Work experience is a valuable tool providing industry and workplace experience while assisting students to develop job skills, and investigate potential career options. In an ever changing ‘world of work’ our platform for engaging students in work experience has been limited through constraints and barriers.

To ensure our students were still able to access a form of work experience, even within the restrictions of COVID, Year 10 students were introduced to “Virtual Work Experience,” through the Careers Department application.

Within the program, students were provided more than 70 opportunities to complete day to day real industry tasks, enabling them to develop their job skills within the industry, and increase their work readiness.

Work experience allows students to decide if an occupation is suitable or unsuitable, based on real tasks and activities, whilst also providing them with micro-credentials. Virtual Work Experience allows students to explore the world of work in a safe environment, without peer judgement. It allows accessibility for all students and numbers are not restricted. Following the submission of Work Experience tasks, students received real industry feedback and Certificates of Achievement for their ePortfolio.

Feedback from students demonstrates they enjoyed the deep-dive into industries, as they explored their career options for the future. We are excited for the 2022 Year 10 cohort to investigate the ‘Careers Department’ program and find out more about the world of work, and what occupations are possible for them now, and into the future.