The transition year students sitting in Sion Hill secondary school in Blackrock, Co Dublin, have had an eye-opening two weeks. Between them, they have stepped into the shoes of a gym instructor, a solicitor and a prison officer and tried their hand at a host of other jobs. "Apart from everything else, lots of them have learned what it is they don't want to do," smiles their careers teacher Mrs White.
Ten years ago work experience either did not didn't exist or was so badly co-ordinated it did little to foster a positive perception of the world of work in students. Not anymore. Maeve Harkins chats animatedly about the intricacies of alternative medicine and the more conventional kinds of therapy she encountered on her placement in a REHAB. Ciara Riddick recalls her makeover in The Body Shop and talks about her stint in the children's programme department of RTE.
These days students keep diaries of their work experiences, are encouraged to participate in the work environment and are appraised at the end by their temporary "employers". Wherever possible they are placed in a company that is suited to their own particular interests. Gina Smith has taken work experience to the limit. In recent weeks she has made props in the Gaiety Theatre, helped out in a film production company, worked in a REHAB and done time, so to speak, in Mountjoy Prison.
"I like drama but I wanted to see the other side, so I helped make props in the Gaiety Theatre. A woman I met there asked if I would like to do a placement in Mountjoy. I went to the prison and worked on their production of the `Playboy of the Western World'," she says. The 2most interesting part was meeting the prisoners who were "really friendly, she says. "I wouldn't like to work as a prison officer but I would definitely do something similar again in Mountjoy," she says. Work experience is now an integral part of the transition year calender. It is an initiative actively encouraged by the Department of Education and a phenomenon that has been enhanced and expanded by many different groups.
The Business and Education Links Programme, run by the employers group IBEC, has fostered positive relations between business and schools since it was established in 1995. According to Mr Padraig Murray, of IBEC, the aim of the links programme is to "expand the educational experience of students by developing their personal skills and increasing awareness of business issues".
The programme now benefits the 140 schools and 100 companies nationwide that are linked with the programme - many are large firms such as the ESB. Since October last year, the ESB has established links with four schools in the Dublin area. "As a large employer and a semi-state body, we are committed to providing training and work experience to young people," says Mr Joe Boyne. of the ESB. The company is currently recruiting 80 young men and women for its 1998 apprenticeship scheme.
The links programme works with schools in many different ways. These include visits to a company, talks in the classroom by key personnel, and mini-enterprise support. "It is a brilliant way to expose students to the practical aspects of business in the real world," he says. Mr Peter Kelleher, personnel officer with Dairygold in Mallow, Co Cork, agrees. "We work with a local school here and try to give students a sense of what employers will expect from them. We maintain close links with the school and find it is very beneficial, particularly for students in the Leaving Cert Vocational Programme," he says.
Similar programmes currently in operation include Junior Achievement Ireland, an organisation established 78 years ago in America to teach enterprise skills to young people. Courses run by Junior Achievement in schools cover issues such as the importance of staying in school and what goes into running a business. "We are concerned with teaching young people about the mechanics of business, economics and the work ethic directly from business people. This encourages the development of an enterprise culture - something Ireland badly needs," says a spokeswoman.
There are many reasons for the increase in such initiatives. The growth in the our economy has focussed the spotlight firmly on education. Economic success is attributed in no small way to our well-educated work-force and the high standards in place in schools. The confident Ireland of today, said a recent IBEC report, is proof that investment in education gives an excellent return.
These links with schools allow business organisations to give something back to the community. in which they operate. Access to a pool of bright students is also useful in terms of future recruitment. Perhaps most importantly, companies benefit by exerting a positive influence on students and on the education system generally.
In some areas, strong links between schools and businesses can have a significant social importance. "In some of the schools we work with there is a only a 3 or 4 per cent chance that the students will go on to university. The national average is 37 per cent," says Mr David Magill, of the South Dublin Chamber of Commerce. In 1996, the chamber set up the South Dublin Schools Business Partnership.
"We felt there were was a lot of schools who would benefit from links with companies but felt it would only be beneficial if done in a highly structured way," he says. More than 6000 students from 14 schools in Crumlin, Clondalkin and Tallaght, are now involved in the partnership.
"The teachers are highly committed and we help set up links between them and local businesses, whether it is mock interviews or work placements. We want to encourage local firms to get involved on the basis that both they and the students can be greatly enhanced by the partnership," he says.
This is a view shared by the students in Sion Hill, especially after their eclectic time spent in almost every work-place imaginable. "I felt I would like to work with children," says Jenny Thorpe, who had placement in a primary school and a hospital creche. "Since I've experienced it, I know it's definitely what I want to do."
