How do I get student work experience for my son (under 16) ?

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Next school year my son will shall be asked to find 'work experience' . He is an itelligent student and enjoys physics and chemisty, with test scores in science the highest in his year. He also enjoys maths. We are starting to look now for work placements which will match his abilities, and small lack of social skills, maybe a laboratory based work placement, but we cannot seem to find anywhere that will take anyone under 16. The vast majority of jobs are clerical, or working in shops, leisure centres/ with children and this does not appeal to him at all. Infact he positively hates the idea.

Does anybody know of anywhere in the UK that may offer work experience in the maths/ science sector to an under 16?

No clue about the UK, but the in the US, fast food places will take them as young as 14. So maybe fast food? (You know, McDonalds and stuff like that?)

I Forgot to mention my son is aspie too.The thought of working in a fast food place etc is terryfying to him, except eating it of course!

We were thinking more along the lines of scientific work?

Well so am I, and I worked piza for 5 years. Realy, it's not that bad. But in my opinion, pizza places are way better to work in than burger joints.
Perhaps when you find some places that actually hire kids his sge, you can kind of hang around them some to let him observe the atmosphere?

Thanks...but realistically he's looking for lab work/ pharmaceuticals/sciences etc. He will be offered work in an office /bank /shop/ food place but this is not what he wants.

It's only 1 - 2 weeks work, but he really wants it in the career that he wishes to follow. I know NASA do work experience programs for students born in the US. If only there was something like that in the UK.

I wonder if a local chemist would perhaps be an option? It's a shop for sure, but it does have a mix of some of his interests. Other options might be checking companies in a local industrial estate to see if they have a lab that will consider a student for a couple weeks.

Realistically work experience is pretty much meaningless - just take him into work for the week. Though his school if they are any good might have lab based placements sorted already with the local universities; if not obviously get in touch with them.

I disagree...It will introduce him to the realities of the world outside school, so I want to make the experience as positive for him as possible , otherwise it could put him off working!
I know from experience! I would take him to work but I am not working atm.
( they don't do lab based placements through his school)

A chemist is a good idea! thanks.

In reality work experience in the sciences is nothing like any of the placements offered by any universities - being a scientist really is about a lot of hard work, time with books etc. The school should if they are half-decent have some placements which are good but not-lab based. That way he is not put off but also not given a shock when he has to work for real either.