Council receives many requests for work experience. It is not always possible to place all students who request a placement due to the high number of requests, the work load of departments, the availability of a staff member to supervise the student, or the availability of work space. Council endeavours to place as many students as it can.
- Requests must be through an educational institution.
- Students must either live or go to school within the municipality of Wyndham.
- Relevant forms must be completed prior to commencement of placement. (The Work Experience Arrangement form must be signed by student and parent prior to being signed by Council.)
- Council does not have specific areas for work experience. Each request is dealt with on an individual basis and the student needs to know what type of placement is required.
All requests for work experience are to be directed to:
Work Experience Co-ordinator, Gwenda Miller
Phone: (03) 9742 0818
Fax: (03) 9741 6237
Email: gwenda.miller@wyndham.vic.gov.au
Some of the most common requests received by Council are:
Community Service
Whereby students need to complete a set amount of hours which can range from a few hours per week, one day per month or a one week block, as part of the school curriculum.
Volunteers
Council has a Volunteer Development Officer but only takes members of the community who want to volunteer on an ongoing basis. Volunteers are not accepted for people who are looking for experience in the hope of getting a job.
Volunteers are accepted if the request is through an educational facility and part of the curriculum.
Vacation Work
Requests for vacation work are to be directed to the relevant department.
Kindergarten Placements
Council has seventeen kindergartens throughout the municipality and requests for placements are high. Opening times for kindergartens vary as all kindergartens are not open five days per week. A one week block is preferred as Council would like to give as many students as possible the opportunity of a placement. Two week placements can be arranged but this is not always possible especially during May/June/July when the demand is high.
Tertiary students requiring a kindergarten placement will be placed according to the requirements of the qualifications for the diploma/degree.
Child Care
Council has one Occasional Child Care Centre. All other Child Care Centres are privately run and enquiries are to be directed to the centres individually.
Administration
Placements for administration jobs are limited. Prior to placing a student, Council needs to consider the workload of staff, the availability of a member of staff to supervise student, and the availability of a workspace. Administration placements are for one week only.
There are other areas of Council that students might be interested in, but these are considered as requests are received. Students must know the type of work experience they are interested in – ‘anything’ is not an option.