Work Placement provides students with varied experiences in the industry they’re studying, solidifying their classroom knowledge and helping them learn new relevant skills. For a group of over 10 students at Cherrywood Village in Llandilo, this involved working across a large site to prepare different areas for newly developing respite care. Students from Chifley College, Evans High School, Wyndham College, Mitchell High School and Jamison High School did tasks in different areas including preparing garden beds, trimming hedges, clearing the driveway of mud and cleaning out the interior rooms.
Host Glenn Mulligan highlighted the importance of keeping the large group of work placement students occupied with different tasks throughout the week and giving them incentives to get the job done. “We’re doing lunch for them on Friday,” he explained. “It gives them a reason to come back.” 
Cherrywood Village has been operating as a residence with a variety of services for disabled people since it opened in 1968. Owned by organisation AFFORD, the work currently being undertaken is a revitalisation of some of the facilities, as well as a development of new adult respite care. This will provide opportunities for a change of scenery for many people as well as a day off for their carers or family. Those who book in for respite care at Cherrywood Village will have lots of opportunities to engage in fun and different activities like gardening, creating artwork or simply relaxing by the pool.
Students who spent the week at Cherrywood Village were undertaking a compulsory placement for their Construction discipline. For all students who study a VET subject in Year 11 and Year 12, they have to do 70 hours of work placement in their industry. This helps them understand the application of the knowledge they’re learning in class, as well as gain practical skills as a step into their studied industry.
VET subjects serve as an excellent capture of what it’s like to work in a certain area and help young people make more informed choices about their career and future. For many students, their work placements teach them more than they could learn in the classroom. For the work placement students who worked at Cherrywood Village, their work will have a lasting impact not only for them but for the lives of many.
Are you interested in being a work placement host? Call us on 02 4725 0300 or email us now!
Schools Industry Partnership 