It’s The Perfect Time to Get Work Experience
A revealing statistic from the use of the CareerHQ career education tools by over 7000 NSW high school students is that 61% of them want and value work experience more than any other career education and support.
They also tell us that one of their three major issues of concern is how they will get a job after finishing their education.
These findings apply commonly across urban and regional NSW and across Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) and non-ATSI students. In fact, ATSI students are 23% more interested in having work experience than non-ATSI students.
If students want to get work experience, has there ever been a better time?
There is hardly an industry sector which is not seeking workers at present. And this appears to apply across most parts of NSW, and now Victoria and Queensland as they emerge from COVID lockdowns.
While the demand for skilled workers is strongest, many sectors are experiencing a serious shortage of workers for all jobs.
Industries like hospitality, agriculture, retail, building and construction, logistics, resources and mining, healthcare and social services all appear to be looking for people to perform a wide range of jobs
The payoff from young adults making the effort to obtain work experience whilst studying and/or get a job in the coming summer holidays or a part-time job is likely to be huge.
First and foremost, you get to obtain the work experience that you tell us you want to do. And you have perhaps the best opportunity for a long time to get to work in an industry sector that enables you to evaluate a career option that you may be thinking of pursuing when you complete your education.
Second, and importantly, it enables you to list work experience on your CV. This is important as some large employers are now either only employing or strongly preferring hiring young adults with prior work experience.
Third, work experience will give you some cash and allow you to get a feel for the world of paid work.
If you are interested in getting some work experience, there are several ways to go about it
-Talk to the careers advisory staff at your school, TAFE or university to seek their assistance.
-Look at online jobs platforms and in newspapers to see what jobs are being advertised, and be prepared to offer your availability for work.
-Identify local businesses that you might like to do work experience with, or you think may be seeking employees, and approach them.
-Talk with your parents, relatives and friends about your interest in obtaining some work, and seek their ideas and assistance.
It would be helpful to have a CV prepared ahead of commencing these steps. This won’t take you long to do and assistance can be obtained from searching the internet for ‘How to prepare a CV’, or by using the How To Get A Job course at www.careerhq.com.au.