without subject-specific technical literacy skills – why not apply the same theory to oracy, but link it to “futures,” using industry relevant application as an inspirational lever to pathways out of every curriculum subject.

For instance, take a history lesson on industrial change. What if students were asked to role-play a town hall, negotiating factory conditions on behalf of 19th-century workers? Or an English class that ends with a live podcast recording, complete with audience Q&A? When talk is tethered to tangible outcomes, oracy becomes a lived experience, not just a lesson plan. There are lots of examples of where employer-connected activity brings curriculum learning alive and where oracy is a central tenet.

Putting oracy at the heart of education

This isn’t about tacking on a “speaking week” or a one-off workshop. Oracy must be woven through every lesson, every project, and every career conversation. It’s the bridge between classroom achievement and career readiness. It’s both an economic and social imperative for students and employers to thrive.

Because here’s the bottom line: in today’s world, being able to think on your feet, connect ideas out loud, and inspire an audience isn’t a “nice to have”— it’s your ticket onto the career ladder.