THE work experience service for Dorset has been scrapped after a Government funding cut, leaving some schools struggling to arrange placements.

The Department of Education has withdrawn the Business Link grant that paid for a team to arrange work experience across Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset.

Without that central service, schools face having to cancel their plans because they will have to find the time and money to carry out all the paperwork themselves.

Andrew Weeks, a teacher at Portchester School in Littledown, said he was now trying to rearrange the bookings made for his pupils.

“It’s been a nightmare for my school,” he told the Daily Echo yesterday.

“Everyone I have spoken to is really shocked. The employers can’t understand it as well. I have written a letter to the parents about it to say funding is stopping as of July 31.”

The directors of children’s service at Bournemouth, Poole and Dorset wrote to schools about the uncertainty in January and the funding cut was confirmed in April.

The money was paid to a central agency that maintained a database of employers and handled the health and safety assessments.

The councils decided they could not afford to make up the shortfall themselves.

Nationally the grant was £25m and this was distributed based on how many 14-19 year olds each authority had.

Poole received £64,000, Bournemouth received £73,500, and Dorset Council received £203,000.

Caroline Foster, Bournemouth and Poole 14-19 Strategic Leader, said: “The Department for Education has confirmed that the Education Business Link grant, used to fund work experience is being withdrawn. “Many schools across Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole expressed an interest in the continuation of a centrally co-ordinated work experience service.

“However, following a consultation with all the schools, it has been agreed that, unfortunately, without this subsidy this will not be possible.

“We will offer transitional support to schools to help them continue to offer work experience to students from September 2011.”

Geoff Cooke, head of Dorset’s branch of the National Teachers Union (NUT), said: “It’s a disgrace.

“Teachers can’t be leaving lessons to do administration and carry out health and safety checks.

“This is why a centralised agency was created – it’s more efficient. The Government is pushing apprentice schemes to get young people into work, but this was one of the key ways to do it.”