At Australian International Academy of Education (AIAE), we provide Work Experience opportunities for all Year 10 students as means of assisting students in developing new skills and to gain a better understanding of possible future career paths they wish to explore. Work Experience is an essential component of the curriculum at AIAE.

Work Experience places students in a workplace for a short period of time to provide insight into an
industry that they have an interest in. It provides students with opportunities to:

• develop employability skills
• explore possible career options
• understand employer expectations, and
• increase their self-understanding, maturity, independence and self-confidence.

To ensure that students get the most out of their Work Experience, AIAE uses guidelines set by the Department of Education and Training (DET), Victoria. These guidelines ensure that the work experience placements are safe, valuable, and related to what the students are interested in. To ensure all students at AIAE maximise their work experience opportunities, students who partake in the program must have parental/guardian consent and are placed with employers primarily to observe and learn, not to undertake activities which require extensive training or experience.

The AIAE Work Experience Program for 2024 will be conducted during the last week of Term 2 that commences on 24th June until 28th July 2024. In certain circumstances, where students are unable to participate in the program during Work Experience Week, students may be allowed to find placements during the Term 3 holidays.

All students are encouraged to organise their own work placement, and parents are kindly requested not to make placement arrangements on behalf of their children. Students who already have part time jobs are not allowed to undertake Work Experience with their current employers and are not encouraged to arrange placements with parents or relatives.

When undertaken with the above considerations in mind, Work Experience provides students with the opportunity to enhance their awareness and understanding, and to build their portfolio of skills. Work Experience contributes to better informed careers, course and pathways options for young people. Furthermore, it provides:

• Better understanding of the work environment and what employers expect of their workers.
• An opportunity to explore possible career options.
• Increased self-understanding, maturity, independence and self-confidence.
• Increased motivation to continue study and/or undertake further training.
• Better understanding of how the school curriculum can help prepare young people for work.
• An introduction to workplace recruitment practices.
• Enhanced opportunities for part-time and casual employment.
• Opportunity to include the employer’s work experience evaluation in future job and course applications.
• Opportunity to develop work-related competencies and acquire skills.
• The chance to ‘try out’ a workplace, prior to undertaking VCE or IB at AIAE, in Year 11 and 12.

What is required?

To ensure safety and legal requirements are met prior to the Work Experience placement, the following Occupational Health and Safety training and forms must be completed and submitted to the Careers Coordinator.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY

Staying Safe at Work: What You Need to Know

It is important to know how to stay safe at work. Prior to starting Work Experience all students must complete the safe@work Occupational Health and Safety training modules. This training will provide students with necessary tools that will help them to understand and recognise possible risks and hazards they may encounter; and how to avoid such risks and hazards. AIAE will provide this training for students at school.

The training has two parts:

• the General Module, which covers things that are important for all workplaces, and,
• the Industry Module, which covers things that are specific to the industry the student will be working in.

Once the student has completed the training, they will receive a certificate. A copy needs to be submitted to the placement employer and to the AIAE Careers Coordinator.

A student who has not completed the General and Industry module will not be allowed to undertake Work Experience placement.

WORK EXPERIENCE ARRANGEMENT FORM

Getting Ready for Work Experience: What You Need to Do

Prior to starting Work Experience, students will need to visit their chosen employer to have the Work Experience Arrangement Form completed. It needs to be signed by the placement employer, the student, the student’s parent/guardian and the Head of Campus.

The form needs to be returned to the Careers Coordinator by Friday, 9^th June 2023. If the student commences their placement without completing the necessary modules and forms, it will not be classed as part of AIAE’s Work Experience program and the student will not be covered by AIAE’s public liability and work cover insurance.

Completed original Work Experience forms, original copies or photocopies of the completed safe@work modules and any other required documentation must be submitted to the Careers Coordinator. For further clarifications or assistance please do not hesitate to contact the Careers Coordinator.

WORK EXPERIENCE TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION FORM

Getting To and From Your Work Experience: What You Need To Know

It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to arrange transportation to and from the student’s placement site. Due to the nature of the placement and work undertaken, if the student needs to undertake vehicle travel with their placement employer during Work Experience, or the student is required to stay at accommodation other than his or her normal place of residence for the purpose of the Work Experience placement, all the parties must complete a Work Experience Travel and Accommodation Form. The parent/guardian must complete the parent/guardian consent section, indicating their agreement to the travel of their child with the placement employer and alternative accommodation arrangements. This form must be completed, signed and dated by the placement employer and parent/guardian and the student and submitted to the Careers Coordinator by Friday, 9^th June 2023.

