Work Experience: Preparing Students for their Future Pathway
All Year 10 students undertake a two-week work Experience placement with the aim of experiencing the world of work and developing the necessary skills for future employability.
Year 11 and 12 students who are enrolled in a VET (Vocational Education & Training) program also complete a Work Experience placement. This allows them to integrate practical on-the-job experience and learnings in industry with a nationally recognised VET certificate.
Work Experience greatly enriches the curriculum and enables students to prepare for adult and working life in a controlled environment. It provides students with a valuable opportunity to:
- develop employability skills
- explore possible career options
- understand employer expectations, and
- increase their self-understanding, maturity, independence and self-confidence.
While undertaking Work Experience, students observe different aspects of work within their chosen industry and may assist with tasks allocated by their supervisor.
Work Experience students are assessed by their school according to school-based criteria. Their employer is also asked to provide feedback on the student’s performance while at the workplace.
Work Experience plays an important role in career planning and course and subject selection. The world of work is constantly changing; Work Experience provides students with the opportunity to enhance their awareness and understanding of this world and to build their portfolio of skills.
Benefits of Work Experience
The Work Experience programs creates benefit for both students and parents or guardians
Benefits for students
- Better understanding of the work environment and what employers expect of their workers.
- An opportunity to explore possible career options.
- Increased self-understanding, maturity, independence and self-confidence.
- Increased motivation to continue study and/or undertake further training.
- Better understanding of how the school curriculum can help prepare young people for work.
- An introduction to workplace recruitment practices.
- Enhanced opportunities for part-time and casual employment.
- Opportunity to include the employer’s work Experience evaluation in future job and course applications.
- Opportunity to develop work-related competencies and acquire skills.
- The chance to ‘try out’ a workplace, prior to undertaking VCE, VET in Schools, or an SBAT in Years 10 to12.
Benefits for parents/guardians
- Opportunity to discuss work with their child, including their own previous and current Experiences.
- Networking opportunities for their child when they commence organising their placement.
- Opportunity to positively contribute to their child’s secondary education.
- Positive interaction between parent and school staff.
- Opportunity for families to be involved in discussions about flexible pathways for their child, to enable informed choices from a range of post compulsory education and training options as part of the transition from school to further education, training and employment.