ABSTRACT
Work experience schemes are becoming a key component of the curriculum of secondary schooling throughout the Western world. Fundamental changes in the nature of work, as well as the change in the distribution and availability of work for young school leavers are turning an infrequently provided experience into a central provision in many secondary schools. There are accounts of school-based developments at Netherhall and Comberton Schools and Long Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge; Newpark School, Dublin; The Bayswater Centre, Bristol; Orange field School, Belfast; Ynysawdre Comprehensive School, Bridgend; and Marion High School, South Australia. There is also a report of activity in the USSR and Eastern Europe. A wide range of schemes have been developed, including work study, simulation, link courses, pairing and many others. Yet there are many unresolved ideological, social and economic issues underlying the development of work experience and these are considered in an extended editorial introduction.
