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Figure 1.--. |
New Zealand secondary schools offer a wide range of work experience programs. These programs vary greatly from year to year. Some schools (James Hargest) provide a homeroom program with one day's work experience each week. Other schools (Ellsmere College) set aside a week in two terms for work experiences. Other experience programs include school-industry links and work experience/exploration.
Work experience is an effective way to gather information about a chosen career. It provides the chance to see the day to day routine of a job and build job related skills. Year 12 and 13 students are involved in this important part of their education for a week in Term 2 and Term 3 respectively. This is a compulsory part of their course as the gains from the whole experience are amazing. The learning goes beyond the actual job training and work skills as individuals deal with people and environments different from school. In the second week of term three, year 12 students went on work experience. They went to many places all over Christchurch and afar. The aim was to experience a working week and to gain a better appreciation for potential employment or career path. The work experience ranged from Police work to Engineering, from Nursing to Business Studies. The first day of Work experience was probably the most nerve wracking, as it was new to everyone and they didn’t know what to expect. As the week went on everyone established routines and became more comfortable in their environment. By the end of the week the students were able to make an informed decision whether or not they would choose this career. Overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience as well as being valuable for giving students appreciation for potential employment.
Careers and Guidance Students, Ellesmere College, 1999
