1

Preliminary Course
Year 11

1 Unit

WORK STUDIES

Core: My Working Life
Booklet Three

Name
Teacher...

2
S.2
Exploring Career and Life Choices
lL ls lmporLanL Lo undersLand LhaL 'work' ln Lhe pasL ls very dlfferenL Lo Lhey
Lypes of work people do Loday before revlewlng Lhe varlous opporLunlLles for
employmenL.
8ead Lhe lnformaLlon on Lhe followlng page Lo compleLe Lhe acLlvlLy below:


p.21-27 FC
p. 146-147 FC
p.23-27
Report on Income and Education links
p.28-31
9.35-36
p.73-75 FC

Act|v|ty:
!"#"$%& ( $)*+ %, %--.&(+)%/* ,0%1 +2" &(*+3 )/-$.4)/5 6%7* +2(+ 2(#" 4)*(&&"(0"4
-%1&$"+"$89 :*" 8%.0 &0"4)-(+)%/ *;)$$* (/4 70()/*+%01 ( $)*+ %, <= 6%7* %0
%--.&(+)%/* +2(+ >)$$ 4"#"$%& )/ +2" /"?+ @A 8"(0*9 B2"*" (0" +2" 6%7* +2(+ 8%.0
5"/"0(+)%/ >)$$ 7" "/+"0)/59





















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1here a number of facLors LhaL lnfluence change ln Lhe workplace. 8evlewlng
your llsL of [obs or occupaLlons LhaL are no longer exlsLlng, choose 3 of Lhese
occupaLlons and for each answer Lhe followlng exLended response quesLlon:
4

!"#$%&' )*+ ,%-)./0 )*%) *%1+ &',$2+'-+3 -*%'4+ &' 5 .--2#%)&.'0 )*%) '. $.'4+/
+"&0)6


















5
!"#$%&' )*+ ,%-)./0 )*%) *%1+ &',$2+'-+3 -*%'4+ &' 5 .--2#%)&.'0 )*%) '. $.'4+/
+"&0)6

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7

Range of Employment Opportunities
ln Lhe pasL, Lhe number of opLlons people had wlLh regard Lo work were very llmlLed. 1hese days people have
many needs beyond Lhe workplace LhaL also need Lo be meL and, as a resulL, many dlfferenL worklng arrangemenLs
have evolved.


Iu||-t|me work
1radlLlonally, a full-Llme employee ln AusLralla worked a 40-hour week. 8uL by Lhe laLe 1970, s, Lhls began Lo
change. AL LhaL Llme, labour unlons - such as Lhose ln Lhe coalmlnlng and oll lndusLrles - foughL successfully
for a 33-hour week. ln uecember 1981, Lhe MeLal lndusLry Award reduced Lhe full-Llme week from 40 hours
Lo 38 and, as a resulL, Lhls became Lhe goal of mosL groups. ln SepLember 1983, a federal commlsslon
esLabllshed Lhe general prlnclple of a 38-hour week ln AusLralla. WlLh Lhe lncreaslng use of 'flexl-Llme' some
people now choose Lo work Lhese hours over four days lnsLead of flve. ln general, employees are noL allowed
Lo work more Lhan Lwelve hours ln one day, and no more Lhan slx days ln one week. SLaLlsLlcs show LhaL Lhe
average person ln an on-agrlculLural acLlvlLy works [usL over 38 hours a week, and LhaL Lhls has barely changed
slnce 1984.
lull-Llme work means LhaL people are aL work longer, buL lL also means Lhey recelve four weeks' annual leave,
slck leave enLlLlemenLs, superannuaLlon and a full-Llme wage. 1hls ls Lhe reason LhaL almosL 60 per cenL of
workers ln AusLralla are employed full-Llme. Powever, recenL AWA laws may change Lhls.


art-t|me work
A parL-Llme worker ls a person who works approxlmaLely Lhe same hours every week ln Lhe same poslLlon, buL
fewer Lhan 33 hours ln a glven week. Cenerally a person employed parL-Llme recelves mosL of Lhe same
beneflLs as a full-Llme employee, buL on a pre-raLa basls. lf a person works Lhree days a week Lhey generally
recelve 60 per cenL of Lhe slck days and hollday enLlLlemenLs offered Lo a full-Llme employee. So an employee
ls sacrlflclng some securlLy and money as a resulL of worklng parL-Llme.
A person may choose Lo work parL-Llme because of famlly, Lravel lnLeresLs or a hobby. Some people may be
forced Lo work parL-Llme because Lhere ls no full-Llme work avallable for Lhem as a resulL of Lhe changlng
naLure of Lhe workforce.


