ABSTRACT
Work experience for secondary school students was introduced in South Australia in 1969 in spite of some resistance from employers. It was first organized through, and with the co-operation of, local government agencies. As in all traditional Australian high schools, the numbers of Marion High School students taking a foreign language in the first sense have fallen with the changed requirements for university entrance. Some of the subjects of the school curriculum, by their very nature, provide opportunities for students to have work experience as they pursue the subject. These subjects are computing, materials practice and technology, food technology, food and catering, business studies and social science. Work experience, in the narrower sense of working for a few days actually in the work-place, covers the full range of jobs. It is sometimes convenient for students to have this experience during their holidays.
