Work Experience
for Students
Work experience is a chance to step outside the classroom and see what real workplaces are like across the Goulburn Murray. It gives students the opportunity to explore different industries, meet professionals and experience the kinds of tasks people do every day in their jobs. Whether you are curious about agriculture, engineering, logistics, care, administration or manufacturing, work experience can help you better understand what these careers look like in practice.
Student Guide to Exploring Local Careers
Work experience is a chance to explore real workplaces, meet professionals and discover what suits you – and what you like and don’t like about the world of work.
In the Goulburn Murray there are many industries in need of employees. If you’re open to learning about the fields of engineering, logistics, care and agriculture, or administration roles that will take you across sectors, this guide will help you understand:
- What types of organisations to approach
- What traits and interests suit each sector
- What a typical week might look like if you were to do some work experience in these fields
- How to match your strengths with local opportunities
How to Get Started
Talk to your career guidance counsellor about:
- Your interests and strengths
- What industries excite you
- Which placement types match your traits
- What local organisations to approach
Tips for students:
- Be open to trying something new
- Ask questions and take notes during your placement
- Reflect on what you enjoyed and what you didn’t
- Use this experience to shape your future choices
- Look in your own backyard to understand what is in your region and understand where the jobs of the future are. Ask your career guidance counsellor to explain this – being clever about this and following a path that needs workers in our region might be the difference between you one day moving away from the Goulburn Murray, and settling down here and making a life.
Explore the Industry Sectors
Engineering
Engineering is the backbone of innovation and infrastructure in our region. Opportunities in this field include roles in from manufacturing settings and civil projects to jobs in water and government agencies.
Logistics
Logistics is a key industry in our region, supporting the movement of goods across agriculture, manufacturing and export sectors. This industry includes everything from yard work and vehicle prep to scheduling, dispatch and digital systems – it is broad and the opportunities are endless. This is a global industry and skills can be used anywhere in the world.
Care
The care sector examples featured in this resource include aged care, disability support, early childhood education and school-based wellbeing roles. Using the below templates, organisations can offer work exposure roles in communication, play-based learning, inclusion and support work to see how they feel about providing care as a career.
Agriculture
Including dairy, cropping, sheep and beef farming, horticulture and agtech, agriculture is a major employer in the Goulburn Murray. So many opportunities exist across farming, irrigation, logistics, agtech and sustainability. Students can explore hands-on roles, digital systems and community-focused work.
Administration
Administration roles exist across every industry - from schools and councils to logistics, health, and professional services. Students can explore tasks like filing, scheduling, data entry, reception and internal communication, and use this experience to learn about a range of sectors, it can be a foot in the door, especially in large organisations, to try different roles over time.
Manufacturing
From food processing and packaging to metal fabrication, engineering components and advanced production systems, manufacturing plays a vital role in the Goulburn Murray economy. The sector includes both large global manufacturers and smaller local workshops that produce specialised products. Students can explore opportunities across production, quality control, maintenance, logistics and product innovation.
Explore the Industry Sectors
Engineering
Engineering is the backbone of innovation and infrastructure in our region. Opportunities in this field include roles in from manufacturing settings and civil projects to jobs in water and government agencies.
Logistics
Logistics is a key industry in our region, supporting the movement of goods across agriculture, manufacturing and export sectors. This industry includes everything from yard work and vehicle prep to scheduling, dispatch and digital systems – it is broad and the opportunities are endless. This is a global industry and skills can be used anywhere in the world.
Care
The care sector examples featured in this resource include aged care, disability support, early childhood education and school-based wellbeing roles. Using the below templates, organisations can offer work exposure roles in communication, play-based learning, inclusion and support work to see how they feel about providing care as a career.
Agriculture
Including dairy, cropping, sheep and beef farming, horticulture and agtech, agriculture is a major employer in the Goulburn Murray. So many opportunities exist across farming, irrigation, logistics, agtech and sustainability. Students can explore hands-on roles, digital systems and community-focused work.
Administration
Administration roles exist across every industry - from schools and councils to logistics, health, and professional services. Students can explore tasks like filing, scheduling, data entry, reception and internal communication, and use this experience to learn about a range of sectors, it can be a foot in the door, especially in large organisations, to try different roles over time.
Manufacturing
From food processing and packaging to metal fabrication, engineering components and advanced production systems, manufacturing plays a vital role in the Goulburn Murray economy. The sector includes both large global manufacturers and smaller local workshops that produce specialised products. Students can explore opportunities across production, quality control, maintenance, logistics and product innovation.
Programs
