Arranging Work Placement

The assessment conducted prior to selection of a vocational education and training course combined with observation of the student in the early stages of the course will indicate whether the student is ready for work placement. Indications include:

• gaining benchmarks for appropriate workplace behaviour, communication and social skills through simulated or in-school work placements

• travelling independently, which could include the use of the Commonwealth-funded Mobility Allowance for taxis, is a vital prerequisite for successful work placement.

Note: Avoiding work placement may indicate that a student has a problem or fear that they are unwilling or unable to express.

Students not considered ready for community-based work placement need opportunities to build any generic work skills and social skills that need further development. These could be provided through work placement on projects in the supportive environment of a student’s school or at a nearby school.

Selection

Careful selection of a work sitewill ensure that the student gains as much as possible from a work placement.Considerations when selecting work placements could include:

• ensuring the work placement is realistic in relation to the student’s skills and the level of workplace support available

• identifying critical activities and skills required to function at the workplace effectively • matching the work placement with student need in regard to:

– transport arrangements

– capacity to provide a supportive environment – available work tasks

– social and communication requirements

– ensuring the workplace can focus on the development of both industry competence and generic work and social skills

– ensuring the work placement site has some regular tasks to be performed on each visit – ensuring that work placement selection is reflecting local community labour needs.

Types of Work Placement

A work placement site will better meet a student’s needs if the student has some regular tasks to be performed on each visit, particularly in the early stages. There should be at least THREE different types of regularly available work tasks to be undertaken by the student daily.

Examples from a range of industry curriculum frameworks are provided.

Area Type of establishment Regular tasks

Commercial Cookery Club kitchens Staff cafeteria Restaurant chain • food storage • vegetable preparation • scullery (cleaning pots and

pans) • dishwashing

Retail Chain stores may be best placed to provide

appropriate experiences • _• housekeeping _{replenishing stock} • checking prices

Business Services Medium to large offices where there is a

range of simple repetitive tasks to perform • _• handle mail filing • photocopying • faxing

Agriculture Farms

Stables

Horse training facilities School farms

Sale yards

Stock and station agent Machinery dealership

• feeding

• cleaning facilities and equipment

• cleaning animals • grooming

• machinery tasks, eg daily maintenance (checking of water, oil), cleaning

Horticulture Wholesale nurseries

Retail nurseries Landscaping company Local council Bowling green Golf course • watering • weeding • transplanting • potting • cleaning equipment • machinery tasks, eg daily

maintenance (checking of water, oil), cleaning

Organisation

Many students will require a higher level of structure in the organisation of work placements. This might require:

• liaising with parents/carers to ensure that they are aware of any arrangements, expectations and issues that they can address from home

• ensuring that the student organises appropriate travel arrangements

• accompanying the student on an orientation visit to the workplace, reviewing essential information such as:

– the location of bus or rail stops in relation to the workplace – dress requirements

– break times

– availability of places to purchase food – to whom and where to report on the first day – the location of staff amenities, toilets etc

• providing information to the employer regarding medical conditions that they should be aware of, eg epilepsy. Parental permission in writing must be obtained for any release of information. The employer should be provided with written information (see Appendix 3 for a sample proforma) about:

– the nature of the medical condition – what symptoms to watch out for – what to do if symptoms occur

– when it is necessary to call for outside assistance – who to contact

• providing the employer with a general idea of the current capabilities of the student indicating the types of tasks the student will manage and those with which they are likely to experience difficulty

• closer monitoring of student progress at work placement by the teacher. Increased time at work placement

Students may require more time at work placements than outlined in the syllabus. Increased time at work placement may be needed to:

• increase the student’s opportunity to develop generic skills and industry competencies • resolve employment-related issues and problems that typically would not arise until post-

school, eg transport issues, social skills

• assist the contextualisation and generalisation of skills. Timing

The pattern and number of work placement hours will depend on a number of factors. These include:

• impact on other subjects that the student is studying • individual curriculum priorities for the student • available hours in the workplace.

Two possible patterns are: • one day each week