Our Own Backyard

Paramedic vehicle sirens, blue and white flashing lights, noisy peak hour traffic sounds, trams clanging, busy pedestrians on their way to work, traffic lights slowing my pace – this has been part of my backyard for the last four days as I have been on our school work experience program in Melbourne with 17 year 11 students. Our school runs an extremely successful and unique 2 week program whereby year 11 country students are exposed to the city and its lifestyle, transport system and mix of cultures/ethnic groups  for 2 weeks – a complete contrast to our quiet, blissful country atmosphere.

Students start by attending the William Angliss and RMIT open days and look for courses and careers that may suit them. They then commence a 5 day work experience placement with one employer and go on to experience a second placement in the second week. Students have to find their workplace by themselves – some require a train/tram/taxi combo, some a tram/train and some are lucky enough to be able to just walk. Nerves start to run high on the first night, and many anxious students timidly step out into that big city scene on their first day. Phone calls from ’ lost’ students start to come in at 9:30am on the Monday morning and continue on until approx 10:30am. Our careers teacher is kept busy on his mobile phone ‘walking them through’ to their place of work. At one stage, there were two students requiring help at the same time.

Then, at 4:30pm, excited students return to the hospital relating their experiences on the public transport, how they got lost and/or their daily duties. Those who work at the MCG, Cricket Australia, Optus or Hawthorn football club can boast about the famous identities they have met. Duties  have included retail sales, touched up photos, make tool boxes, Safeway signage, worked as  a mechanic on Lambuguine sports cars, trimmed the edges of Optus Oval filed, entered data etc. Students have worked as far afield as Altona, St Kilda and Prahran.

Night times are filled in by experiencing different food outlets, food types, formal and informal dining venues and cultural activities including the movies, swimming at the Aquatic centre, Eureka Tower lookout, Comedy Club, walking around Federation square and Southgate etc.

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