One thing British schools do is have a year interning inbetween the rest of the years for the degree. This both gives the student real world experience and helps them get their name out. Plus, it encourages businesses to invest in the students, since they have the opportunity to hire a good candidate in a couple years.
This doesn't seem to help the situation. (1) Now, experienced people with families to support will (theoretically) be out of work longer, and (2) Raising the bar on "practical" experience raises it for everyone, still making jobs hard to get.