Casua| work
A casual worker ls a person who ls employed by a buslness Lo work 'as requlred'. A person ln Lhls poslLlon may
only know a week ln advance exacLly whaL hours Lhey wlll be worklng, and Lhose hours may vary greaLly week
by week. A growlng number of employees ln AusLralla are casual workers. Companles are ofLen wllllng Lo
employ people on a casual basls because Lhey can Lhen rosLer Lhe person on only as requlred. lL ls used mosL
frequenLly ln Lhe reLall and food lndusLrles where demand ls concenLraLed around cerLaln Llmes. 1hese are
also Lhe lndusLrles ln whlch mosL young people are flrsL employed.
Casual workers generally recelve a hlgher hourly raLe Lhan full-Llme or parL-Llme people dolng Lhe same [ob.
1hls ls because Lhey are noL offered slck leave enLlLlemenLs or annual leave. Also, Lhe securlLy for Lhem ls
much lower, as ln quleL Llmes Lhe employer wlll noL puL Lhem on Lhe rosLer.



ermanent work
AnoLher way of descrlblng Lhe worklng paLLern of a person ls Lo ask wheLher or noL Lhey are 'permanenL' ln
LhaL poslLlon. A permanenL worker ls one who, all Lhlngs belng equal, wlll sLlll be ln LhaL poslLlon nexL year,
and for as long as Lhey conLlnue Lo perform well. A permanenL worker may be a full-Llme, parL-Llme or casual
employee.


Contract work
1he opposlLe of a permanenL worker ls a conLracL worker. 1oday, many people sLarL ouL ln conLracL poslLlons.
8aslcally Lhls means LhaL Lhey are employed for a seL perlod of Llme. lor example, lf an organlsaLlon needed
Lo geL a cerLaln compuLer program compleLed lL may employ a programmer for a perlod of slx monLhs. 1haL
way Lhe buslness ls noL Lled down Lo keeplng on an employee whose Lasks wlll be compleLe.
ConLracL work ls very popular wlLh buslnesses and Lhe governmenL. Powever, lL ls noL always as popular wlLh
employees. Whlle lL does glve people Lhe opporLunlLy Lo change workplaces regularly, lL does so aL Lhe cosL of
8
securlLy. lor example, some banks wlll noL glve people worklng 'on a conLracL' a loan Lo buy a house, because
Lhelr employmenL cannoL be guaranLeed.


Sh|ft work
A shlfL worker ls a person who works aL dlfferenL Llmes of Lhe day dependlng on when Lhey are needed. lf all
nurses worked from 9.00am Lo 3.00pm people ln Lhe communlLy would noL be safe, because a person who
was ln hosplLal would have no medlcal care ouLslde Lhese hours. So nurses work on roLaLlng shlfLs Lo ensure
LhaL Lhere ls someone Lhere LwenLy-four hours a day. Many oLher people also work ln shlfLs. lor example,
Lhere are always people ensurlng LhaL compuLers ln banks keep runnlng. Can you Lhlnk of any oLhers?


Se|f-emp|oyment
An lncreaslngly popular opLlon for people ls Lhe chance Lo employ Lhemselves. A person who seLs up a
buslness and Lhen works for LhaL buslness ls consldered Lo be self-employed.
1he advanLages of Lhls form of employmenL are obvlous. 1he person can work or noL work as Lhey wanL and
any proflLs LhaL are made go back lnLo Lhe buslness whlch Lhey own. Powever, lL can lead Lo lower securlLy, as
Lhe buslness can only beneflL as much as Lhe person ls wllllng Lo work. Many professlonals, such as archlLecLs,
accounLanLs and lawyers, are self-employed.


Work|ng from home
WlLh Lhe lncreaslng use of Lhe lnLerneL many people are now able Lo work from home. WrlLers, [ournallsLs
and phoLographers, for example, are able Lo compleLe Lhelr work wlLhouL needlng Lo go lnLo a cenLral offlce as
Lhey can emall or courler any work Lhey do.
1he opLlon of worklng from home means LhaL people who need Lo be aL home for one reason or anoLher do
noL need Lo leave Lhe workforce. lor example, some parenLs wlLh young chlldren llke Lhem Lo be cared for ln
Lhelr own home. 8y worklng from home Lhey can supervlse Lhelr chlldren and work as well. 1hls opLlon can
also help Lo mlnlmlse Lhe cosL of worklng, parLlcularly for self-employed people, as offlce cosLs are
conslderably lower.


