Careers Corner

VET IN ACTION 

As our young people look to make their schooling work for them, many are turning to vocational courses, where they can work towards a certificate 2 or 3 while completing their secondary schooling. At O’Connor, we offer Certificate II in Agriculture, Certificate II in Construction Pathways, Certificate III in Fitness and Certificate II in Cookery. We also have students enrolled in external courses such as Certificate II in Animal Care, Certificate II in Business, Certificate II in Early Childhood Education and Care, Certificate II in Automotive, among others. 

These courses are unique in that they allow students to consolidate their classroom learning with on the job training. For most courses, students will complete 70 hours of work placement. 

In week 2, Mrs Healey took Year 12 Hospitality to the Royal Pines Resort to put their knowledge into practice. See the below report from Mrs Healey:

Last week, Wed 28/4 - Sat 2/5, The Year 12 Hospitality (Cert 2 Cookery) class accompanied the HSC Physics class to travel together to the Gold Coast. While we started together as a group for the trip and a night's accommodation at Nobbys Beach, the Hospitality class journeyed on the RACV Royal Pines Golf Resort for 2 days while the Physics class visited Dreamworld and Movie World to experience and measure G Forces as part of their HSC studies. 

This program (to Royal Pines, Sea World Resort or Opal Cove Resort) has been a cornerstone of the Hospitality course for the past 12 years, and I am proud to report that we once again achieved 100% student participation. 

Our students gave their best throughout the trip. While the travel days were long, their energy never wavered. Within the resort, the students experienced had shifts in the following departments: Food and beverage, Reception, Functions and Events, Logistics, Retail (Golf Operations) and, of course, Kitchens. They experienced the full reality of the industry; while some shifts may have seemed routine or repetitive, I know from the syllabus requirements that these foundational experiences are invaluable. They provide the practical depth and "real-world" context that allow students to produce deeper responses in their HSC exams.

I was particularly delighted to hear that several students are now considering Travel and Tourism as a potential career path following their schooling.

It wasn’t all hard work, though!  They experienced sharing close quarters with classmates, preparing food together and enjoyed some free time with mates. We also enjoyed some team-bonding time shopping, seeing movies, and visiting the theme park. It was a demanding few days, and every student participated admirably despite the fatigue.

I am very proud of this cohort and look forward to seeing them reflect on and apply these experiences. 

Mrs Anne Healey, 

Hospitality (Cert 2 Cookery) Teacher

UNIVERSITY PATHWAYS 

Choosing Your Uni National Virtual Expo — 10–17 May 2026

Our school is participating in the Choosing Your Uni National Virtual Expo, a free online event held during National Careers Week. Across the week, students and parents can explore live and on-demand sessions from Australian universities, government organisations, and real students, covering topics like career direction, pathways, funding, scholarships, and student life.

The Expo is run by Choosing Your Uni, an independent platform that helps students figure out what to study and where. It's not affiliated with any university — the guidance is unbiased and student-first.

Students can register here: https://expo.choosingyouruni.com/student-application?code=CYUEXPO1733

Parents can register here: https://expo.choosingyouruni.com/parents-application?code=CYUEXPO1733

Make sure to use our unique code when registering: CYUEXPO1733

Not sure where to start? Students can take the free What to Study quiz at https://choosingyouruni.com/quiz to figure out which fields match their interests before the Expo.

University of New England open day 

In week 2, Year 12 attended the University of New England open day, students were able to engage with a range of tours and workshops aimed at educating them on the types of courses on offer. The university also provided information sessions on entry pathways, scholarships and college life. Here are some photos from the day. 

University of Sydney Information Session

In week 3, Student Ambassadors from the University of Sydney visited O’Connor for a drop in session. 

The session informed students about entry pathways, scholarships and accommodation. The student ambassadors were also able to answer questions from our senior students relating to specific course information. 

Early Entry:

There are a growing number of NSW universities with open early entry portals including:

Australian National University

Avondale University 

Bond University

Charles Sturt University

Crown Institute 

LaTrobe University 

Southern Cross University 

Torrens University 

UNE

University of NSW Gateway entry 

University of Sydney - Regional and Remote Entry 

Wentworth Institute 

*The full early entry guide is available on the year 12 Google Classroom. Please use this parent link if you would like to join this Google Classroom. 

For traditional entry pathways (based on ATAR) applications are made by state. 

For NSW and ACT institutions students use the University Admissions Centre (UAC) which opened on the 8th of April 

QTAC (Queensland entry) opens in early August 

VTAC (Victorian entry) opens on the 28th of July 

SATAC (for South Australian entry) opens in early August 

TISC (for Western Australian entry) opens on the 3rd of June 

For Tasmanian and Northern Territory admissions, applications are made directly to the institution. 

TINY HOME PROJECT 

A sneak peek at our project shirts which have been designed by our students! 

Our Stage 5 build team commenced planning in week 1. The trailer will be arriving on site shortly which will allow us to begin construction. We would like to acknowledge the support of the Department of Education’s Regional Industry Education Partnerships, without which this project would not be possible. 

Several businesses have reached out in support of the project! Many thanks to the following:

• Coopers Painting 
• Kelso Services
• Rabbit Plumbing 

If you would like to contribute to this project, please reach out to our College admin at occadmin@arm.catholic.edu.au 

We are looking forward to sharing this journey with the wider College community! 

MINIMUM STANDARDS TESTING 

All year 10 families were emailed at the end of term 1, with an outline of the Minimum Standards testing schedule. Year 10 will be commencing these tests with the Reading Test in their next Careers lesson. More information and sample questions can be accessed using this link. 

Catch up sessions are running throughout this term for year 11 and 12 students. Information regarding their test status can be found by logging on to their Students Online portal using their NESA number.