Work experience for schoolchildren is usually "pretty grim" and businesses must do better at giving them a real taste of what the corporate world is like, the boss of WH Smith has said.

Teenagers are often put to work "shoving paper into trash cans or shredding machines", said Richard Handover, the high street giant's chief executive.

His comments came after school standards minister David Miliband warned that "boredom is the bane of education" and a major factor in the increase of truancy and bad behaviour between the ages of 11 and 14.

They were speaking at a London conference on links between the worlds of education and commerce organised by Business in the Community.

Surveys have shown that providing work experience is the most common form of link between companies and schools.

Bolt-on

Pupils often go on placements in their final GCSE year and the Confederation of British Industry said it was commonly viewed as a "bolt-on at the end".

Mr Handover said: "It's a real challenge for the business community to provide serious opportunities that allow children to engage in a positive way with what work feels like, not just get them shoving paper into trash cans or shredding machines, which is what frequently happens.

Challenge

"There is a real challenge there."

Mr Miliband said imaginative teaching that kept pupils interested in subjects they considered relevant and worthwhile was the key to stopping the slide between the ages of 11 and 14.

Boys especially got left behind if they did not reach the expected level in maths and English tests at age 14.

Of those who did not, fewer than a third went on to get at least five A* to C-grades at GCSE, compared with more than half of girls, he said.

He continued: "If I had to pick out a fundamental reason why this minority get turned off, I would sum it up in a single word - boredom.

"Boredom is the gateway to dropping out - it is taken by young people as proof that adults just don't understand and have nothing to offer."