What is Work Experience?
Work experience programs are a general introduction to the workplace.
They help students better understand the workplace, test their career interests and make more informed decisions about future training, employment and career pathways. Work experience is usually undertaken by Year 9 and Year 10 students, with opportunities also available for Year 11 and Year 12 students in some circumstances.
Work experience allows students to observe a variety of work being performed, undertake closely supervised work appropriate to their age, maturity and skill level, ask questions about the workplace and learn more about careers, training and employment opportunities.
It is a useful part of the school-to-work transition because it gives students a practical understanding of workplace expectations, conduct, supervision, safety and career options.
Work Experience Resources from the Queensland Government
Benefits of Work Experience
Benefits for Employers:
- Identify talented young people who may be interested in starting a career in your industry or local area.
- Provide professional development opportunities to current staff by developing leadership and mentoring skills.
- Provide industry exposure and mentoring to the next generation of potential workers.
- Bring new ideas, perspectives and personalities into the workplace.
- Strengthen the business’s connection with the local community.
- Participate in the education and career development of young people in the community.
Benefits for Students:
- Real-life exposure to work situations.
- Opportunities to build industry connections and obtain references.
- Exposure to industry-standard facilities, equipment and experienced workers.
- Development of skills and confidence before transitioning from school to work.
- An opportunity to assess their interests and abilities against possible career choices.
How Does Work Experience Work?
Who can participate in work experience?
Students must be at least 14 years old and enrolled in an educational establishment. For school-based work experience, this includes State schools, non-State schools and students registered for home education. The Education (Work Experience) Act 1996 (Qld) uses the broader expression “educational establishment”, which can also include other institutions in particular circumstances.
Students undertaking a Defence work experience placement with the Australian Defence Force must be at least 15 years of age at the time of their placement.
A student can only undertake work experience while they remain enrolled in an educational establishment. Insurance coverage is based on compliance with the Education (Work Experience) Act 1996 (Qld) and the relevant Department of Education processes. For Year 12 students, work experience should be conducted and completed during the school year, and not after they finish school, because they are no longer enrolled.
Year 12 students will not be able to undertake a work experience placement under their school’s work experience program after they have finished school.
Legal Requirements
Legal Requirements (in accordance with the Education (Work Experience) Act 1996 (Qld))
- An educational establishment may make work experience arrangements for its students. Any work experience arrangement must be in writing.
- A work experience arrangement may be made for a student only with the approval of the principal of the student’s educational establishment.
- The principal may approve the arrangement only if, in the principal’s opinion, the work experience provider is suitable to provide work experience.
- Where permitted, the principal may delegate or assign responsibilities relating to work experience to a nominated officer, employee or contractor engaged by the school. However, the responsibility for work experienceultimately remains with the principal.
- A student must not start a work experience placement until the responsible body has entered into a suitable contract of insurance with Work Cover Queensland under the Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld). Under the Act, the “responsible body” is the chief executive (education) for a State school or home education place, and otherwise the student’s educational establishment.
- A student must not start a work experience placement until the insuring body has entered into a contract of insurance indemnifying the student and the work experience provider against liability for personal injury or property damage suffered by the student, the provider or another person arising out of the work experience. Under the Act, the “insuring body” is the chief executive (education) for State schools, home educationplacesand non-State schools, and otherwise the student’s educational establishment.
- Public liability and workers’ compensation arrangements can differ depending on the schooling sector and placement type. Employers should confirm insurance coverage, certificates of currency and excluded activities with the school before the placement starts.
- A student on work experience is taken not to be the employee of the work experience provider, and the provider is taken not to be the employer of the student.
- Because the student is not an employee, laws prohibiting employment or regulating working conditionsgenerally donot apply to the work experience placement.
- However, the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld), section 8A of the Child Employment Act 2006 (Qld), and any law dealing with required qualifications or licensing still apply as if the student were an employee or worker and the work experience provider were an employer.
- The student must not be paid for work experience.
Conditions applying to work experience
- The work experience arrangement must be made before the student starts the placement.
- If the student is a minor, a parent of the student must give written consent to the arrangement, subject to the exception for a student who is not in an adult’s care and control.
- The work experience placement must finish in the same calendar year that it starts.
- The student must not receive work experience for more than 30 days in a calendar year, unless the principal approves additional days for a student with disability.
