Why has this site been developed?
The students@work website is a resource built to help students and their teachers, parents and employers manage the balance between study and working life.
The NSW Teachers Federation, via this website, aims to provide advice and support for students, teachers, parents and employers.
In 2007, the NSW Teachers Federation commissioned an independent research organisation, Think Insight and Advice, to investigate issues specifically relevant to young people enrolled full time in public high schools or TAFE colleges in NSW, who also work part-time. The study did not include apprentices and trainees who have different work/study arrangements. Nor did it include students working in family businesses.
The findings of that research were published in two reports:
"You're Gold...if you're fifteen years old - The perceived impact of WorkChoices on Youth Employment and Education in NSW"
Click here to read this report
"You're gold...if you're fifteen years old - A TAFE student perspective."
Click here to read this report
This site has been developed with the aim of providing advice and support for:
Students
- To provide a one-stop site for NSW students to find the sort of information which the study highlighted they were requesting;
- To help them better balance their academic and working lives, as well as other commitments such as sporting, family and social activities;
- To provide links to the various agencies and organisations which may provide further assistance to student workers if and when they need it.
Teachers
- Students see their teachers as trustworthy sources of information and support, so we aim to provide resources teachers may find useful in answering the sort of questions students ask in an individual, informal way;
- Teachers aim to support students mature into well-rounded members of society, and so seek to understand the multiple roles which students play, including their experiences of work;
- As well, many teachers are involved in developing and delivering formal teaching and learning programs addressing the world of work. The site provides some teaching resources and links to other websites which may be of use when developing teaching programs.
Parents
- To help parents and carers support their children as they make their way through the balancing act of work and school;
- To encourage their children to seek the kind of advice and support which they might need for themselves;
- To provide parents with access to information about work because students say they look to their parents first for guidance.
Employers
- Employers aim to be fair in their dealings with their student employees, knowing that if the students' academic and working lives are well-balanced, they are likely to retain a loyal and stable student workforce.
