Sample map: Australian Curriculum – Work Studies
This sample map shows explicit reference to Asia content in the Australian Curriculum for Work Studies Years 9–10.
Download full Sample map of Asia related content in Australian Curriculum: Work Studies Years 9–10 (PDF 169 KB)
Year 9
Level description
The content of this year level is organised into two main interrelated strands: skills for learning and work, and career and life design. Each strand in turn contains three sub-strands outlining the content descriptions and elaborations that contain the knowledge, understanding and skills and form the core content of the curriculum for that year level. In Year 9 students are exposed to concepts and contexts, and focus on familiarising themselves with skills, knowledge and capacities required to build foundations for learning and work in the 21st century. Within this context, students explore their preferences as learners and engage in a range of activities to develop understanding of work, careers and post-school destinations.
Content descriptions or Elaborations
Skills for learning and work
Work skills
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Investigate a wide range of occupations, and the skills and personal qualities required in these fields (ACWSCL006)
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Identify types of workplace communication and the effect of context on the choice of communication (ACWSCL007)
- contrasting the types of communication used among peers, in the classroom, within schools, across cultures and in workplaces
- describing the value of cross-cultural communication in 21st century workplaces, both in the context of regional engagement with Asia and reconciliation in Australia
Entrepreneurial behaviours
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Identify types of entrepreneurial behaviours and their opportunities for application to 21st century work and enterprise (ACWSCL010)
- exploring local and national challenges and opportunities, as well as those from the Asia region, that might benefit from entrepreneurial approaches
Career and life design
The nature of work
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Describe the nature of work in Australia and the implications for current and future work opportunities (ACWSCL015)
- investigating the impact of the Asian region on the skills required for employment
Gaining and keeping work
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Investigate the contribution of diverse cultures to work and workplaces (ACWSCL018)
- gathering and comparing data about cultural diversity in the Australian workforce over time
- describing the benefits of culturally diverse workplaces
- exploring how the growing influence of countries of the Asia region has contributed to work and workplaces in Australia
Year 10
Level description
The content of this year level is organised into two main interrelated strands: skills for learning and work, and career and life design. Each strand contains three sub-strands outlining the content descriptions and elaborations which contain the knowledge, understanding and skills that form the core content of the curriculum for that year level. In Year 10 the concepts and skills introduced in Year 9 are investigated and developed at a higher level. Students are encouraged to be increasingly independent and self-directed learners.
Content descriptions or Elaborations
Skills for learning and work
Work skills
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Explain the range of skills and attributes necessary to work effectively in the 21stcentury (ACWSCL025)
- developing an understanding of the need for Asia-relevant capabilities in preparation for the world of work
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Select and use appropriate protocols for communication in workplace contexts (ACWSCL026)
- using appropriate language, tone and non-verbal behaviours in workplaces including cross-cultural contexts
Entrepreneurial behaviours
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Assess the benefits of developing an 'entrepreneurial mindset' and its relevance to 21st century work and enterprise (ACWSCL029)
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Complete an action project utilising entrepreneurial behaviours to address an identified challenge or opportunity (ACWSCL031)
- choosing a local or national business or community challenge or one from the Asia region and justifying their choice
Career and development management
- Use career decision-making processes to filter career scenarios (ACWSCL033)
- investigating what local and global labour market data and information trends mean for career opportunities, including in the Asia region
Career and life design
The nature of work
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Analyse emerging approaches to work and the implications these have for workers to be flexible, proactive and responsive (ACWSCL034)
- exploring factors impacting on work challenges and opportunities, including globalisation, the increasing economic influence of the Asia region, the need for more sustainable patterns of living, technological advances and knowledge-intensive service industries
Gaining and keeping work
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Examine the implications for work when work relationships are cross-cultural and can be local, national, regional or global (ACWSCL038)
- explaining the importance of knowledge of and respect for diverse cultures and languages in a global labour markets
- identifying essential attributes for individuals working in culturally diverse work contexts
- investigating the growth of workplaces and enterprise partnerships between Australia and countries of the Asia region
Options
Options provide opportunities for teachers and students to customise the curriculum based on students’ aspirations and interests and local circumstances. The order and detail in which the strands, sub-strands and options are taught are programming decisions and can be studied in any order or pattern. Core content can be integrated within an option.
Option 1: School–industry cooperative project
Level description
Schools form a partnership with businesses and other community organisations whereby business, industry or educational representatives advise or liaise with students doing a practical work-related or community-based project. The project may involve an existing school–industry program, or schools may establish a new school–industry program such as a workplace induction program.
Content descriptions or Elaborations
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Collaborate with industry/business and/or community, individuals or groups to plan a work-related project (ACWOP040)
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Complete the work-related individual or group project plan in collaboration with industry/business and/or community partners, individuals or groups (ACWOP041)
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Communicate the school–industry cooperative project outcomes to an audience (ACWOP042)
Option 2: Contemporary work challenges and opportunities
Level description
Students identify and explore contemporary work challenges and opportunities, and generate innovative solutions for a particular industry/business. Students investigate the background of the contemporary work challenges/opportunities and factors that have contributed to it, and explore and propose innovative approaches to address it in the future. Challenges/opportunities might include: job losses in a particular industry or large organisation; work health and safety legislation; outsourcing; the influence of fly-in, fly-out on individuals, families and communities; changing workplace relationships; the 21st century worker and increasing use of digital technologies in work.
Content descriptions or Elaborations
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Identify contemporary work challenges and opportunities relevant to changing 21st century work contexts and arrangements (ACWOP043)
- identifying contemporary work challenges and opportunities at the local, national, regional or global level from a range of sources
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Investigate responses from stakeholders to address the challenge/opportunity (ACWOP044)
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Analyse alternative responses and their likely impact over the short to medium and long term (ACWOP045)
Option 3: Cross-cultural enterprise
Level description
Students work in collaboration with those of similar age and year level in another school; for example, a school in Asia. Using digital technologies, they identify, plan and run an environmentally responsible enterprise. Students will choose a social enterprise such as fundraising to supply milk or other needs to an orphanage in an Asian country, or a sustainability project on a work-related topic.
Content descriptions or Elaborations
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Use digital technologies to communicate with their peers to identify and agree on a collaborative project that is environmentally sustainable (ACWOP046)
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Negotiate project outcomes and plans and their implementation (ACWOP047)
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Communicate the cross-cultural project and its outcomes to an audience (ACWOP048)
Option 6: School-developed option
Level description
This option provides students with opportunities to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills in a particular work- and career-related area and to design and develop strategies for effective learning. Students and teachers are encouraged to negotiate an area of content of relevance and interest to them that is either not studied through the other core content or options, or one they would like to explore in greater depth. Examples may include:
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literacy and numeracy for work
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community and unpaid work
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financial management and work
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cultural diversity and work.
A school-developed option must follow the structure of the Work Studies curriculum. Only one school-developed option may be studied across the two years.
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General capabilities must be identified in each of the content descriptions or content elaborations where appropriate.
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The cross-curriculum priorities must be identified in each of the contentdescriptions or content elaborations where appropriate and align with at leastone organising idea.
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Content descriptions must align with the achievement standards of Year 9and/or 10.The option must reflect an applied learning approach and provide opportunities for work exposure activities.
Content descriptions or Elaborations
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A maximum of 4–5 content descriptions. Content description must commence with a verb (ACWOP055)