- The work experience provider must not provide work experience to more than the permitted number of students at the same time. The permitted number isgenerally equalto the number of full-time employees of the provider, unless special circumstances exist and a higher number is approved by the chief executive.
- The work experience provider must not provide work experience to the student at a time other than during the ordinary working hours of the place where the work experience is provided.
- Work experience may occur outside school hours, including weekends or vacation periods, only where those are the provider’s normal working hours and the school has appropriate contact and monitoring arrangements in place.
- If a placement is proposed to continue across New Year’s Day, separate arrangements will usually be required because the placement must finish in the year it starts.
Important safety note for employers
- Students may observe work and assist with tasks allocated by their supervisor.
- Students should not undertake activities requiring extensive training, trade qualification, licensing or specialist expertise.
- Observation and closely supervised low-risk tasks are the safer default, particularly in automotive workshops or other higher-risk environments.
- Examples of higher-risk activities may include unsupervised use of hoists, powered plant, road testing vehicles, welding, high-voltage work, hazardous chemicals or any task requiring a licence, trade qualification or specialist training.
Work Experience, Structured Work Placement and Vocational Placement
Work experience should not be confused with vocational placement. A key practical distinction is whether workplace attendance is a mandatory assessment component of a student’s VET course. If workplace assessment is mandatory, the arrangement may be vocational placement rather than ordinary work experience, and different documentation and insurance responsibilities may apply.
| Type | What It Means | Key Point for Employers |
| Work Experience | A short-term, unpaid placement that gives a student exposure to a workplace and industry. It may or may not be connected to a VET program. | Generally capped at 30 days in a calendar year and must be approved and documented before it starts. |
| Structured Work Placement | A placement involving specific tasks in the workplace connected with a school-delivered VET in Schools program | The tasks should be agreed before placement and must still be safe, supervised and appropriate for the student. |
| Vocational Placement | Hands-on work in a real work environment that is a mandatory assessment component of a VET course. | This is not the same as ordinary work experience and different documentation and insurance responsibilities may apply, particularly where an external RTO is involved. |
Responsibilities for Work Experience
Work Experience Provider
Principal
Delegated Officers / Work Experience Coordinators / Nominated Officers
Students
Parents/Carers
Work Experience Provider
- Understand their health and safety responsibilities under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld).
- Discuss the proposed workplace activities and procedures with the school before the placement starts to ensure the student’s safety and wellbeing.
- Provide the student with all necessary information about the placement before they begin, including working hours, required clothing, personal protective equipment, site rules and reporting arrangements.
- Provide relevant and appropriate training, where required, and direct supervision at all times while the student undertakes work-related activities.
- Allocate a workplace supervisor to the student and ensure that supervisor understands the work experience responsibilities.
- Ensure the permitted number of students accepted for work experience does not exceed the number of full-time employees, unless a higher number has been approved.
- Inform the student of particular safety requirements of the workplace, including personal protective clothing and equipment.
- Explain workplace policies regarding bullying, harassment, discrimination and codes of conduct, and explain processes for reporting problems or issues.
- Notify the school/work experience coordinator immediately of any incident, accident, near miss, unexplained absence, injury or property damage involving the student during the placement.
- Explain work tasks clearly and implement reasonable adjustments where appropriate for students with disability or additional educational needs.
- Ensure the student does not undertake activities that are prohibited by law, excluded under the relevant insurance policy, unsuitable for a work experience student, or require extensive training, trade qualification, licensing or specialist expertise.
- Ensure the hours worked by the student do not exceed the normal hours worked in the industry or the ordinary working hours of the workplace.
- Communicate with school staff who make contact by face-to-face, video or phone contact during the placement to discuss the student’s progress.
- Complete any required documentation, such as a student report, and return it to the school.
- Ensure the workplace supervisor has the contact details of the work experience coordinator in case an issue arises.
- Ensure the student is not paid while undertaking work experience.
- Understand the level of liability coverprovidedand the activities excluded from insurance cover before the placement commences.
- Provide information requested by the school to support any incident, accident, public liability or Work Cover claim arising from the placement.
- Understand that the arrangement may be terminated at any time by either the school principal or the work experience provider.
