COVID 19 has turned life on its head for so many of us; but we’ve proven to be pretty flexible in dealing with the challenges of isolation, social restrictions and closed borders.

We have been living in a world of ZOOM meetings and phone appointments. A big night in revolves around Netflix and DELIVEROO; and dinner parties with friends are held on screen. (Just what are the protocols of laptops at the dinner table?)

We hold Messenger chats and video catch-ups with family and friends.

We attend virtual book clubs, virtual wine tastings and online games nights. We can pay a virtual visit to our local zoo, and although we may not be able to travel great distances yet – we can take virtual tours of museums in cities far away. Even faced with uncertainty and unemployment we’ve still managed to maintain our humour, and remain largely positive as we move into the next phase (whatever that may bring).

Whatever the next phase does bring, we understand implicitly that the world has changed. We are more connected to community. We appreciate the human touch; and damn it, we’re finally utilising IT in ways we never have before. We’re even wrapping our heads around some of those pesky Apps we’ve been trying to avoid forever.

So where is this little spiel taking us, you ask. 

Whatever your take on it, the way we work, learn and socialise will look a little different from now on. The virtual world is more enmeshed in the way we live, and we have largely embraced it.

So while you’ve been getting your head around home schooling and grappling with the combination of classroom and virtual learning and everything in-between, we have been looking for ways to make life a little easier for you and your students.

One of the things we have come up with is a solution to a problem we have been pondering for a while – Work Experience!

Here’s the problem

We all know that a well-run work experience program is valuable for giving students an understanding of the workplace and an insight into a particular job or industry.

For a myriad of reasons, over the years students have been finding it increasingly difficult to find meaningful work experience placements. Under the current circumstances, with strict social distancing in place and many businesses closed, work experience for 2020 will be impossible.

We have the solution!

Work experience need no longer be a problem and students no longer need to miss out!

At Work-Ready we’ve found a way to give every student, no matter where they are in Australia, the opportunity to engage in work experience in a positive and pro-active way, in a business of their choice, without having to attend the physical workplace. That is, through virtual work experience.

My Work Experience workbook helps students to create a workplace avatar and guides them through their virtual work placement. It demands as much research, reflection and commitment as physical work experience, and will give them valuable insight into the job or industry they would like to be a part of.

My Work Experience workbook allows students to

• Develop their research skills
• Research a job or industry that interests them
• Find and apply for their ideal work experience placement
• Understand how to dress and act appropriately
• Get to know the people they will be working with and the right questions to ask
• Learn about their rights and responsibilities in the workplace environment
• Learn how to deal with workplace challenges
• Understand the skills and attitudes they will need along the way
• Gain the confidence to take the next step on their career pathway

Why not run with the newfound enthusiasm for the brave new virtual world

Order My Work Experience workbook for your students and get them into their workplace avatar. (And remember they can do it in the classroom or at home!)

The workbooks will be available in about 2 weeks, so get in touch with us to place your order.

In the meantime, jump onto the following link to take a look!

tracymarsh.com/