Year 10 Work Experience Report

Year 10 students spent the week of 30 April to 4 May exploring their career goals and interests through Work Experience. Students started looking for their Work Experience in Term 4 last year and many found the process of finding a suitable employer a very daunting and drawn out process. However, every student finally found a placement with the diversity of the locations demonstrating the variety of students’ career interests. Placements were found locally and in the wider community with some students travelling as far as Korumburra, Bundoora and Werribee – many also worked in the CBD. Employers included Ringwood and Melbourne Magistrates Courts, Her Majesty’s Theatre, Monash Health, South Eastern Private Hospital, Monash University, Swinburne University, Psychology Melbourne, City of Greater Dandenong, Intrepid Group, Wowowa Architecture, and the Australian Institute of International Affairs. Types of work researched by students included video game development, law, digital production, accounting, architecture, advertising, graphic design,  physiotherapy, occupational therapy, optometry, information technology, research and development, and musical theatre. We would like to thank each employer for the valuable contribution to students’ career planning and research provided through work experience.

Below is Naomi Drego’s work experience reflection. Naomi worked at Bioproperties Pty Ltd and travelled to Bundoora and Werribee to work.

‘Work experience, although just a week from 30 April to 4 May 2018, gave me the wonderful opportunity to observe what occurs in a laboratory. Over the period of 5 days, I had the opportunity to visit two labs, RMIT and the University of Melbourne. I had the opportunity to view what goes on behind the scene in a professional laboratory. I spent time with various scientists working in their field of study, observing and helping them with their role. I had the honour of assisting them with their work, by measuring and counting bacteria under slides, conducting PCR testing, extracting pure DNA and working in biohazard units. Along with that, I also had the opportunity to complete some fun and educational tasks in the lab to further my understanding and knowledge of the type of work in the industry.

One of the highlights of my week was testing the strength of bacteria through a practical experiment. This included doing the math for the quantities required during the task, collating and gathering evidence to make educated assumptions before the task, gathering and sterilising the equipment needed and working under completely sterile conditions. Over the course of completing the experiment, I learnt a lot about the growth and reproduction of bacteria. Learning how to apply different fields of information and statistics was definitely one of the most interesting things I undertook over my course of the week.

My week spent at RMIT and the University of Melbourne has been key in my understanding of jobs in the industry. I have learnt many valuable things from my time at work experience, ranging from what courses I will need to study, to the proper etiquette for working in a sterile environment. I have learnt that it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to gain a position in the field of research science, as well as not everything you work on will succeed. However, my week of work experience has definitely confirmed that this is the industry where I would like to work in the future.’