Principal
The principal of an educational establishment is the person in charge of the establishment. The principal is responsible for approving work experience arrangements and ensuring that the work experience provider is suitable.
- Establishthe work experience program as part of a broader career education program.
- Where appropriate, delegate or assign responsibilities relating to work experience to a nominated officer, such as a deputy principal, head of department, teacher, industry liaison officer, employee or contractor engaged by the school, noting that responsibility for work experience ultimately remains with the principal.
- Approve work experience arrangements, ensuring that work experience is completed in the same calendar year itcommenced.
- Ensure work experience is no longer than 30 days in a calendar year, except whereadditionaldays are approved for a student with disability.
- Ensure written consent to the arrangement is obtained from the student’s parents or carers whererequired.
- Ensure only activities covered by the relevant insurance policy are undertaken by students.
- Ensure a school staff member or nominated officer makes contact at least once during the placement, by face-to-face, video or phone contact, with both the student and the workplace supervisor.
- Ensure work experience arrangements are consistent with equity, diversity and social justice policies and comply, where applicable, with the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld), the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld), the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) and child safe requirements, including the Child Safe Organisations Act 2024 (Qld).
- Sign a Work Experience Agreement with each work experience provider and ensure a copy is provided to all relevant parties.
- Ensure students’ preparation for work experience includes an understanding of workplace health and safety, workplace discrimination, harassment,bullyingand appropriate reporting processes.
- Provide relevant information on liability insurance and workers’ compensation to work experience providers,studentsand parents/carers.
- Consider alternative means of communication for students, parents/carers or work experience providers from a non-English speaking background or with low literacy skills.
- Arrange another suitable form of contact where distance, interstate arrangementspermittedunder policy or exceptional circumstances make a physical visit impractical.
- Inform work experience providers of their responsibilities if an accident, incident or near miss occurs during placement.
- Monitorthe health and safety performance of the work experience provider during work experience placements.
- Ensure, as far aspracticable, that the workplace is without risk to the health and safety of students, the provider understands its duty of care responsibilities, and students receive adequate information,training and supervision.
- Ensure studentsare not required toundertake work that presents an unacceptable risk to their health or safety.
- Undertake a placement risk assessment before signing the Work Experience Agreement. This may involve discussion with the provider, review of relevant safety documentation, or a workplace visit if further assessment isrequired.
- Complete a student-specific risk assessment where the student has an identified medical condition or other factor that may affect their safety,wellbeingor capacity to safely participate in the workplace.
- Exercise a duty of care and withdraw students from placements when justified.
- Postpone or withdraw a placementin the event ofan industrial dispute or stand down at the work experience provider until the issue is resolved.
- Report complaints involving sexual abuse or assault to Child Safety Services or the Queensland Police Service.
- Ensure all accidents, incidents and near misses occurring on work experience placement are recorded,reportedand investigated, and copies of relevant documentation are kept.
- Provide information to the Department of Education in the form specified in theCorporatedata collection schedule where required.
Delegated Officers / Work Experience Coordinators / Nominated Officers
- Discuss the proposed workplace activities to be undertaken by the student with the school and work experience provider, together with the workplace procedures needed to ensure the student’s safety and wellbeing.
- Provide the student with all necessary information about the work experience placement before the placement starts.
- Where applicable, make reasonable adjustments to support students with disability to access andparticipatein work experience on the same basis as a student without disability.
- Ensure the Work Experience Agreement and any risk assessment documentation are complete before the placement starts.
- Comply with the relevant requirements of the Education (Work Experience) Act 1996 (Qld), the Department of Education procedure and the responsibilities outlined in the Work Experience Agreement.
- If requested, provide information relating to any incident, accident or near miss involving a school student to facilitate a liability or workers’ compensation claim arising from participation in work experience.
Students
- Read all forms about the work experience placement and understand their rights and responsibilities about workplace health and safety, harassment and discrimination in the workplace.
- Comply with all reasonable directions given by the work experience provider and workplace supervisor.
- Attend the placement as agreed, arrive on time, follow workplace rules and wear any required personal protective equipment.
- Maintain any required record of tasks demonstrated or undertaken during the placement.
- Report workplace issues, concerns, harassment or unlawful discrimination to the workplace supervisor, parent/carer and/or school principal or work experience coordinator.
