Tuck your shirt in, don’t be late, do what you’re told, and for goodness’ sake, cheer up. The difference between schools and workplaces is set to get even smaller after the announcement this month of two new initiatives.

“Work Studies” will become part of the national curriculum for students in years 9 and 10, and school gates are being opened for business to have a direct say in educating young people.

If you thought schools were places where young minds explore the wonders of the world and unwrap the gifts of learning, think again. The system teaches students to obey orders, pass tests and be grateful. At least, that’s your lot if you’re working class in a government school. If you’re rich, I’ve heard you get to learn how to rule.

Abbott was so impressed by a visit to an IBM-sponsored school in New York that he thought it would be good to do the same thing here. Because the US education model is so … Well, you do the math. The idea is that schools aren’t turning out the kind of workers that the bosses want, so why not let the bosses in to have a go at sorting it out themselves.

According to industry minister Ian Macfarlane, companies want young people who are “ready for the job that these companies want them to [do]’’. Managers want students ready to work and to generate some serious growth for company profits.

The new Work Studies curriculum in years 9 and 10 is a further honest reflection of the reality of learning to earn – for the boss. According to Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority CEO Robert Randall, the Work Studies curriculum will mean that “students gain a better understanding of work and places of work”.

The curriculum guidelines state that year 9 students are expected to “identify types of workplace communication and the effect of context on the choice of communication” as well as being able to “describe the nature of work in Australia and the implications for current and future work opportunities”.

With youth unemployment running at more than 20 percent in some parts of the country, casualisation rampant and continuing attacks on penalty rates for weekend work, this could be a pretty depressing subject.

Our only hope is that when year 10 students are taught how to “identify possible tensions arising in work-related contexts and understand the approaches to resolve conflicts and tensions”, they will learn the key lesson for life as a worker: join your union and fight back.