Work Experience Program

Work Experience Program Evidence Set Annotation

Standards: 3.1 3,2, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 5.1, 5.5

Synopsis of Evidence Set:

Artefacts 9, 10 and 11 illustrate my establishment, review and many adjustments towards the creation of a Work Experience Program specific to the unique needs of Galilee School students - including formally assessing students in Work Studies for the first time. Galilee School has always had a significant focus on work readiness and supporting our students to become contributing members of the community, however we often find ourselves balancing this alongside the needs of students who have limited home exposure to workplace culture or expectations. Previous work experience placements prior to my commencement were arranged in an ad-hoc way had also had a 50% (approximately) rate of student no-show. The development of a specialised program included the collection and analysis of survey data from students as well as seeking individual feedback from all employers involved in supporting students (over 40 different employers from 2017 - 2021) with some samples of this included in Artefact 9 with the permission of an employer. In 2020, this program was recognised in the CAA Awards when I received the Excellence in Student Engagement Award.

Artefact 9

The emails included in Artefact 9 are dated from 2018 to 2021 and demonstrate my commitment to developing a culture of high expectations for all students within their individualised learning plans as well as setting challenging learning goals to support them to achieve new levels of success both in Work Studies and in their own personalised work experience program (3.1). This included developing detailed individualised plans and risk management for each student engaged in a work placement to ensure their safety and also to support the student - and the employer - to manage challenging behaviours and have confidence in the support of the school (4.3, 4.4). There were numerous occasions where risk management was required due to a student in the workplace escalating and these risk assessments, the ethical use of staff social media accounts and phones to contact students. student entry and exit plans, supported pre-visits and “first day support visits” became an essential part of the programs success (4.5). In 2020, I supported a colleague to teach Year 10 Work Studies for the first time and Artefact 9 includes emails where I supported him with planning, evaluating and modifying his teaching programs to create productive environments to engage all students using a variety of different strategies, I also supported him to create, select and use a variety of different resources, including ICT, in his lessons (3.2, 3.4, 3.5, 4.2). Artefact 9 includes evidence of assisting him in applying school and legislative requirements around risk assessments and student safety for a building activity he wanted to run (4.4). Artefact 9 also demonstrates the mentoring role I took on during his first reporting period at Galilee School where I supported him to develop and apply a comprehensive range of assessment strategies that allowed him to collect varied evidence in line with curriculum requirements and to construct accurate, informative and timely reports about student achievement in a trauma informed context (5.1, 5.5).

Artefact 10

Collecting data and sharing it with my colleagues from both students and employers was an essential part of continuing to build and develop the Galilee School Work Experience Program. Each time a student engaged with a work experience placement they were asked to complete a survey response to track student engagement, student outcomes and to make adjustments as needed to the program (3.6, 5.4). Employers were also regularly contacted via email and phone and feedback was welcomed on both the students and the overall structure of the program. This data has featured heavily in the shaping of the Work Experience Program at Galilee School and has also impacted on the structure of the Work Studies curriculum in Year 10.

Artefact 11

In 2020, I was awarded the Excellence in Student Engagement Award by the Careers Advisers Association of NSW & ACT Inc. This award recognised my contribution to delivering an engaging career, education and development program which focused on exceptional learning experiences for students (3.1, 3.5). Artefact 11 also demonstrates the important role of student, employer and colleague feedback in shaping a student centred, individualised program that any student - at any level - could achieve personal success in (5.4).

Impact

Data from the students led to an increased focus on bulk placements in “Work Experience Week” (while still retaining flexible placements for those who needed them) with a particular focus on transport and "first day" support. Since this program commenced, engagement with work experience has increased for students as evidenced in Artefact 10. Artefact 10 also clearly indicates a consistent increase in student confidence around work readiness year after year on completion of their placements and further demonstrates just how few students had any exposure to a workplace before work experience. The recognition of the program through the excellence in Student Engagement Award was further affirmation that the program - a particular passion of mine since my commencement at Galilee School - has a meaningful impact on students' lives.