Year 10 Work Experience

Once again the Year 10 students from St Albans Secondary College completed their Work Experience in a wide variety of work settings. Some students used the week to work in retail with the aim of securing ongoing part-time or casual work and others set out to investigate a future career area of interest.

Students worked on building sites, in supermarkets, offices and other retail stores, CSIRO, cafes and restaurants. Already we’re hearing of students who have been recruited by Target and Woolworths. The feedback from visiting staff and employers has been overall very positive.

 

Work Experience at places such as Victoria Police and Western Health Services (Sunshine and Footscray Hospitals) are advertised at the end of Year 9. These opportunities were put on COMPASS last November inviting students to apply. A much larger group of students from St Albans Secondary College were successful in gaining placements with Western Health Services in 2018 and were given the opportunity to work in departments including Accident and Emergency, Food Services, Administration and Laboratories. Yvonne Dang of 10E was even able to witness a Bone Marrow Transplant!

 

Students wishing to work with Victoria Police apply in November (of Year 9) and each school is only able to put forward one student. This is always hotly contested and even then schools are not guaranteed their applicant will be chosen. In 2018, Isabella Janceva of 10B was selected.

Isabella writes of her experience:

It was a privilege to be selected to do work experience for Victoria Police 2018. I spent a week at Keilor Downs Police Station, where I met many intriguing officers. They were friendly, respectful and always willing to help, and they always offered me breakfast and lunch every day. 

 

During the week, I spent some time in different areas such as the watch house, weapons room, the fingerprinting and mug-shot room, and other areas relating to different crimes. Throughout the week I was paired up with many different officers where they elaborated on how to write a documents that are used when an offender is taken to court. I was shown and learnt about different types of drugs as well as new drugs that have been confiscated from offenders. I was also able to view many different arrests throughout the week and learnt the procedures of an arrest. Not only did I get to view arrests, but I was able to travel in police vehicles throughout the week. 

I understood the privacy and the confidentiality rules within the working environment of the Police Force.

 

Even though, I was limited in what resources I could access during the week (due to privacy and confidentiality rules), I absolutely enjoyed my experience and was devastated that it had come to an end.

 

My experience has given me a better understanding of working for the Victorian Police. Participating in the Victorian Police Work Experience was a long and challenging procedure, as there were many contracts I had to sign due to privacy reasons, I had to have fingerprinting done and a Police Check, but I would not have been able to partake in a once in a life time experience without the help from Ms Armstrong and Ms Jacqui. Without their help I would not have had such an enjoyable time for my work experience placement. 

 

Overall, it was a pleasure in engaging and experiencing in such an interesting field of work. And thank you to Ms Armstrong and Ms Jackie for helping me fulfil in such a wonderful experience. 

 

Isabella Janceva

Year 10 Student