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Listen
Annex 7 Group Work Schedule: Ever Worked
1-3 Introduction and update
- tape recorder - for us to take notes afterwards, apart from this no-one else will hear what you have said
- background/purpose - the Scottish Executive has asked us to find out about the part-time work that pupils do, to see what people learn from it and to find out if it would be a good idea to link pupils' part-time jobs into their schooling. It's obviously most important to ask young people what they think about this, and this is what this group discussion is about. But we obviously need to ask school staff, employers and parents what they think too, and that's part of our work also.
- hand out answer books - this group session will be a mixture of discussion (where we listen to your ideas) and writing (where you get the chance to give us your own individual views in the answer book). The answer book, too, is confidential. We will make good use of your answers, but no-one will know who said what, except us.
- fill in introduction and update section - we need to get up to date since it is a good few months since you filled in your questionnaire, and things may have changed. Complete answer book up to the end of page 3, then we'll start the discussion.
4a Advantages & disadvantages of having a part-time job
- Brainstorm - a chance to gather ideas as quickly as possible
- Split into pairs or threes
- Half the group to think of the advantages of having a part-time job while at school; half to think of the disadvantages.
- You have two minutes to write down as many ideas listed in the appropriate column on page 4, question 4, of the answer book
- At end of two minutes, go round the pairs asking them to give two of their answers, explaining a bit about them. Next pair to choose different ones. Check if there are others to be added.
- Take vote - who thinks the advantages are greater than the disadvantages? Vice versa?
- If time, encourage group to say more about their ideas on the pros and cons
- So, this is to start us thinking about what you can get out of part-time work, and what some of the problems might be. Let's move on to talk more about part-time work and schooling. Put the booklet aside for the moment.
4b What pupils get out of part-time work that helps them at school
- Do teachers mention part-time work in classes? In what subjects; give examples
- Would teachers know you have a part-time job? How do you think they feel about it?
- Do you use what you have done in part-time work in classes? In group discussions? In written work? In assignments? In presentations? In assessments?
- Moving away from the subject classes, do other teachers use your experiences in part-time work? For example people who help you think about your progress in school like guidance teachers/tutors/pastoral care staff
- Does the careers adviser from Careers Scotland discuss your part-time job when helping you think about your future?
- More generally, are there other things that a part-time job might give you that would help with your schooling? For example, giving you more confidence; giving you practice at managing your time…..
- Is what you learn on work experience used in any way in your schooling?
- Are other parts of your 'out of school' experiences drawn into your schooling, for example, voluntary work, sport or drama?
5. Linking part-time jobs and schooling
[If it is a genuine reflection of the earlier discussion: From what you've said, part-time work isn't often mentioned in school.] Some people are suggesting that more use should be made by schools of young people's paid part-time work. We're going to talk about this in a minute, but, without thinking about it too much, could you give us your first reaction, your gut reaction, to this idea? Look at question 5 on page 5 and tick one of the boxes
If there was to be a decision to make better links between school and part-time work, how might it be done, do you think? Any suggestions?
6. Different ways of linking part-time jobs and schooling more closely
One of the things we have been asked to do is to see whether better links could be made between part-time jobs and schooling, whether it would be a good idea, and whether it could work. So here are 3 ways in which part-time jobs and schooling could be linked. Show card 1.
Card 1:Teachers might ask pupils to talk about their part-time jobs in subject classes…. Or encourage them to use their part-time work experiences in assignments…. Or use part-time work to give evidence of their core skills.
- Is this a good idea? What would be good about it? What might be bad about it?
- Would it work?
- What particular subjects could this be done in?
Examples, if needed…
- 'How IT is used in the workplace' - IT teacher asks those with part-time work to give examples
- Pupils who have part-time work could use it in personal writing or presentations in English
- Produce a case study of the organisation in which you work for for Business/Admin
- Gives evidence of 'working with others' core skill
Here's another approach. Show card 2.
Card 2:Pupils are able to get a new qualification or unit from their part-time work. This would be recorded on their SQA certificate like exam passes.
- Is this a good idea? What would be good about it? What might be bad about it?
- Would it work? What would employers think about this?
- Do you think other people would value the qualification (for example, other employers, colleges or universities)?
Examples, if needed:
- Because you have got a part-time job, you might choose a column with a unit called 'part-time work' or 'employability'
- You might be able to do one called 'employability' using other experiences, such as voluntary work, not just part-time work.
This is the last card. Show card 3.
Card 3:Pupils use their part-time work to review and record how their skills are developing, use it to set targets and plan for the future, and use this to help them get a job or course at college or university.
- Is this a good idea? What would be good about it? What might be bad about it?
- Would it work?
- Would pupils do this themselves, or should someone help them with it?
Examples, if needed:
- You would make a list of all the skills you had, and add extra ones as you got different experiences and responsibilities in your part-time job
- Then you could refer to it when you were applying for jobs or courses
Now that we've talked through these ideas in more detail, look at page 6 and give us your individual 'votes' on what you think about each of these different approaches.
7. Should part-time work and schooling be mixed or linked more?
Earlier we asked you for a gut reaction about the general principle of whether more use should be made of pupils' part-time work in their schooling. What do you think now that you've had more chance to consider? This is an idea that is being taken seriously by the Scottish Executive, and it is important to know whether young people think it is a good idea or not. Fill in your answer to question 7 on page 7, and try to give us some idea of your reasons for answering as you have.
[If not already raised] After they have filled this in, ask if they think it matters that not everyone has a part-time job, should it affect a decision to try to link part-time work with schooling.
8. What do you think?
To help us understand your answers and your ideas in this group discussion, please let us know how you like to approach things and how you think. There are a list of questions under the heading of question 8. Don't think too much about your answer, but go with what first comes into your mind, and circle the number that applies to you. (Give example of first question, then go round checking that they have understood or that they are not using one response style).
9. Parent contact details
We will be going to ask employers and teachers what they think about these ideas, but we also need to find out what parents and carers think. So we would like one of your parents/carers to fill in a questionnaire for us. And so we need contact details from you. This is the last bit of the answer book.
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