Abstract

Full-time Quebec students aged 15 to 24 are more likely than their counterparts from other Canadian provinces to work during the school year, and to spend more hours per week in paid employment. Also, youth aged 12 to 14 are working more intensely than one might think, and are exposed to a combination of significant work stresses. However, considered from the standpoint of occupational health and safety (OHS), combining work and study is associated with a wide range of risks. Organizations working to prevent these risks, as well as those promoting academic achievement, have often called for self-directed materials on the reconciliation of work and study (RWS).

To meet this need, a research team would like to validate information on combining work and study and OSH; this information would be developed from research, funded by the IRSST since 2006, on the OSH of young workers. The content will eventually be integrated into a computerized self-directed training kit on the reconciliation of work and study, and designed for students who are employed during the school year. The kit will allow them to obtain a diagnosis of their employment, school and OHS status. It will provide a tool for implementing preventive practices in RWS in collaboration with school personnel and employers.

It will be the first online self-directed training tool seeking to identify and mitigate the risks associated with combining work and study, and will provide younger workers with a form of personalized coaching toward preventive practices.