Cream of the crop
When it comes to hiring a young person into your company, it can be a daunting process.
How do you know that the person who writes a great application or interviews really well is going to be a good fit for your team? It’s a gamble.
Luckily there is a solution – a solution that comes with no ongoing commitment, no insurance or tax requirements, almost insignificant cost and plenty of support available throughout the process. It’s called Structured Workplace Learning.
Structured Workplace Learning, SWL, is a program designed to help young people in their final years of schooling gain valuable workplace experience.
Students studying a VET certificate II or III need a work placement within the industry they are studying as part of their course.
These students go to a company to work for a negotiated time and they bring with them industry knowledge and skills. They already have some skills.
This gives the student the placement needed to successfully complete their studies and it allows the business an opportunity to see how the student fits into a team.
The company is supporting the development of skills in the industry, giving a talented young person an opportunity to succeed and inspiring local industry growth. And that’s good for everyone.
Let’s look at the benefits of VET for a couple of Wimmera students.
Annie Treloar thinks she might like to work in the defence force, or maybe in children services in the police department.
Regardless of the direction Annie takes, her VET Community Services course will provide her with a sound understanding of the field.
The VET Community Services course covers a wide selection of vocational pathways and provides the students with choices in an array of different occupations.
Learning through role-plays and practicing in simulated environments gives the students a real understanding of tasks and skills and how they are used at work.
When this is coupled with Structured Workplace Learning placement in a related field, the learning becomes so much more profound.
Annie chose to do VET Community Services because she thought it might give her a few new skills and a bit of extra knowledge.
She had no idea how engaging the course would be, the variety of opportunities it has provided and how much she would learn.
She also didn’t expect that she would love it as much as she does.
The doors are wide open now for Annie and
she couldn’t be more delighted with the prospects that VET has provided her.
Sebastian John also undertakes VET. He studying a Certificate II in Furniture Making.
He knows VET is an opportunity for him to get the head start he needs upon leaving school.
Who knew there were so many ways to join one piece of timber to another? ‘Mortise’ and ‘tenon’, ‘half-lap’ and ‘biscuit joint’ to name a few.
These are just some of the things Sebastian has found interesting in his VET Furniture Making course.
The class is building a side table, providing an opportunity for the students to practice some of the joins they have learnt.
These skills will be invaluable for Sebastian’s future. He knows these skills cross over into an assortment of industries providing him with a set of skills suitable for a variety of occupations.
Sebastian has a long list of interests and is undecided on what occupation he might pursue.
What he does know is that for right now, furniture making is what he wants to be doing. He loves it.
If you would like to find out more about how hosting a work placement can benefit your business, give me at Wimmera Southern Mallee LLEN, a call for free information and support.
VET and Structured Workplace Learning – everyone’s a winner. – Di Dent is Wimmera Southern Mallee Local Learning Employment Network VET and SWL cluster co-ordinator. is