Rebecca Ambrose

Careers Counsellor | Teacher

Congratulations to our Year 10s and their families on a successful work experience week. Thanks to everyone involved including students, families, staff and our local employers. We had overwhelmingly, positive feedback from all involved. It has been good to walk into local businesses this term and see our students now working there because of their work experience placement. It is also good to see students lining up holiday work and school-based apprenticeships for 2023 due to a successful work experience week.

Year 12 students are in the middle of their IA2 assessment and after this there are several opportunities for them to meet with me and attend the information sessions coming up the rest of the term. Some of the sessions include CQU attending the College Thursday 26th of May to review courses and the Principal Recommendation Scheme (an early entry pathway). JCU are opening their Early Entry Scheme May 12 and we will have information sessions on how to complete this application. Peter O’Brien from Union College, St Lucia, will discuss living on campus (UQ, Griffith, QUT and ACU students) and the application process. QTAC will be opening at the start of August and we will be holding sessions regarding the application process early Term 3. The year is flying by for our seniors and I am here to speak to them about pathways and options. Students can make appointments with me through our careers page (www.smcccareers.com.au), emailing me or popping in to see me Monday to Wednesday to arrange a suitable time. We should have the University QTAC booklets by the end of term and TAFE later in the year.

Year 12 - A reminder, students applying for medicine and some other health science courses in 2023 may be required to sit for the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) as part of the application process. You need to register and book a test date and bookings close on 17 May 2022. Results are delivered to the universities by early September 2022. Click here to find out more information and the universities and courses that have UCAT as a prerequisite for entry.

VET gives secondary school students a head start

National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) has produced a report showing that secondary students who undertake VET programs at school can get a head start on finding a job after school compared to their peers who do not. The report found that 75% of secondary students who did VET programs that count toward their Senior Secondary Certificate of Education (QCE), were employed or in further education six to 12 months after completing their secondary studies. Keep in mind that not all senior study program timetables can include a VET program, but the report points out the value of VET learning at school. You can read the report at VET for secondary school students: a research synthesis.

The cost of a VET qualification

The Good Universities Guide reports that in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, tuition costs depend on a number of things. The main factors that determine the amount you will pay are the fee structure of the VET course you are studying and the type of place you receive. Domestic VET students studying at diploma level or above are eligible for the federal government's VET FEE-HELP scheme, which can be used to help cover part, or all, of the tuition fees for a course. Click here to read more about the cost of VET including:

Apprentice and trainee commencements continue to grow

National Centre for Vocational Education Research's (NCVER) latest data show apprentice and trainee commencements grew nationally to 48 750 (or by 84.1%) in the September quarter 2021 compared with the same quarter in 2020. Commencements in non-trade occupations drove most of the increase in September quarter 2021, rising by 13 435 (91.6%). Those in trade occupations increased by 8800 (74.5%). Read the report Apprentices and trainees 2021: September quarter to find out more about a trade career that might suit you.

Apprenticeship Support Australia

Apprenticeship Support Australia services are focused on lifting apprenticeship commencement and completion rates by providing support at every stage of the employment cycle. Job seekers, school students and apprentices can all receive ongoing support including career advice, job matching and ongoing mentoring. Visit their website and click on ‘Apprentices’ where you will find information about apprenticeship wages, get free career advice, qualifications, apprenticeships that might suite you, school-based apprenticeships, how to get started, where you will study, advice and support and more. You can also schedule a free career consultation with a career adviser.

The website contains specific information for parents regarding:

Group Training Organisations (GTOs) in Queensland can organise employment for you - Advantages of registering with a Group Training Organisations

Registering with a Group Training Organisation (GTO) is one strategy to try when looking for an apprenticeship. GTOs employ apprentices and trainees and place them with a host employer until the apprenticeship or traineeship has been completed. Click here for more information about GTOs and their role in the VET sector. Visit the National Employment Network site to find a GTO near you.

Know someone looking for an apprenticeship or traineeship?

MEGT provide employment and training options for school students and school leavers. They have an online Job Board listing school based apprentice and trainee opportunities. Check it out and see your Career Counsellor/Guidance Officer/VET coordinator if you have any questions.

Looking for information about apprenticeships and traineeships?

Apprenticeship Central is a job search site where apprentices and employers can connect. Its aim is to provide a space for users to search for opportunities and also connects job seekers with employers. If you are looking for an apprenticeship or traineeship you can register and be notified of current vacancies.

