Work experience and why it matters
Work experience can open up your mind to the great possibilities of your career. Handled well, you can learn a lot about:
- the workplace you visit
- the types of education and training required to enter different occupations
- how your career might fit within your own life.
Often parents and students think that the purpose of work experience is to assist you to obtain part-time work. But this undervalues work experience as a program to help you explore, develop and refine your career aspirations.
Work experience placements are about learning and observing. You will not be required to undertake activities that require extensive training or expertise.
So how do you get the most out of work experience? Here are a few points to consider.
Get all the relevant forms you need so you can identify everything that’s required. Work experience in secondary school requires a ‘Work Experience Agreement Form’ for a placement to go ahead. It will form a legal contract between you, your parent, your school and the employer. So everyone should understand what they’re signing. The form protects you should you be injured while you’re on placement.
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Make yourself a list of industries you would like to explore. Think about what areas within the industry you’re most interested in. Want to work in health and medicine? Would you like hospitals, maternal and child health centres? Or a health promotion organisation? Compile a list of potential businesses to contact. For local businesses, you might find a local business directory more useful than Google. Write a script for yourself when you call businesses so that you remember to mention all the important information. This could include dates, what work experience is and why you would like to work there, for example. Take a look at a sample script here.
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It’s not unusual to call dozens of employers and get dozens of knock backs. Sometimes it’s because they have filled their quota. Other times it might be because they’re just not interested in hosting a student at that time. It’s nothing personal, so don’t be discouraged. Keep trying. Ask for help if you need it.
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| Identify the different roles that employees have in the organisation. What are they all doing? What further education or training did they do to get to where they are? Try to arrange a time to sit and talk to some of the employees to find out a bit about their career journey. You can learn a lot from listening to other people’s stories.
At the end of your placement, review how it went. Did you love it? Dislike it? Why? What did you learn about that job, occupation and industry? What did you learn about yourself? This is the best part of the program because it allows you to draw on the experience to help you make better career decisions in the future.
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Where to look for work experience
So, where to start? You can talk to your school's Industry & Vocational Training Officer or a teacher to help you to find work experience. They will know of local organisations or businesses that gladly accept work experience students.
Try asking people in your personal networks if they know of any companies or organisations that offer work experience placements.
Researching companies and organisations in your area of interest is also a good idea. Look for places that offer structured programs, as this shows that they will be committed to helping you learn.
Many state and territory government departments offer work experience and work placement opportunities. Consider the work department you might be interested in and research opportunities online or alternatively contact the department directly and ask if they have any opportunities available.
You can also check with your local council as well as businesses in a range of industries in your local area. Try to talk to the human resources department of the organisations that interest you. You'll need to tell them what kind of experience you're looking for and what you hope to get out of it.
Work experience doesn’t just help you find out what the world of work is all about. It will also provide you with some employability skills that will enhance your resume. This may possibly give you the edge when job searching in the future.
Know your rights
Do your research, so you understand your rights. The Fair Work Ombudsman provides information on lawful and unlawful forms of work experience. You can visit their
website or call them on 13 13 94.
Ready to get started?
If you'd like to find out more contact Mrs Raechelle Hart - Industry & Vocational Training Officer at rhart134@eq.edu.au