West Australian research has found young people are often wide open to exploitation in the workplace. Fair Employment Advocate Helen Creed said today her investigations had found many instances where teenagers had been unfairly treated at work.

Launching a Discussion Paper titled Vulnerable Workers: Young People, Creed said the research was part of a program looking into the conditions and obstacles faced by vulnerable workers, in this instance the special problems faced by teenagers in the 15-19 year old age bracket. It was also a direct response to complaints lodged with the Fair Employment Advocate's complaints line, and queries to the state's Wageline.

Examples included young apprentices and trainees ordered to sign workplace agreements that downgraded employment conditions including the removal of penalty rates, reduced meal breaks, and the removal of allowances for tools and travel, sham contracts, and under age employment.

The Fair Employment Advocate found the rate of teenage employment had almost trebled in the last generation, and currently more than half of those employed were in low skilled part-time or casual jobs in the retail sector. They were usually students combining employment with education, either at school, TAFE or university.

"The aim of the discussion paper is to raise awareness among employers and employees of their rights and obligations, and to promote fairer, flexible and productive work places for all. These young people are our sons and daughters and their school mates. It is vital their first work experiences be positive ones," Creed said.

The Department of Consumer and Employment Protection has also created a specific website aimed at improving young people's understanding of the work environment.  Called Your First Job, it is a program for teachers to use in the classroom with senior school students outlining how to get a job, behaviour in the workplace, and their rights and obligations.