The website has a Resources section where you can find information on creating a resume, videos and blogs, what's the best career fit and frequently asked questions.

Find your work type

Find My Work Type has three sections: Career Interest Explorer, Work Type Explorer and Research Industries. You can identify your work interests and career interests that can help you decide on your future career pathway. Career interests are different to abilities and skills. They are activities that you enjoy doing or are interested in. There are seven work types which include:

Analytic and Scientific - Work out solutions to problems through theories and ideas and by investigation and experimentation.
Creative and Artistic - Express yourself and your ideas through your work.
Helping and Advising - Help people, often through advising, teaching, guiding or treating them.
Nature and Recreation - Many occupations involve working outdoors and are active and physical.
Organising and Clerical - Occupations that gather facts and figures and recording and interpreting them.
Persuading and Service - Selling or promoting ideas or a point of view, often industries involving people.
Practical and Manual - Working with a lot of tools and equipment and your hands to make things.

Rigid goals can lead to missed opportunities

Jim Bright wrote for The Age an article on the purpose of setting goals. He says that “we do not see what we do not expect to see. Psychologists call this inattentional blindness. In the late 1990s, psychologists conducted the now famous study where a significant majority of people instructed to count ball passes in an impromptu basketball game, failed to spot a pantomime gorilla wandering into frame … What such studies show so dramatically is not the shape-shifting shiftiness of gorillas, but rather the commonly overlooked but critical flaw in goal setting. The whole point of setting a goal is to direct our attention and therefore our efforts towards some pre-defined future state. The purpose of the goal is to close the gap between where we are and where we believe success lies”. Click here to read the full article and his thoughts on strict goal setting when researching and making career decisions.

School subjects and how they relate to job options

An early step in career exploration is to develop a list of jobs you are interested in. One way to start is to think about the school subjects you most enjoy. Check out the subject Bullseye Posters from the myfuture website which will help you find jobs that are related to the subjects you like at school. There are over 30 Bullseye Posters and each poster groups jobs into four qualification levels. We also have these on the front page of our school careers website www.smcccareers.com.au

Tips to find your ideal career

GrandShake have put together some tips that may help you to find a job or career you actually like after school. They say that we are all different and finding a career that feels perfectly you often isn’t as easy as ‘one, two, three’. Some people know exactly what they want to do after high school, but don’t feel pressured to find your “one true dream career” right away. Usually it takes time, energy, experience and effort to find the career or job that's right for you. Click here to read about the tips they suggest may help in your research.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

There are multiple best lives we can lead and many different professions which can lead to career fulfilment. The Australian Government's Your Career has put together a great video called What do you want to be when you grow up? that aims to dispel the twelve most common myths around your future and the career decision making process. Click here to watch this three and a half minute, video that will provide you with confidence when moving through your career decision making process.

Your career quiz

The Australian Government's Your Career has a quick career quiz that can help you think through some of your study, training and/or job options that support your current career thinking. Their Your Options Now tool can be used to find occupations that:

have local vacancies
Match your current qualifications
use similar skills

The Future Career tool will be where you can answer some quick questions to get a list of occupations that you might be interested in. Always keep in mind that career quizzes only provide a guide based on how you are thinking at the time and are great for giving you more options to keep your research going. Click here to do the quizzes and to find out more.

Careers with STEM online magazines

The Careers with STEM website has recently released its 2022 Careers with STEM: Maths and Data and Careers with STEM: Science magazines. The magazines are packed full of short articles, information about courses, case studies and activities. You can download them or read them online.

Explore Australia for jobs

On Job Outlook you can Explore Australia and discover how jobs in demand are changing in your local area. When thinking about career options, also consider your own skills, interests and priorities and remember that employer needs can change quickly. How to get started:

Choose how to explore – by state, region or electorate
Select a location – using the map or list provided (this may take a few seconds to appear)
Learn about the people – age profile, number employed and unemployment rate
Learn about the jobs – largest employing and growing, the skills local employers ask for, industries expected to grow

Healthcare is everywhere!

Healthcare is Everywhere is an interactive online ‘activity’ that will help increase your awareness and knowledge of the healthcare system. It highlights the variety of careers opportunities within the health industry. You can zoom in, scroll around and explore a hypothetical city and rural community, discover the range of health services, career opportunities and what they do at work. It's easy to use because all you need to do is click on a the red markers to find out what health care jobs are located in that work place. Give it a go!

