Employers play a vital role in supporting students during their work placement. Key responsibilities include:

– Identify suitable workplace opportunities before the student’s placement begins.

– Ensure all employees understand the purpose and goals of the workplace learning activity.

– Provide the student and the work placement coordinator with clear details about the first day arrangements.

– Appoint a qualified and supportive supervisor to guide the student.

– Maintain a safe and compliant working environment.

– Negotiate a structured learning plan tailored to the student’s course requirements.

– Agree on specific learning outcomes and competencies to be achieved during the placement.

– Plan a training program that addresses these outcomes, including estimated timeframes.

– Monitor and support the student’s progress throughout the placement.

– Complete the employer’s section of the student’s work placement log book accurately.

– Maintain open communication with the student’s supervising teacher as needed.

– Promptly notify South West Connect if the student fails to attend their scheduled placement.

Work Experience and Work Placement serve different educational purposes and involve different expectations for both students and employers.

WORK EXPERIENCE

– Typically undertaken by Year 10 students (sometimes Year 11) as part of Work Education studies

– Usually lasts up to 5 days

– Aims to give students a general understanding of an occupation or industry

– Students may observe and complete simple tasks under supervision

– Employers complete a brief report on the student’s attendance, attitude, and interest

– Unpaid and voluntary

WORK PLACEMENT (also known as Structured Work Placement)

– Undertaken by Year 11 or 12 students (occasionally Year 10) enrolled in a Vocational Education and Training (VET) course

– Duration varies from 1 to 4 weeks, depending on the course requirements

– Provides an opportunity for students to apply and demonstrate specific skills learned in the classroom or on the job

– Students are assessed against industry-based competencies from their relevant Training Package

– Usually a mandatory component of the VET course, contributing to the HSC and VET qualifications

– Employers complete a logbook to confirm the student has demonstrated required competencies

– Unpaid and voluntary

Students are not covered by the host employer’s insurance policy. This means the placement does not impact your business’s insurance or premiums in any way.  Students are provided with comprehensive insurance coverage through their school and the relevant departmental body. This coverage includes:

– Employer indemnity

– Public liability indemnity

– Damage to the employer’s property

– Compensation to students and supervising teachers

Coverage is provided by the following organisations, depending on the student’s school:

– Department of Education (DoE) – for all Government schools and TAFE

– Catholic Schools NSW (CSNSW) – for all Catholic schools

–  The Association of Independent Schools (AIS) – for all other participating independent schools

If you have any questions or require a copy of the insurance certificate, please contact South West Connect or the student’s school coordinator.

No. Students on work placement are classified as voluntary workers, and host employers are not required to pay them under:

– Federal or State industry awards

– The NSW Annual Holidays Act

– The Workers Compensation Act

In fact, any form of payment to the student may invalidate the insurance and indemnity coverage provided by the Department and associated bodies.

Additionally, as workplace learning programs are publicly funded, no service fee should be charged to employers for the organisation of a student’s placement.

To ensure the safety and wellbeing of students, there are specific activities they are prohibited from undertaking during work placement. These include:

– Serving alcohol

– Using dangerous or hazardous machinery

– Air travel on charter flights or aircraft not providing regular public transport services

– Travel by helicopter

– Travel beyond 12 nautical miles at sea

– Scuba or deep-sea diving

– Any work of a sexual or explicit nature

– Attendance at abattoirs

– Working on roofs or in roof cavities

– Working where asbestos is present

– High-risk construction work

– Work on demolition or excavation sites

– Activities requiring a license the student does not hold

– Use of certain construction machinery, unless the student is suitably trained, instructed, and supervised

These restrictions are in place to comply with legal and safety standards.

If you have any questions or concerns about permitted activities, please contact us  for clarification.

Working with children and young people is a highly rewarding experience. However, it also comes with serious responsibilities. As a host employer, you must ensure the safety, wellbeing, and dignity of students in your workplace.

It is your responsibility to ensure all staff understand how to conduct themselves appropriately around students. Staff must avoid any behaviour that could make a young person feel unsafe, uncomfortable, coerced, or belittled. This includes:

– Initiation activities or horseplay involving the student

– Physical or verbal abuse, including swearing at students

– Physical assault

– Inappropriate comments, conversations, or jokes of a sexual nature

– Displaying sexually suggestive material in print, digital media, or other forms

– Unwarranted touching

– Personal communication with students regarding their sexual feelings

– Texting or using social media to contact students outside the placement context

As part of the placement process, you will be asked to confirm on the Student Placement Record that, to your knowledge, no staff member or person in close contact with the student poses a risk to children.

Host employers must report any allegations or concerns involving staff to the Principal of the school or the relevant TAFE NSW Institute Manager. Under child protection legislation:

– Allegations about employee conduct must be reported to the NSW Ombudsman

– Suspected abuse or risk of significant harm must be reported to the NSW Community Services Child Protection Hotline on 13 36 27

– In some cases, reports must also be made to the NSW Police

Maintaining a safe and respectful environment is a shared responsibility—and a legal obligation—for all employers hosting student placements.

In the event that a student is injured or involved in an accident at the workplace:

1. Seek immediate medical attention – Administer appropriate first aid or contact emergency services as required.

2. Notify key contacts as soon as possible – Contact the student’s teacher, South West Connect, and the student’s parent or guardian at the earliest opportunity.

3. Complete any required documentation – If the student has provided you with an Accident Form, please complete it and return it promptly to the student’s school.

Ensuring the student’s safety and communicating clearly with all parties is essential in managing the situation effectively.