What is the difference? Work Experience vs Work Placement 

Work Experience

Work experience is the involvement of school students in a short term industry placement, which enhances their experience in and understanding of the work environment, informing career development. This includes work shadowing and work observation.

All work experience must be:

• Unpaid
• Able to support career exploration/planning
• Linked to learning and assessment activities as part of curriculum

Work Placement

Work placement is part of a VET program situated within a real or simulated workplace, providing supervised learning activities leading to skills acquisition and contributing to an assessment of competency and achievement of outcomes relevant to the requirements of nationally recognised VET qualifications.

All structured workplace learning placements:

• Must be unpaid
• Must have learning and assessment activities that are linked to VET, with skills acquisition and outcomes recorded and reported accordingly

How does a student organise workplace learning?

Workplace Learning (placement/experience) gives students the opportunity to gain skills specific to their career path as well as the employability skills required for real life work. It also increases student knowledge to allow them to make better informed decisions about future career choices. Workplace Learning is flagged and organised through the pathways SSO only, in collaboration with students. Please note: 3 weeks’ notice is required to allow time for setup with employer.

Mandatory workplace learning induction – what is it?

Students need to complete a preliminary Department for Education online workplace learning induction program (around 5hrs) (Work Health and Safety Act 2012, Child Protection Act 1993 and Equal Opportunity Act 1984 exposure) prior to workplace learning which needs to be completed in the subject that required placement with the teacher. The teacher is required to quality assure the student is suitable for the placement and has required knowledge to be safe on the placement. Students are required to do a refresher course every year post the initial training done normally in Year 10.

Note: Students who chose to do workplace learning outside of Whyalla are to cover the cost associated (e.g. travel and accommodation).