Job Trainer Queensland

The national Careers Institute myskills outlines the JobTrainer Queensland scheme. JobTrainer is available to eligible Queenslanders in a wide range of industries identified as having genuine skills need and employment growth including health, aged and disability care, manufacturing, logistics, primary industries and tourism. If eligible, you will be able to study a free or low-fee course through JobTrainer. You can search in demand jobs by

Occupation
Course
Training providers

Click here to find out more about the scheme and eligibility.

Projecting employment to 2026 report

Assessing what jobs and skills will be in demand over the coming years is a key focus of the National Skills Commission (NSC). Their latest projections, covering growth between November 2021 and November 2026, show that jobs growth will be highest in service industries and in jobs requiring higher level qualifications. While they have found that there will be a wide range of jobs growth across industries, job types and skill levels, the most growth will be in services industries and higher skill level jobs. The NSC’s five-year employment projections show four services industries accounting for almost two-thirds of employment growth to November 2026, however future employment growth is not confined to the following areas:

The highest predicted growth industries are:

Health Care and Social Assistance - 301,000
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services - 206,600
Education and Training - 149,600
Accommodation and Food Services - 112,400

Growth in jobs by occupation group:

Professionals - 14.7%
Community and Personal Services - 13.5%
Managers - 9.2%
Labourers - 6.9%
Technicians and Trades - 6.1%
Machinery Operators and Drivers - 4.7%
Clerical and Administrative - 3.9%
Sales - 3.3%

Click here to read the full NCS report

What employers really look for in your resume

Just how important are tailored resumes, squeaky clean social media profiles and comprehensive cover letters? Seek asked employers to share their thoughts and you might be surprised at their answers. When you’re applying for a job, there’s no shortage of advice about what you should and shouldn’t do. SEEK research finds many strongly held beliefs about what employers are looking for actually aren’t quite right. They have bust five myths about what employers want from a resume. Read more about them here including:

Myth 1: It’s creepy or weird to be creative with your resume
Myth 2: It’s essential to tailor your resume and cover letter
Myth 3: The longer your resume, the better
Myth 4: It doesn’t matter what my resume looks like
Myth 5: Employers always look at your social media Truth: Just over half of potential employers will look at your social media profiles.

There are no set 'rules' for resume writing so it's important to be aware of what the current employer thinking is.

10 proven tips to study smarter, not harder

Whether you’re studying for your senior secondary subjects or Bachelor degree, the Southern Cross University's following tips will help you get the most out of your study time. They uncover that it's not necessarily about working harder, but how to study smarter. Click here to read more about their ten tips:

Study in short chunks
Get in the zone
Sleep well and exercise
Write flash cards
Connect the dots
Set goals
Test yourself
Aim to teach it
Read aloud and recall
Lose the screen

Important Responsibilities Every Student Needs to Own

Tim Elmore from Growing Leaders encourages young people to step up and take responsibility and ownership for their live and life decisions. He suggests the following strategies are worth considering:

1. Master your attitude

You have no control over many obstacles that come your way, but you can control the way you respond to them. Own your attitude. Bad attitudes do you no good. Good attitudes can make the difference in whether you maintain creativity and optimism on the journey.

2. Be your own advocate at school

Students have agency. You need to exercise it. Stake a claim in class and let the teacher know that you’re interested in succeeding. Stand up for what you need, ask questions and own what you’ve agreed to do. This can be a game-changer.

3. Offer your best effort

Students can’t get upset with their grades if they don’t invest energy. You should pursue your courses, sports teams and other activities with an “all in” commitment. If you have to say no to some activities so you can focus, then so be it. Do less and achieve more.

4. Practice punctuality

When you’re on time, your message to others is, “I respect your time.” When you’re late, you unwittingly say, “I don’t care as much about your time as you do.” Be on time. Better yet, come early and prepared.

5. Surround yourself with people who can help you and vice versa

Most students make friends accidentally - whomever they meet at a party, or a game, etc. Why not identify and pursue helpful mentors, school and friends who will nudge you toward where you want to go. You can always return that favour.

6. Navigate your screen time

Most smartphones can report how much time we spend on them daily. Research demonstrates that fewer than two hours a day on social media leaves us less vulnerable to anxiety and depression. More than two hours results in greater vulnerability to mental health issues. Take charge of your phone and your time. It’s your life.

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