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This article examines the extent and the usefulness of part-time work among school students in Australia. The author begins by looking at the first jobs that students often have, such as working in family shops and farms, usually paid part-time. Other children begin with paper rounds and babysitting and move on to fast-food outlets and shops. Smith identifies reasons for the increase in student workers over the last fifteen years, from supplementing family incomes in disadvantaged homes to the present financially secure teenagers who work for extra spending money or because they believe that the work will help them to get a full-time job later. Smith then addresses the relevance of this experience to the students. Following research in the United States, where student employment has been part of the labour market for a long time, both advantages and disadvantages are noted. Accepting that part-time work is now likely to be the norm for Australian students, questions must be asked about placement in vocational education and training (VET) programs; how it is seen by students and how relevant it is. Researchers from the University of South Australia and Charles Sturt University are currently undertaking a study, to be completed in early 2001, to examine in detail the learning experiences of students in all aspects of work. Show less

In Australia, as in many other countries, initiatives are constantly being developed which aim to assist school students' transition into work. One such initiative, which was introduced towards the end of the 1990s, was the introduction of school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, often referred to by the umbrella term 'school-based new apprenticeships' (SBNAs). Students taking part in these programs, normally in the final two years of schooling (Years 11 and 12), combine part-time work, study towards a vocational education and training (VET) qualification, and normal attendance at school. This paper reports on the first large-scale research study of school-based apprentices and trainees, which was carried out in late 2001 through a survey of students involved in the programs. The survey was carried out in the three Australian States with the highest numbers of school-based apprentices and trainees, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. The paper commences with a description of the nature of school-based apprenticeships and a description of their introduction and rapid growth. It then gives an overview of the young people's jobs, their learning and training, and concludes by discussing four problematic areas.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

The notion of employability skills has been in the forefront of educational debate over the past 15 years, in many countries including Australia. Implicit in business input into the debate has been the assumption that schools should be producing young people with ready-developed employability skills. This study set out to challenge that assumption by examining how such skills are developed in workplaces. The research was based on case studies which were carried out in 12 Australian enterprises of varying size and drawn from different industry areas (including three group training companies). The enterprises were located in four states: New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland, and included examples of first time workers who were part-time student workers as well as school leavers in their first jobs. The study found that employers of young people accept their role in helping these young people to develop their employability skills and see the benefits of doing so. It discovered a wide range of approaches which employers use to encourage the development of these skills and also strategies that the young people utilised. The study confirms the importance of the workplace as a site for learning and developing employability skills.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

Volumes of papers are indexed at TD/TNC 90.162 and TD/TNC 90.163. Selected individual papers are indexed from TD/TNC 90.164 to TD/TNC 90.211. Show less

This study examines how learners and the processes of learning are understood and presented in a sample of courses leading to the attainment of the Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training (since replaced by the new Certificate IV in Training and Assessment). It considers the implications of these findings for the development of teaching and learning in vocational education and training (VET) in Australia. The study involved an analysis of 16 case studies in South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. Seven of these sites were public registered training organisations (RTOs), four based in capital cities and three in regional areas. The remaining sites comprised nine private RTOs and two enterprise-based organisations, both located in capital cities; three community based organisations, two in capital city locations and one in a regional area; two commercial training organisations, one in a capital city location and the other regional; and two government-funded organisations located in the higher education sector. The case study sites were therefore spread across a number of locations, as well as across a range of different types of RTOs. The research demonstrated considerable diversity in the types of courses leading to the attainment of the Certificate IV qualification, as well as a variety of ways in which the qualification was contextualised to meet the requirements of the organisations and individuals involved. In enterprise contexts the Certificate IV was understood as a business process that contributed to wider organisational and strategic goals, with an immediate focus on developing human capital for the enterprise. Learners and learning were understood in context-specific ways; this stands in contrast to circumstances where the audience for the Certificate IV was more non-specific, and topics related to learners and learning were approached in more general terms. The authors suggest that future discussions need to examine ideas on how teaching and learning might embrace the learner-centred, work-centred and attribute-focused approaches now acknowledged as important for the future of the VET sector. Discussions also need to consider more seriously the impact of characteristics such as gender, race and ethnicity on learning, and the ways in which learning might best be understood and organised to take account of these learner attributes. Show less

This paper reports on the findings about part-time school students' working from a research project, in two Australian States, into school students' experiences in workplaces. The findings, from a survey and case studies, indicate that over half of Australian school-children in Years 10 and above are engaged in formal paid work. The majority of students who wish to work do not appear to experience much difficulty finding jobs, although those from certain minority groups are less likely to work than the average. Nearly two-thirds of student-workers are employed in the retail and fast food industries. The paper argues that more attention needs to be paid to student part-time working, as it is now the normal form of entry to the labour market.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner.

This paper reports only on the findings associated with paid part-time work. The full results of the research project are reported in 'School students' learning from their paid and unpaid work' by Erica Smith and Annette Green (indexed at TD/TNC 68.01) and 'School students' views on their working and learning in the workplace' by Erica Smith and Lou Wilson (indexed at TD/TNC 70.13). Show less

This publication reports on a project that set out to examine learning and training in school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, in particular school-based New Apprenticeships, where young people are employed and engaged in a contract of training while still involved in full time or part time school studies. Surveys were sent to a sample of these students in the three states with the highest numbers in such arrangements: Queensland, Victoria and South Australia. The research methodology is described and a profile of the respondents detailing their reasons for undertaking school-based New Apprenticeships is given. The working environment and the nature of school-based New Apprenticeships are discussed. The authors look at links with schools and how the respondents combined their school-based apprenticeships with their school work. The comments of the respondents relating to work based learning and on the job training are analysed and the conclusion of the publication draws together the research findings and, while concluding that the overall findings are very positive, identifies some problem areas for future action. Show less