Work Studies elective will teach kids about social media to make them more employable

TEENAGERS will be taught what is “appropriate” work behaviour at school, and how to use social media so they are more appealing to future employers.

Teenage girl working on a laptop with her mother standing beside her

TEENAGERS will be taught how to tweak their social media profiles to appeal to employers and communicate appropriately with their bosses, in a new subject to be introduced in Australian schools.

Students in Years 9 and 10 will be able to take the new “Work Studies” elective, unveiled yesterday by the Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).

The subject has been designed to make kids ‘work ready’, amid growing fears Australian teens are leaving school underprepared and ill-equipped to enter the workforce.

It will teach 14, 15 and 16 year olds what is “appropriate” work behaviour and what is not — including how much is too much time to spend on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, and why care should be taken in posting material online which might deter prospective employers.

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New course ... high school students will be able to take a new ‘Work Studies’ elective subject. Picture: Thinkstock

ACARA’s general manager of curriculum Phil Lambert told News Corp many school leavers were currently learning the hard way that their online profiles have long lasting implications for their careers.

“What we are trying to do is to take precautionary measures,” Dr Lambert said.

“It is all about appropriateness, the things that you might do in your home or in the company of your friends, is not the same as when you are in the workplace.”

The “Work Studies” elective will also teach teenagers about communicating with their bosses and colleagues professionally in the workplace, warning against texting and shorthand forms of communication.

Students will learn about the recruitment process, how to network, how to develop an ‘entrepreneurial mindset’ and how to deal with a rapidly changing work environment where they are likely to have many jobs over the course their professional lives.

The subject will also ask teenagers to consider the relationship between gender and work, and look at the work histories and cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.

While the curriculum is now ready to be used, it must first win endorsement from the Education Council.

A spokesman for Education Minister Christopher Pyne said, “an elective subject designed to give year 9 and 10 students the necessary skills to excel in the workplace is very worthy of consideration and it will be discussed at the next Education Standing Council”.

ACARA chief executive Robert Randall said students will learn, “what work is, how and why it is changing, and what this means for their future in working for others or themselves. “

“Through a mix of applied learning and work exposure, students gain a better understanding of work and places of work,” he said.