Abstract

Work experience placements feature increasingly in mainstream schooling. They are seen as presenting young people with engaging and relevant learning opportunities. As with other changes in our understanding of schooling, this shift carries implications for the on-going education of teachers. One way of preparing teachers with some of the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to implement work experience programmes in school is to give them the opportunity to taste 'work experience' for themselves and then to reflect on their own learning. This article reports on the reactions of trainee school guidance counsellors to placements in a variety of settings as a compulsory part of a one-year, full-time training course. The data suggest a pattern of course participants moving from initial resistance towards greater empathy for young people in workplace situations.