Getting to grips with work experience

It is generally agreed that during their teenage years students should begin to experience what it is like to go to work. Apart from helping them to develop maturity and responsibility, this experience is thought to benefit students when they eventually enter the workplace once their schooling is over.

Another push for providing such experience for students comes from government training reforms. These reforms have been devised to help improve the competitiveness of Australian industry in the global market by bolstering the skill levels of the Australian workforce. As a result there has been an increase in general work experience and industry-specific vocational programs for students in government and non-government secondary schools.

These programs include industry placements which require students to go into the workplace to learn about or practise specific occupational skills and to learn about the world of work. This booklet provides guidelines to assist those responsible for organising industry placements for students. These guidelines are based, in part, on the findings of recent surveys of students, employers, and teachers.