In the case of possible accidents whilst travelling, if the form is not signed by all parties, the student will not be covered by insurance.

COVID-19 WORK EXPERIENCE FORM IF REQUESTED BY EMPLOYER

COVID-19 Vaccinations and Work Experience: What You Need to Know

All AIAE students and placement employers participating in Work Experience should continue to follow COVIDSafe practices in line with public health guidance and recommendations to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Due to Pandemic Orders, some employers are required to implement changes within their workplace to fully comply with regulations published by the Minister for Health. Some Work Experience placements may require a student to comply with additional or altered workplace rules and requirements governing safety or provide evidence of their COVID – 19 vaccination status. These rules and requirements may be changed or updated.

Please read the following form carefully and if requested by a placement employer, complete and return a copy to both the employer and the Careers Coordinator by Friday, 9^th June 2023.

CONSTRUCTION INDUCTION CARD (CIC)

Occupation Health & Safety Regulations for Construction Sites: What You Need to Know

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations a placement employer must ensure a student has completed training to so may receive a Construction Induction Card – CIC (previously White Card) before they start their Work Experience placement.

It is illegal for any student to undertake Work Experience in a construction industry such as plumbing, landscaping, carpentry, electrical work, or other similar jobs, without a valid CIC. Prior to attending any training sessions, students will need to create their Unique Student Identifier (USI) number and provide two forms of identification. For further assistance on how to obtain a CIC and appropriate training, please see the Careers Coordinator.

WORK EXPERIENCE WITH ANIMALS

Guidelines for Work Experience with Animals

Students undertaking Work Experience involving animals could be exposed to unique risks. The Department of Education and Training (DET), Victoria, has established clear guidelines for students, parents/guardians and schools to consider the hazards associated with animal contact, and to help placement employers plan suitable activities and provide a safe experience for students. Students under 15 years of age are not permitted to undertake work experience involving direct contact with animals. Students and parents/guardians should read the guidelines and fill out the Work Experience With Animals Form.

Completed forms need to be submitted by Friday, 9^th June 2023. If you have any questions about the guidelines or the form, please consult with the Careers Coordinator.

PROHIBITED WORK INDUSTRIES/BUSINESS

There are some industries and businesses that students are not permitted to attend for Work Experience placement as they pose an unacceptable risk to student health, moral or material welfare, safety or wellbeing. The list below is not exhaustive and includes a some of the industries and/or businesses where Work Experience is prohibited and/or restricted. For a full list of prohibited/restricted businesses, activities and workplace hazards, please refer to Work Experience Manual for Victorian Secondary Schools published by the Victorian Department of Education and Training.

• Abattoirs
• Any business where firearms and/or ammunition are manufactured, repaired or sold
• Aviation
• Butchers or fishmongers
• Civil construction (such as roads and bridges)
• Defence Force
• Emergency Services
• Equine industry
• Fishing vessels
• Funeral homes
• Gaming
• Mining, quarrying, extraction, recycling plants, foundries and tips
• Morgues
• Prisons, correctional or remand centres, or immigration detention centres
• Recreational vessels
• Security industry
• Tattoo shops
• Trading vessels
• Transmission and distribution industries (linework and/or cabling)

APPLYING FOR A TAX FILE NUMBER

Finally, all students in Year 10 are encouraged to apply for a Tax File Number (TFN) before they commence Work Experience placements. A tax file number is a unique 9-digit number issued to individuals and organisations, to allow the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) to identify individuals and ensure every individual is paying the right taxes, pay as you go (PAYG) withholding and superannuation.

Students can apply for a TFN either online or by mailing an Application for Tax File Number Form to the Australian Taxation Office. It is free to apply for a TFN.

Students should receive their TFN within 28 days of the Australian Taxation Office receiving your application and required identity documents.

Careers Coordinators

Please contact the Careers Coordinator at MSC or CSSC for further assistance and information where needed.

CSSC Careers Coordinator: Ms. Dania El Hawli dh@aia.vic.edu.au

MSC Careers Coordinator: Mr. Rahi Khan kn@aia.vic.edu.au