Hello Parents/Guardians and Community Members,

Welcome back to the new school year for 2026! This year will be a very busy year in the Careers office. With senior students going to La Trobe University Experience Day next week, TAFE YES program commencing on 27th February, our many School Based Traineeships and Apprenticeships either commencing or continuing into their second year as well as our Work Experience for Year 10 scheduled for week 9 term. See below for details of each event coming up this term.

Upcoming Events

La Trobe Experience Day Excursion

Tuesday 24th February

This year our senior students were offered and registered to attend the La Trobe Albury Campus Experience Day. This will be on next Tuesday next 24th of February. Students who elected to go were all sent notes home via School Bytes. We will depart school at 7:30am and aim to be back at school by 4:30pm. Student have all registered into set activities of interest and will also attend a tour of the campus at the end of the day. Students will be able to purchase their lunch, and there will also be a BBQ lunch provided to those students who are happy to partake in the BBQ.

Students are NOT required to wear school uniform as they will immerse themselves in the university experience, so we require them to wear smart casual clothing and bring a water bottle and hat.

Year 10 Work Experience

Week 9 Term 1 – 23rd March to 27th March

Please note that Year 10 Work Experience week will be held in week 9 this term. All students in year 10 are expected to try to source and attend work experience that week. I have met with most of the Year 10 cohort in year meetings to provide students with the information packs and forms as well as instructions on how to go about finding a placement. Please send students to the careers office if they have not collected these information packs. Please read this information carefully as these documents are required for our students to be covered by the departments insurance policy and parents and students are both required to read and sign these forms.

Please encourage your child to get in early as the whole year group are needing to find a placement and some employers will be approached and snapped up quickly. If you wish to ask any questions about the work experience program and requirements, please call the careers office for more information and assistance. Students are welcome to go stay with family and attend employers outside of the Narrandera and Riverina area but will need to also complete a separate accommodation form.

All forms and placements are to be finalised as soon as possible so that I can call each host employer to do the Duty of Care checklist and to complete the necessary correspondence and finalisation of the forms to ensure students are prepared, covered by insurance and are set up safely for their placement.

TAFE YES Program - TRY A TRADE

Commencing on 27th February to 27th March 2026

(Every Friday in for 5 weeks Term 1)

We have our TAFE YES Try a Trade program commencing of Friday 27th February this term at Narrandera TAFE, with students having the opportunity to explore and experience five different trade courses and career areas. Students have been provided with the TAFE Forms and have all already complete the school note via School Bytes.

All students are to make their own way to and from TAFE on the scheduled days (Fridays) and are required to wear full work gear and steel cap boots (students can borrow items from the careers office for the duration if needed). Any questions, please call the careers office.

As always, these amazing courses are due to the tireless work and advocacy for our students by TAFE Services Coordinator Sheridan Scali, so a huge thank you to Sheridan!

School Based Apprenticeship and Traineeships

(SBAT’s)

This term we have a huge jump in the number of students who have signed up to undertake SBAT’s with host employers. Students in years 10, 11 and 12 can undertake school-based apprenticeships and traineeships and work and obtain specific qualifications in an industry as part of their senior students. Any parents, students or employers who wish to obtain more information about SBAT’s are encouraged to call the careers office for more information.

CSU Explore Day Postponed till 2027

Year 10 cohort

Due to the clash with having to bring work experience forward a week (due to Easter), I have had to postpone our Year 10 students attending the CSU Explore Day. Our Year 10 students will still be able to attend this fantastic career event in 2027 which will benefit them in their senior years of school with careers planning. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to those students who were really looking forward to this opportunity in 2026.

*I am hoping to include Year 10 in another university event later in the year and will keep families and year 10 students update closer to the date.

White Card Courses

Dates TBC

We are in the process of trying to confirm the delivery of White Card Construction Safety courses for this and next term. I am currently taking students from Year 9 – 12 expressions of interest to undertake this training and will need to prioritised students going out on work experience. Please encourage your child to come and put their name on the list so I know the numbers of courses I need to secure to cover all our students. Due to the rules of SafeWork we can only host 20 students in each course.

The course is completely subsidised by the Department of Education and so there is no cost for the course itself. However, the SafeWork Card does have a cost of $30.00 for each student.

*All students will need to obtain a Unique Student Identifier Number to participate. I can assist students to obtain this online but will require them to bring in a photo of their Medicare card to obtain this USI. Or students can obtain this themselves by accessing the following website: https://www.usi.gov.au/providers/create-usi-student

All Careers Events

All these opportunities are always announced to students at our morning assemblies, year meetings and in our newsletters. Any student or parent who has any questions in relation to these activities are welcome to contact the careers office for further information.

Career Tools Newsletter

Please see Career Tools Newsletter for some added information

Mrs Judy Ing

Careers Advisor

Bell Times