1e|ecommmut|ng
As Lhe lnLerneL becomes more powerful, Lhere ls no need for a person Lo have physlcal access Lo Lhelr
workplace aL all. ln facL, a person can llve ln AusLralla, work ln Lhe unlLed SLaLes and have a mornlng meeLlng
ln London wlLhouL leavlng Lhelr home! 1o do Lhls Lhey need access Lo a compuLer and Lhe knowledge Lo seL
up and use LelecommuLlng sofLware. As neL-meeLlngs and Leleconferenclng become more common so wlll
Lhls opLlon.
lL can be used effecLlvely for people ln markeLlng, flnance and compuLer programmlng.


Iob shar|ng
SomeLlmes a buslness ls wllllng Lo employ Lwo people Lo do Lhe work for one. A full-Llme poslLlon ls
adverLlsed, buL Lwo people may be employed who are wllllng Lo share Lhe poslLlon. 1he workload ls dlvlded
beLween Lhe Lwo workers who usually work seL days each week. 1hls opLlon ls parLlcularly popular wlLh
parenLs who wanL Lo work around chlld-care arrangemenLs, or people who are have dlfflculLy flndlng a
sulLable parL-Llme worklng arrangemenL.


Seasona| work
Some [obs only exlsL aL cerLaln Llmes. lrulL plckers, for example, can only plck frulL when lL ls rlpe. 1hey work
as needed ln one place, and Lhen move on and look for anoLher poslLlon. As noL all frulL ls rlpe aL Lhe same
Llme, a person can work for mosL of Lhe year ln Lhls way. Slmllarly, skl lnsLrucLors can only work when Lhere ls
snow, and llfeguards are only needed when people are aL Lhe beach.


Factors leading to a change in work patterns

eople work ln many dlfferenL Lypes of [obs, and mosL people wlll change Lhelr paLLern of work durlng Lhelr
worklng llfe. 1hese changes are lnfluenced by a wlde range of soclal facLors, some of whlch can be conLrolled
and some of whlch cannoL.
9


Lducat|on
1he cholces people make aL school have a dlrecL lmpacL on Lhe acLlvlLles Lhey underLake lmmedlaLely afLer
school. CerLaln unlverslLy courses requlre sLudenLs Lo compleLe parLlcular sub[ecLs before Lhey can apply.
1he |eve| of educat|on peop|e atta|n seems to d|rect|y affect the|r ab|||ty to f|nd pa|d work. A sLudy
compleLed ln AusLralla ln 1993 and publlshed ln Lhe C5" newspaper revealed Lhe followlng

! 1he unemploymenL raLe aL Lhe Llme was 7.3 percenL
! 1he unemploymenL raLe for people who had compleLed a unlverslLy degree was 1.9 percenL
! 1he unemploymenL raLe for people who had only flnlshed secondary school was 9.1 percenL
! 1he unemploymenL raLe for people who lefL school before Lhe age of 16 was 14.4 percenL



1he |mpact of techno|ogy
1he lndusLrlal revoluLlon began ln Lurope ln Lhe 1700s when facLorles sLarLed replaclng workers wlLh
machlnes. ln response, Lhe workers revolLed, and many of Lhe machlnes were desLroyed. Powever, Lhe
process was ln place. 1he machlnes dld noL need Lo Lake breaks or geL pald, and dld noL Lake days off. Also,
Lhe machlnes ofLen worked much more qulckly. 1hls deslre Lo lncrease efflclency has noL dlmlnlshed wlLh
Llme.
1oday when people Lhlnk of Lechnology Lhey Lend Lo Lhlnk of compuLers.
CompuLers are able Lo perform a loL of work prevlously performed by people. ln some cases uslng a compuLer
means LhaL only one person ls requlred where prevlously several were needed.
AnoLher parL of Lhe modern Lechnologlcal revoluLlon ls Lhe lncreaslng use of roboLs. 1oday moLor vehlcle
assembly llnes (and many oLhers) are populaLed by more roboLs Lhan people. lL ls qulLe posslble LhaL, before
long, a roboL wlll be checklng you ouL aL Lhe supermarkeL, drlvlng your Laxl or dolng your Lax reLurn.


