A work setting laboratory

The following is a description of a work setting laboratory (WSL) that could, in some form, be developed as one component of a pre-employment program. The description outlined here results from a request by the staff of the Philippine Refugee Processing Center in Bataan, the Philippines, for work-related basic skills activities. This paper is intended as a starting point for further discussion and planning and not, by any means, as a finished product ready for implementation. The article discusses some ideas about basic skills as they relate to refugee training, the rationale for a WSL, how a WSL relates to the rest of the curriculum, the major components of a WSL, some specific blueprints for WSLs, and barriers that may be encountered in setting up a WSL.