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Advice for teachers -
Industry and Enterprise

Unit 3 – Area of Study 1: Enterprise culture

Outcome 1:

Describe and discuss enterprise culture in a community and/or work setting, and explain and evaluate how the development of work-related skills by individuals contributes to an enterprise culture.​

​Examples of learning activities

  • Plan and conduct a student-initiated enterprise project to develop and demonstrate work-related and leadership skills. This could be a fundraising activity within the school such as a stall, a competition or sporting event.
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Investigate the application of work-related skills in a workplace. Focus on the contribution of work-related skills to the creation of an enterprise culture. Present a report using a digital format demonstrating findings.
  • Watch the Youtube video​​ Workplace culture in Australia - Australia Plus created by Australia Plus. Take note of the work-related skills demonstrated and discuss how individuals demonstrating these skills contribute to the development of an enterprise culture within the workplace.​
     
  • Example icon for advice for teachers
    Compile a report on the development of an enterprise culture in a selected workplace. Identify indictors that show whether an enterprise culture is or is not present in a workplace. Discuss how the work-related skills of workers contribute to the culture.
  • Consider the following newspaper headline: ‘Fifteen year ​​​olds can expect to have more than 17 jobs in five different industries over their working lives. So why aren’t they ready? '; ​(Sydney Morning Herald, 3 May 2016​). Discuss why it is important for young people to develop enterprise capabilities and employability skills in light of this article. Explore how young people could develop and acquire the appropriate capabilities and skills required to be successful participants in the modern Australian economy.​
  • Develop questions to interview employees at a workplace. Aim to elicit information about how individual employees view their contribution to the development of an enterprise culture. Interview two employees. Write a summary of the findings/conclusions drawn.
  • Read the report, The New Work Mindset (by the Foundation for Young Australians​) ​and prepare responses to the following:
    • What is a job cluster?
    • How are the jobs within a cluster linked by skills?
    • Name and describe the seven job clusters identified by the report.
    • Read the executive summary and describe how work is changing.
    • ​Explain which job clusters offer the best future prospects for employment.
  • Create a poster depicting the seven job clusters from the The New Work Mindset article (by the Foundation for Young Australians​) and the key features of each.
  • Read the report, ‘Enterprise skills and career education in schools’ (by​ the Foundation for Young Australians​) as stimulus for a discussion about why development of enterprising skills is vital to securing long-term work in Australia. Prepare a digital presentation about this. ​
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Detailed example 1

Workplace investigation: work-related skills and enterprise culture

Overview

Using digital technologies as the medium, students prepare a report about the work-related skills and related enterprise culture in a specific workplace. The report should include analysis of the following:

  • range and extent of work-related skills demonstrated by employees in the workplace
  • evidence of the existence of an enterprise culture in the workplace
  • relationship between work-related skills and the development of an enterprise culture in the workplace
  • description of student’s own personal development of work-related skills in the specific workplace; also how they personally contributed to the development of an enterprise culture.

The presentation should include the following elements:

Workplace and Industry context

An analysis of the workplace setting, including name and location of the workplace and basic statistics such as size and number of employees. An outline of the role and the main tasks undertaken by employees. Identification of the industry to which the workplace belongs. A detailed explanation of the work-related skills practiced and required within the specific workplace.

Work-related skills

An analysis of the importance of work-related skills in the specific workplace. A description of how work-related skills are developed by employees at the workplace. An analysis of how effectively work-related skills are applied. A personal reflection on development of work-related skills. An evaluation of how well training and development in regards to work-related skills has contributed to staff development at the workplace.

Enterprising culture

A definition of the term ‘enterprise culture’. A description of the culture in this workplace and analysis of the degree to which this is an enterprising culture, citing supporting evidence. An analysis of the extent to which the demonstration of work-related skills promotes an enterprise culture within the workplace. Suggestions as to how enterprise culture could be further developed.


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Detailed example 2

Enterprise audit: a workplace

Overview

Students conduct an audit and present findings via one of the following: video, podcast, written report, PowerPoint presentation or blog. Students conduct an enterprise audit of a workplace with which they are familiar using the following as a guide.

  1. Introduction to a workplace
    • Describe the nature of the workplace.
    • Summarise some of the unique challenges faced by this workplace.
    • Outline the main reasons why this workplace needs to develop an enterprise culture.
  2. ​Investigation into a workplace
    • Identify the key internal and external stakeholders of this workplace and summarise their main roles.
    • Describe instances where people work as a team within this workplace.
    • Describe the type of leadership used and the roles played by leaders.
    • Outline the major occupational health and safety issues and concerns.
  3. Developing an enterprise culture
    • Describe three different work-related skills that are either currently contributing to the development of an enterprise culture or could potentially provide a more enterprising approach to the following within the workplace:
      • effective teamwork
      • leadership
      • management of safety issues and risks.

      (Note: It is not required that the same three work-related skills be used for each point listed.)

    • Evaluate the extent to which this workplace is using work-related skills to develop an enterprise culture overall.