(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of chapters 558, 567 and 568, any student enrolled in a supervised, community based career education program which is approved by the State Board of Education shall not be covered by any state wage, workers’ compensation or unemployment compensation law while working in any government agency or any business or industrial establishment as part of his educational experience, provided such student shall receive no compensation or other benefit for such student’s participation in such program.

(b) For purposes of this section, “career education program” means an alternative school or school without walls program designed to allow students to develop career awareness and orientation through exploration of their career interests. Such exploration includes, but is not limited to, permitting students to gain actual experience by working, without compensation but for school credit, in government agencies or in business or industrial establishments.