Lmp|oyment and unemp|oyment
WheLher or noL a person ls ln pald work aL all ls a very lmporLanL soclal facLor ln decldlng wheLher or noL Lhey
wlll geL anoLher [ob. Cenerally, a person who ls employed ls more llkely Lo be offered a poslLlon Lhan one who
ls unemployed. 1hls ls because a person who ls already worklng:

! wlll have confldence golng lnLo Lhe lnLervlew, knowlng LhaL lf Lhey do noL geL Lhls [ob Lhey wlll sLlll be
employed
! has already compleLe aL leasL one successful lnLervlew, so knows some Lechnlques for succeedlng
! has been accepLed by anoLher company, glvlng Lhls new company some confldence ln selecLlng Lhem
! already possesses workplace skllls.

As a resulL of Lhese facLs, Lhe phrase |ong-term unemp|oyment has enLered Lhe language. ln AusLralla a
growlng percenLage of unemployed people have been ln LhaL slLuaLlon for over Lwelve moLhs. 1hls has an
enormous lmpacL. eople ln Lhls slLuaLlon are unable Lo llve comforLably or provlde for a famlly. 1hls can
affecL Lhelr confldence and Lherefore Lhelr ablllLy Lo perform ln [ob lnLervlews.
uesplLe rlslng employmenL aL Lhe Lurn of Lhe cenLury, Lhe number of people employed ln full-Llme poslLlons
has acLually decreased ln AusLralla. 1he balance has been Laken up by a slgnlflcanL lncrease ln Lhe number of
parL-Llme and causal poslLlons avallable Lo people.


Gender percept|ons
1he LradlLlonal vlews of Lhe male as Lhe breadwlnner and Lhe female as Lhe homemaker have now become
parL of AusLralla's hlsLory. Powever, ln some lndusLrles Lhe number of women employed ls sLlll well below
whaL would be expecLed ln a sample of Lhe populaLlon.
Some occupaLlons are seen as belng more sulLed Lo women (mosL nurses and Leachers are female). Many
more occupaLlons are seen as mascullne ln naLure. MosL Lrades fall under Lhls headlng, and so do mosL
professlons. ln AusLralla, Lhe ma[orlLy of plumbers, bullders, accounLanLs, lawyers and docLors are male.
Powever, ln mosL cases, men and women are equally ellglble Lo parLlclpaLe ln any occupaLlon.


Iam||y c|rcumstances
AnoLher LradlLlonal model LhaL has been casL aslde ln recenL years ls Lhe deflnlLlon of whaL consLlLuLes a
famlly. 1he model ln whlch a moLher and a faLher exlsL wlLh Lhelr Lwo chlldren ln a suburban home ls no
10
longer Lhe norm. Sole-parenL famllles, exLended famllles, blended famllles, same sex couples, and de facLo
couples are now also recognlsed as famlly unlLs ln AusLralla. 1he make-up of Lhelr famlly can greaLly affecL Lhe
paLLern of work lndlvlduals underLake.
lor example, a sole parenL may flnd LhaL Lhey can only work parL-Llme, because young chlldren ln Lhe famlly
requlre Lhem Lo be home afLer school hours. A couple wlLh Lhree chlldren aL school may flnd LhaL Lhey boLh
need Lo work full-Llme [usL Lo be able Lo cloLhe, feed and educaLe Lhelr chlldren Lo Lhe sLandard Lhey would
llke.
AnoLher facLor LhaL can affecL on a person's employmenL ls changlng famlly clrcumsLances. lmaglne a young
couple, [usL marrled, ln whlch Lhe wlfe becomes pregnanL. under AusLrallan law she ls enLlLled Lo Lwelve
monLhs, maLernlLy leave, buL lf she does noL have a [ob she may flnd lL very dlfflculL Lo flnd one (desplLe equal
opporLunlLy laws whlch make lL lllegal Lo noL hlre a woman slmply because she ls pregnanL). CLher changlng
clrcumsLances, such as a separaLlon, dlvorce or deaLh can have an enormous psychologlcal lmpacL on people
LhaL affecLs Lhelr ablllLy Lo work.


