News & Events 

Playford International College launches its Employability Skills Program

The Employability Skills Program gives students the advantage of undertaking meaningful tasks that benefit the school but also provide a sense of ownership, responsibility, and importance for the student whilst still studying full time and maximising their schooling potential.

Key employability skills are aligned to the DEC Graduate Qualities and Capabilities. Communication, initiative and enterprise, team work, problem solving, planning, organising and self-management are core components of this program.

Engaging students in the Employability Skills program helps to motivate and educate them on;

· Market research,

· Development of business proposals,

· The difference between employment and contracting, and

· Workers’ rights and responsibilities, as both an employee and an employer.

Since the launching of the program, we have had both male and female students from year 9 to year 12 that have been paid an allowance to undertake a range of workplace tasks. These students have taken part in IT work, photography and film making for school promotional material, catering and waiting services, gaining invaluable workplace skills.

All students can apply for positions advertised through compass and digital signage. Applicants will go through the same process they would applying for a job, this includes providing a resume and participating in an interview. Both successful and unsuccessful applicants will be notified through a letter. All tasks undertaken by students will be supervised by staff. The allowance will be paid to students upon completion of the task or service provided via electronic funds transfer. Students will also be given a report reflecting their performance against the graduate qualities, that can be used for future employment opportunities.

This initiative is designed to extend Student Pathways, further adding opportunities that would ‘mimic’ employment situations, giving the students occasion to put their skills into a realistic situation where they are required to deliver a service or product (although on a strictly voluntary basis). The Employability Skills Program is managed and monitored in a manner that gives students an authentic transition into employment in a safe learning environment.