Careers & Pathways
Senior School Years 9-12
ADF GAP Year- Thinking About Life After Year 12?
Why not consider a Gap Year with the Australian Defence Force (ADF)?
Spend 12 months experiencing life in the Navy, Army or Air Force, get paid while gaining valuable skills, taking on unique challenges, and forming lifelong friendships.
ADF GAP YEAR INFO SESSION- ADF Careers - Melbourne Gap Year Information Session
Go along to an upcoming information session where you’ll have the chance to speak directly with military personnel and learn what an ADF Gap Year can offer you. Interested students are encouraged to register early, places are strictly limited, and sessions often fill quickly.
What is VTAC?
Think of VTAC (Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre) as the giant sorting hat of Victorian education, but instead of deciding if you’re Gryffindor or Slytherin, it sorts your uni and TAFE course preferences. It’s basically the friendly middle‑person between you and your dream courses.
VTAC is like the google search engine for all Uni courses, but it gives you the correct information.
1. The Course Wish‑List
You tell VTAC your top courses in the order you actually want them like creating your dream shopping cart of future careers.
2. The ATAR TranslatorOnce your results come out, VTAC weaves some mathematical magic to figure out which courses might say “Hey, we want you!”
3. The Offer DelivererInstead of owls, VTAC sends you emails. But still exciting. It tells you whether you’ve got an offer… or a “Not yet, but hang in there!”
4. The Deadline Boss BattleEvery step has a deadline. And VTAC loves deadlines. So set reminders, alarms, maybe hire a town crier — whatever works.
5. Your Post‑School GPSVTAC helps guide you from the “I finished school!!” phase into the next chapter of your education life.
So basically, VTAC = Your one‑stop portal to the next stage of your life… wrapped in forms, dates, preferences, and a sprinkle of admin chaos.
But why listen to me, when you can just watch all about it on youtube: Welcome to VTAC
Year 10 Work Experience
Work experience is the short-term placement of secondary school students with employers to provide insights into the industry and the workplace in which they are located. The program provides students with the valuable opportunity to:
develop employability skills
explore possible career options
understand employer expectations
increase their self-understanding, maturity, independence, and self-confidence.
Students are placed with employers primarily to observe and learn.
2026 Work Experience Timeline
Students contact prospective employers and request a placement.
Students must fill in the Work Arrangement Form and get it signed by the employer, student, and parent, before submitting it to the Careers and Pathways Office.
The form will then be signed by the principal.
Students complete the Safe @ Work assessments and upload their certificates to the learning tasks in their Explore class
Students complete work experience placement during Week 6 in Term 2 (Mon 25 - Fri 29 May 2026).
Why It Matters & Why You Should Give It a Go
Work Experience is coming up later this year, and it’s one of the most valuable opportunities you’ll have in high school. Whether you already have a career in mind or you’re still figuring things out, this is your chance to step into the real world and try something for yourself.
You Get to Try Something You’re Interested In
Maybe you’ve always wondered what it’s like to work in health, IT, trades, beauty, business, law, or childcare. Work experience lets you test drive a career before you commit to subjects or future study.
It Can Also Show You What You Don’t Want to Do
This is just as important as discovering what you DO like!Sometimes you go into a placement thinking, “This is my dream job,” and come out thinking, “Nope — not for me.” That is a good outcome. It saves you time, money, and stress later. Work Experience is a safe way to figure out what fits you.
It Helps You Choose Year 10–12 Subjects
Many students feel unsure about VCE or VCE‑VM pathways. A week in a real workplace can give you clarity about:
what subjects you’ll enjoy
what subjects you need for pathways
whether university, TAFE, or work is right for you
Work experience makes decision‑making easier and more meaningful.
RMIT Trades Experience
Are you interested in trades? The RMIT Trades Experience will let them get on the tools and glimpse into their future in trades at RMIT!
Date: Thursday 26 March
Time: 4:30pm to 6:30pm
Location: Trades Innovation Centre, RMIT Bundoora campus
At the event, they’ll get the chance to:
Experience interactive stations where they can try their hand at carpentry, plumbing, refrigeration, electrical and surveying.
Chat to folks from over RMIT, from current students and teachers to application and apprenticeship specialists.
Have a one-on-one with the RMIT Skills & Jobs Centre. This is their chance to speak to experts who can give you guidance on how to achieve their goals and land their dream trade job.
Register to attend here:
https://www.rmit.edu.au/events/2026/march/trades-experience
Melbourne University
Hansen Scholarship Program | Online Information Session
Each year, the Hansen Scholarship recognises high-achieving students from across Australia who have shown resilience in the face of adversity and a commitment to supporting others. Successful recipients receive accommodation at Little Hall at no cost, an allowance, and comprehensive financial and personal support, valued at over $100,000.
Applications are now open to Year 12 students starting their undergraduate studies in 2027. Applications will close on 30 March 2026.
Online Information Session - 19 March 2026, 7pm-8pm (AEDT)
Learn more:https://study.unimelb.edu.au/study-with-us/hansen-scholarship-program
International Women’s Day Spotlight: Ally Watson – Champion of Coding for Girls in Australia
Ally Watson, the inspiring Australian co‑founder of Code Like a Girl, has played a transformative role in bringing coding education into schools and empowering young girls to see themselves as future technologists.
After experiencing firsthand the challenges of being a woman in a male‑dominated software industry, Ally set out to create a supportive, inclusive space where girls could learn to code with confidence.
Through workshops, school programs, and nationwide coding camps, she has helped dismantle stereotypes and made coding more accessible, fun, and meaningful for thousands of students across Australia. Her mission is rooted in the belief that girls should feel proud to pursue tech, and her work continues to shape a new generation of young Australian innovators.
Read more about her here Ally Watson Knows How to Code Like A Girl | Careers with STEM
Items in the Career News include for the 27th Feb 2026
- Dates to Diarise in Term 1
- What is a Market Influencer?
- Engineers Australia
- Careers in the Australian Defence Force (ADF)
- ACU: Academy of Global Impact and Leadership through Ethics
- News from Deakin University
- New Course in 2027 – Digital Marketing and Advertising
- Bachelor of Health Sciences
- Event Management Courses in Victoria in 2026
- Snapshot of Deakin University in 2026
- Snapshot of Deakin – Waurn Ponds Campus in 2026
Items in the Career News include for the 6th Mar 2026-
- Dates to Diarise in Term 1
- News from Holmesglen Institute
- Thursday Open Days
- St. Kilda Career Pathways
- Learn the Steps to Study in the U.S. as a Student-Athlete
- Discover Monash Events
- News from ANU
- Applications for 2027 Entry
- Reminder: ANU Open Day 2026
- Projects Abroad
- New Pathway to Medicine at UQ in 2027
- Data Science and Information Systems Degrees in Victoria in 2026
- Snapshot of Box Hill Institute (BHI) in 2026
Tanya Notman
tno@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au
Tim Knowles
kno@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au
Careers Practitioners