News

Completed in Year 10, the Personal Learning Plan (PLP) program is designed to assist students to explore and investigate career pathways that align with their current interests and future aspirations. Students undertake a range of exercises including completing an online Career Matching Profile, participating in career counselling with representatives from the University of SA and work placement for one week with an employer of their choice.

Employers generously provide their time, support and guidance to students during a week of hands-on learning about a particular job, industry and skill-set. Work placement enables students to decide if a career is, or is not for them, to receive feedback from the employer, to use initiative and make the most of their placement to learn. There were a number of positive outcomes arising from this year’s placement week, including ongoing part-time job offers, offer of an apprenticeship, a number of students electing to work in city-based organisations, and a dedicated radio program awarded to two students - Lachie Price and Ed Layzell. We also congratulate Maddi Stringer, who was selected and completed a placement in Adelaide at the Edinburgh Base with the Australian Defence Force, which is a challenging program to complete and to be selected for. 

This year, we had students rotate through divisions of the Mount Gambier Hospital and OneFortyOne Plantations, to working with local veterinary clinics, physiotherapists, real estate agencies, retail stores, building companies, the City of Mount Gambier and many more.  A full list of our participating companies are included at the end of the newsletter and we appreciate your ongoing support of these local businesses as they continue to support our students.

We asked a number of Year 10 students to provide insights from their work placement experience.

Sophia Weston, Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre

Q) What made you select this employer for your work placement?

A) I have done drama class since year 8 and I have always really loved it, but we mainly learnt about what happens on stage rather than off. I went to the theatre because I thought I would be able to look at everything both on stage and off stage and see what it takes to put on a performance.

Q) What have you enjoyed most about your work placement week?

A) I enjoyed seeing how everything worked behind stage such as how the lighting worked and how the set for the performance was put together. I also enjoyed getting to know everyone that was working at the theatre and how each of their jobs are different.

Q) What did you learn whilst on work placement?

A) I learnt a lot about how much hard work goes on to put a performance together and how there are so many different aspects that go into it that people wouldn’t think of. For a 50-minute performance, setting up at the theatre took a week, and before that the dancers in the show and everyone working on lighting, set and choreography had been working on the show for over a year - and only just putting on their first performance of it. I also learnt that working in the theatre you can have a lot of crazy hours and you don’t always do the same thing, just do whatever someone needs you to do that day. You also learn lots of what you need on the job, even though you can attend a course at university as well.

Q) Has your work experience helped you to decide on a potential career path?

A) It has helped me to know that I enjoy it, but I do not know whether I want to have it as my career yet. I have also set up a second work experience with the State Theatre Company in Adelaide this September to give myself a better idea.

Rosie van Eyk, Mount Gambier Hospital

Q) What made you select this employer for your work placement?

A) Due to my interest in the health field, I of course, wished to complete my work placement in a medical practice. I wished to complete my work experience at the Mount Gambier hospital due to the large range of people working in it. The Mount Gambier Hospital offers services such as surgery, mental health care, general nursing wards, paediatrics, radiology, pathology, physiotherapy etc. With the opportunity to be able to complete my one-week placement in the hospital, I could experience a wide variety of these different services and the work that is involved with them.

Q) What have you enjoyed most about your work placement week?

A) For me, seeing a hospital’s operation from the perspective of the worker is a fascinating and eye-opening experience. The care that medical professionals provide for their patients is not only inspiring but also beautiful to witness; providing care and service to people in their most vulnerable moments is a great honour and this is evident through the work these people do. Through my placement, I have greatly enjoyed observing medical professional-to-patient rapport as well as a large variety of interesting procedures completed by both nurses and doctors. I have had the opportunity to speak with many student doctors and student nurses and hear their stories and why they are following this path.

Q) What did you learn whilst on work placement?

A) I have learnt so much through my work placement, this includes some specific nursing vocabulary that I was otherwise clueless about before the placement as well as other not-so-obvious things like how to find my way around the hospital. I have also learned more valuable lessons like how medical professionals really do undertake the most heartfelt and wonderful work and how we should never take advantage of them. I have also been able to learn about how suitable I believe I am to this career path and if my personality is compatible with this career.

Q) Has your work experience helped you to decide on a potential career path?

A) Through my work experience I have been able to test my own abilities in this environment, I have been able to learn more about myself in situations such as communicating with people in difficult situations etc. I have had many meaningful conversations with people working in this field including why and how they became the dedicated worker they are today.

Sam Braithwaite, Mount Gambier Hospital

Q) What made you select this employer for your work placement?

A) For my Work placement I got in contact with a lady named Miriam to enquire about taking part in work experience that was offered at the hospital. I choose this employer as I had known through family that she was actually in charge of work experience student placement. I didn’t and still don’t know what I want to do with the rest of my life (as in a career) however I enjoy subjects such as maths and science, I also know that I enjoy being social.

Q) What have you enjoyed most about your work placement week?

A) Writing what I enjoyed most about work placement is an extremely hard task as there were so many interesting practices that I got to witness. However, I really loved getting to know the patients and then being able to help them throughout their stay.

Q) What did you learn whilst on work placement?

A) One of the main things that I got to learn and do, was take obs. Obs is short for observations, to take obs you hook the patient up to a blood pressure machine, the pulse, and then take their temperature.

Q) Has your work experience helped you to decide on a potential career path?

A) Completing this placement has definitely made me have to rethink the possible options that there are and to include medicine in my potential career.

Chloe MacKenzie, OneFortyOne Plantations  

Q) What made you select this employer for your work placement?

A) I selected OneFortyOne Plantations for my work placement because it’s a very successful business that combines many different careers. I was interested to discover what makes a business successful, and I wanted to know how forestry has changed.

Q) What have you enjoyed most about your work placement week?

A) The thing I enjoyed most was going on a tour of all the different operations. We got to see the nursery, planting crews, harvesting crews, the port, the mill and of course, the plantations. We also learnt about how the plantations are maintained, with ‘thinnChings’ and weed control.

Q) What did you learn whilst on work placement?

A) I learnt a lot about the amount of organisation that goes into an efficient and successful business. There are many different programs going on at the same time, and a lot of work goes into minimizing waste. I also learnt a lot about forestry, and about how genetics play a huge role in plantations.

Q) Has your work experience helped you to decide on a potential career path?

A) My work experience has shown me that I have a lot of options, and that the career that I choose may not lead me where I expect. It has given me a much better understanding of businesses and work places.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO NEWSLETTER