- Report any injury, incident, accident or near miss occurring on work experience to the workplace supervisor and school principal or work experience coordinator.
Parents/Carers
- Provide relevant medical information relating to the student that may impact on the safety of the student or the safety of others in the workplace, for inclusion on the Work Experience Agreement form.
- Ensure transport arrangements are made for the student to travel to and from the work experience placement.
- Accept responsibility for all expenses related to the student’s participation in the work experience placement.
- Immediately notify the school and work experience coordinator if the student is unable to attend work experience.
Liability and Insurance Claims
Before the placement starts
Insurance must be arranged before the placement starts. Public liability and workers’ compensation arrangements depend on the schooling sector and placement type. Employers should confirm insurance coverage, certificates of currency, excluded activities and incident reporting requirements with the school before the student commences.
If a student is injured or an incident occurs
- The student should receive appropriate firstaid or medical attention immediately.
- The work experience provider should notify the school/work experience coordinator as soon as possible of any injury, incident, accident, near miss, unexplained absence or property damage involving the student.
- The school should record, report and investigate the incident and retain copies of relevant documents.
- If a Work Cover claim is contemplated, the student should obtain relevant medical documentation, including any medical certificate required for the claim.
- For State school students, Work Cover claims are handled under the Department of Education’s Work Cover arrangements. The school, parent/carer, employer or health care facility may be involved in lodging the claim in an emergency.
- For non-State schools and other educational establishments, workers’ compensation arrangements should be confirmed with the relevant schooling sector or institution.
- Supporting documents should be retained and provided where required. These may include the Work Experience Agreement, risk assessment, student-specific risk assessment if applicable, incident or accident reports, witness statements, photographs, third-party correspondence, tax invoices, quotations and letters of demand.
- Public liability claims for State and non-State school students should be managed through the current Department of Education claims process. Schools should use the current Notice of claim – Students on work experience placement form and current Departmental contact details.
- No party should admit liability or make commitments about payment before the matter is referred through the applicable insurance process, as this may affect indemnity under the policy.
Relevant Blue, Yellow and White Cards
Blue Cards (Working with Children Check)
- Work experience providers do not require a blue card simply because they host a student for work experience. However, the school principal should ensure that the workplace into which a student is placed is not a risk to the health, safety and wellbeing of the student.
- School students under the age of 18 who are experiencing or sampling employment in a child-related industry do not require a blue card for work experience.
- School students aged 18 years and over who are experiencing or sampling employment in a child-related industry may require a blue card if the work is regulated child-related work and the student will be doing that work for more than the minimum threshold test, which is more than 7 days in a calendar year.
- A person who is a restricted person cannot rely on an exemption to work with children.
- Students undertaking structured work placement through a school RTO may require a blue card where the placement involves regulated child-related work. If required, the student must hold a valid blue card before commencing child-related work.
Disability Worker Screening Card / Yellow Card
- A Disability Worker Screening Card, commonly referred to as a yellow card, may be required if the student undertakes work experience with a State-funded provider delivering disability supports or services, or with an NDIS provider in a risk-assessed role.
- The service provider is responsible for ensuring that people it engages have the required yellow card. This can include school students placed on work experience with a State-funded provider or NDIS provider.
- The employer or service provider must verify the student’s engagement before the student’s application is considered valid.
- The student must hold a valid yellow card before commencing service delivery where a yellow card is required.
- If the student will work with children with disability, a blue card may also be required.
White Card and other industry-specific requirements
- Some placements require specific licences, cards,inductionsor qualifications before a student can participate safely or lawfully.
- For example, if a work experience placement is arranged on a construction site, the student must have a General Construction Induction Card, commonly known as a white card.
- Employers should tell the school about any industry-specific requirements before the Work Experience Agreement is finalised.
Further Information and Review
This guide should be reviewed if the Education (Work Experience) Act 1996 (Qld), Department of Education work experience procedure, insurance certificates of currency, blue card requirements, disability worker screening requirements or work health and safety requirements are updated.
Key source materials include:
- Education (Work Experience) Act 1996 (Qld).
- Queensland Department of Education, Work experience placements for schoolstudentsprocedure.
- Queensland Department of Education,Frequentlyasked questions about work experience.
- Queensland Department of Education, Work Experience Agreement form and insurance information for schools,parentsand work experience providers.