A new campaign launched by Prime Minister Gordon Brown - Backing Young Britain - has called on the hospitality and tourism industries to offer more work experience for school leavers and students.

Around 15 per cent of young people have expressed an interest in a career in either tourism or hospitality, but a recent Populus poll for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) revealed that only three in five businesses across all sectors offer placements. The survey also revealed that 40 per cent of school leavers have been unable to secure work experience due to high demand or because firms were not offering placements. As a result, the Backing Young Britain initiative aims to create thousands more opportunities through a partnership between public, private and voluntary organisations.

Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "Many of our members continue to offer work placements - even during this tough economic climate. Businesses recognise how important placements can be for young people trying to improve their CVs, and for spotting future talent. "If more and more businesses feel able to offer placements, Britain's future workforce will be better trained and more job-ready."

Businesses can help to back the new campaign through a range of methods, including the provision of volunteer places, work experience or graduate internships, as well as work trials and apprenticeship opportunities for people aged between 16 and 24 years old. The Tourism Alliance said that, while it welcomed the move to create around 45,000 new work experience places in tourism and hospitality, it believes that it can only succeed if the initiative is incorporated into a wider government strategy for tourism.

Ken Robinson, chair of the Tourism Alliance, said: "While DWP is putting resources into developing skills in the sector, this is being undermined by other government departments which fail to appreciate the opportunities that tourism offers, or which introduce initiatives that prevent the industry from reaching its full potential. "Tourism is one of the UK's largest industries, with a key role to play in achieving sustainable economic growth and employment opportunities for young people. But to do this properly, the Government has to provide a coherent overall strategy to build on this youth employment initiative."