Government po||cy
AcLlons Laken by Lhe governmenL can have a dlrecL lmpacL on Lhe Lypes and paLLerns of work. ln general, any
governmenL alms Lo maxlmlse Lhe number of [obs avallable. Powever, ln Llmes of boom a conLracLlonary
pollcy may be necessary Lo avold unnecessary lnflaLlon. 1hls may acLually decrease Lhe number of [obs and
opLlons.
1o achleve a good level of employmenL, sLaLe and federal governmenLs ln AusLralla have lnLroduced many
lnlLlaLlves. 1he youLh wage, for example, has made lL aLLracLlve for employers Lo offer young people work.
Powever, Lhe compllcaLed laws surroundlng leave and payroll Lax have forced companles Lo offer more parL-
Llme and casual poslLlons. ln Lhls way many of Lhe exLra cosLs assoclaLed wlLh malnLalnlng full-Llme
employees are avolded.


1he economy
1he economy ls affecLed by many facLors, some of Lhem wlLhln Lhe counLry and oLhers LhaL are exLernal. Lach
of Lhese facLors affecLs Lhe avallablllLy of dlfferenL work paLLerns.
A varleLy of economlc sLaLlsLlcs ls publlshed regularly each year, such as Lhe unemploymenL raLe, Lhe lnflaLlon
raLe and raLe of growLh. A hlgh unemploymenL raLe, for example, means LhaL many people who wanL a [ob
are havlng Lrouble flndlng one. 1hls may, ln Lurn, creaLe a lack of confldence ln Lhe economy, and Lhe resulL of
Lhls may be even hlgher unemploymenL. CovernmenLs usually aLLempL Lo respond qulckly Lo bad economlc
lnformaLlon.
1he publlcaLlon of Lhese sLaLlsLlcs has an enormous lmpacL on Lhe confldence of people ln buslness and affecLs
Lhelr declslons abouL Lhe [obs Lhey are wllllng Lo offer. 1he blggesL change Lo resulL from an awareness of
large-scale economlcs ls Lhe lncrease ln conLracL work. WlLh lncreaslng uncerLalnLy employers are now noL as
wllllng Lo offer ongolng poslLlons Lo employees.







Act|v|ty - comp|ete and hand |n as record of course comp|et|on

! Suggest the type of person who may prefer each type of work pattern opt|on

! now m|ght current events |mpact on peop|e's ab|||ty to f|nd pa|d work? In you answer, |ook at
news about the government, |ega| dec|s|ons or the economy and state how th|s |nformat|on
may affect emp|oyers and emp|oyees |n the Austra||an workforce.





11

Information on Career Options











12


























Act|v|ty:
<9 D% +% E"-+)%/ F/" %, +2" G%7 D.)4" %/ +2" H/+"0/"+ 78 (--"**)/5 )+ ,0%1
2)9-%19(.I,.+.0"-2%)-"*9 J%/*)4"0 +2" .*",.$ +)&* $)*+"4 / +2)* &(5"9 !0(> (
+(7$" )/ 8%.0 >%0;7%%; >)+2 +2" 2"(4)/5* 7&#0 %'3 7/%#06 K)*+ A .*",.$ +)&*
+2(+ >)$$ 2"$& 8%. &0"&(0" ,%0 ( 6%7 %0 ( -(0""09 K)*+ A +0(&* 8%. *2%.$4 (#%)4
>2"/ -%/*)4"0)/5 ( 6%7 ,%0 +2" ,.+.0"9
L9 K%%; ,%0 &(0+)-.$(0 6%7* .*)/5 +2" G%7 D.)4"9 K%-(+" A %--.&(+)%/* 8%. +2)/;
8%. 1)52+ $);" +% 4%3 5)#)/5 0"(*%/* ,%0 8%.0 -2%)-"*9


13
Varying incomes relative to age, qualifications and
occupation

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Act|v|ty:
M"(4 +2" 0"&%0+ &0%#)4"4 +% 8%. 78 8%.0 +"(-2"0 (/4 .*" +2)* (* "#)4"/-" +% (/*>"0 +2"
,%$$%>)/5 "?+"/4"4 0"*&%/*" N."*+)%/O

!"#$%&' *.8 &'-.9+ )+'30 ). 1%/: /+$%)&1+ ). ;2%$&,&-%)&.'6 <0+ )*+ /+#./) #/.1&3+3 %0
+1&3+'-+6

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18

Importance of Lifelong Learning