What is Work Experience?

Work Experience is a program that places students into workplaces on a temporary basis. As much as is possible and safe, students may be engaged as workers as well as observers. It is part of their total education, develops career awareness and gives students the opportunity to learn about work and organisations.

What are the benefits?

Students may gain knowledge of the relationship between their learning and their future working life. They have an opportunity to explore possible career choices and to experience a more adult environment. Work Experience broadens students' understanding of the world of work and the career opportunities it affords.

Work Experience may help students decide on a career path (or against one). This may help them decide on their subjects for Years 11 & 12. However, the opportunity to investigate careers is not the only value of work experience. It also provides an opportunity for students to test themselves in a real employment situation and to gauge their capacities to cope with the world of work.

Employers are asked to provide a report at the end of the placement and their comments are usually positive and constructive, and may be useful as a reference in later job seeking.

Work experience also gives students an opportunity to try out the steps necessary to obtain employment and present for an interview. Students can identify the type of placement they would like to experience, nominate the place of work and, with assistance and instruction, make appropriate arrangements.

Work experience can make students more aware of:

To have a successful work experience it is not necessary for the student to have a particular career destination planned. What is necessary is that the student is prepared to consider which fields might be interesting, select something, and BOOK EARLY!

How does it Work?

The compulsory work experience program for Year 10 students takes place during Term 3, usually in early to mid August.

It is also possible for students in Year 11 and 12 to complete a placement during one of the three term vacation periods during the school year. Year 10s who would like a second placement may also consider making arrangements during one of the term breaks (not the Christmas period), but a minimum of four weeks notice of this must be given to the Careers staff.

Students are responsible for negotiating a placement by contacting the employer initially and establishing that a placement would be possible. (A sample resume and covering letter is available at the Careers Centre.) The relevant legal forms must then be completed and returned to Mrs Ciardulli in the Careers Centre.

Arrangements with employers should be made as soon as possible to avoid the disappointment of high demand areas being booked out.  Journalism, the Police Force, the Zoo, television and many others are ALWAYS booked the year before! (Police - closing in Nov and Zoo - closing early October - must be booked through the school.)

It is recommended that students do not work with either parent as this may dilute the experience. Students wishing to do this must discuss their particular circumstances with Mrs Martin. (Try a swap with friends.)

Students are expected to arrange the placements themselves rather than have their parents do it for them. Employers are more impressed by students who can take on this responsibility themselves and are therefore more likely to accept the student who is making a direct application.

Should students experience difficulty negotiating their own placements they are welcome to seek advice from the Careers Centre.

Further details are available from the Careers Centre.