Year 10s out in force

It has long been a tradition at McGlashan that year 10 boys go out and source themselves a week’s worth of work experience towards the end of the year. This is part of a very busy term four for the year 10 students with exams, work experience, camp and arts week.

Work experience is a valuable component of careers and transition education and allows year 10s have the opportunity to experience life in diverse workplaces. Other components of careers education at year 10 include the Real Game, NCEA subject taster days and NCEA induction sessions.

The purpose of work experience at year 10 is to encourage students to seek experience in a field that interests them or might translate into part time employment. We believe it is important for students to organise this themselves to develop their confidence and communication skills. Experiencing both the workplace and specialised industries can help our students to decide on their possible pathways and what will best suit their skills and interests. Work experience can also bolster curriculum vitaes in later years and establish valuable relationships in the Otago community.

This year we have had students in a diverse range of fields and we appreciate all those employers who have kindly taken students under their wing and supported the programme. We have students exploring their interests in sport and recreation with placements at Otago Sports Depot and Sport Otago. Many of our boarders are working on neighbouring farms to further their agricultural experience. Additionally, we have students exploring the retail sphere, hospitality, working with animals, architecture, the tourism industry, IT, mechanics and engineering.

Whilst the week of work experience is undoubtedly valuable, we realise it is increasingly difficult for students to find employers willing to host them for the full time allocation. Additionally, new health and safety regulations may exacerbate this situation. In 2016, we envision students doing two days of work experience as part of a careers week.

Many thanks to parents, caregivers, and employers for their support of both the programme and our students.