Rebecca Ambrose

Careers Counsellor | Teacher

The Australian Government has new initiatives for school leavers – Free TAFE for Under 25s (www.tafeqld.edu.au/freetafe) + Your Career (www.yourcareer.gov.au). There is a School Leavers Information Kit (SLIK) www.yourcareer.gov.au/schoolleaver. One of the most useful elements is the hotline Call 1800 CAREER(External website) (1800 227 337) or SMS SLIS2021 to 0429 009 435(External website) to start a conversation about how the tools in Your Career can help you or to book a free session with a career practitioner. This could be very useful after school.

Our Year 12s are busily preparing for their next steps after school. It has been good to see so many students looking into TAFE, apprenticeships, employment and university options. QTAC is now open and is this is how students apply to university in Queensland. Those students who are hoping to gain an ATAR must register for an ATAR through QTAC. Many of our students will be registering for an ATAR and applying for university through the QTAC website (www.qtac.edu.au).

We have been fortunate to have a few universities, residential colleges and other accommodation providers come and speak to our students recently. We have had Student One, Iglu, Griffith University, Union, Duchesne and Leo’s Colleges as well.

Interested in information about traineeships and apprenticeships?

Funded by the Department of Education, Skills and Employment, AATIS provides resources that will help you navigate the Australian apprenticeships options. The Australian Apprenticeships Pathways hub provides sample job and training descriptions, steps on how to find an apprenticeship, industry-based job pathways charts and practice literacy and numeracy quizzes. Check out their website.

Over 240,000 students undertaking VET in Schools

The number of school students undertaking VET as part of their Senior Secondary Certificate of Education has increased 2.3% in 2020 to 241,200. VET in Schools 2020 shows there were 17,800 school-based apprenticeships and traineeships and 223,300 students undertaking other VET in Schools programs. Tourism, travel and hospitality continued to be the most popular training package, studied by 13.7% of all VET in Schools’ students. Learn more at VET in Schools 2020

Want an apprenticeship in 2022 Begin your search now!

Year 12s, don’t wait until you finish school in November to start looking for an apprenticeship. Start now as many employers begin to recruit for 2022 from this time of the year. The first thing you need to do is decide on the type of apprenticeship you want. The Queensland Training Information Service website has a list of apprenticeships currently available in Queensland. Click on the apprenticeships you are interested in for more information about the job. You can also talk to people already in the job and/or do work experience to help you with your decision. The following websites have useful steps to gaining an apprenticeship:

Apprenticeships Info (click on ‘Start an apprenticeship or traineeship’)
Australian Apprenticeships Pathways.

Australian Defence Force (ADF) Gap Year

Wanting a gap year but can't travel OS yet? Applications for the 2022 ADF Gap Year are still open for several roles. Visit the ADF Gap Year website to find information.

Alternative pathways to higher education

If you're considering university studies but think that you won't qualify for entry, there are a range of support programs and different pathways available. University entry is usually achieved by successful completion of Year 12 and gaining a competitive ATAR. While this pathway continues to be an effective one for many, it's not the only way to get into university especially if you have:

not studied the prerequisite subjects for your chosen course
not achieved an adequate ATAR score for entry
left education early and want to return to studies
not studied for a long time (eg due to family duties) and want to return to studies.

Read about the new alternative entry points that may assist you to access university. Most Australia universities are developing and offering a range of 'alternative entry pathways' some of which include:

Enabling courses
Enabling outreach courses
Bridging courses
Special Tertiary Admissions Test
Vocational education and training (VET) and TAFE pathways
Credit for recognised learning (CRL)
Portfolio entry
VET in schools

Five steps to making your dream career a reality

Job Jump Start has put together an article with hints and tips for finding that dream job. If you are interested in a specific career, want to find out whether a job is right for you, then following these five steps could increase your chances of making your dream job a reality:

Step 1. Do your research

Step 2. Watch day-in-the-life videos for an idea of what it’s really like to work in a particular job

Step 3. Match your skills and aptitudes to those required for the job

Step 4. Link with employers

Step 5. Connect with training

Job Outlook - a place to start looking

The Australian Government’s Job Outlook website is a great place to start when deciding about the sorts of study or training you would like to pursue. If you don’t know how to start using the site, do the Career Quiz to develop your job profile. This will narrow down your options by suggesting jobs that match your job profile. You can also check out the Skills Match section which will match up your skills with job options for you to consider. The Explore Australia section is where you will find Labour Market information and trends by State. The Future Outlook section has information about the industries that are expected to grow in the future and the skills they'll require. ‘Resources for you’ at the bottom of the home page has links to other useful websites.

The High Five of career development revisited

The High Five principles of career development are five concepts that are very important for managing your career in today’s rapidly changing world of work. You can access videos that explain the High Five concepts by using the following links. It's a good place to start your exploration.

What is VET?

The Good Universities Guide has information about Vocational Education and Training (VET) pathway. The VET pathway comes with many advantages which may be an option. Click here to find out about:

What does VET offer?
What does VET involve?
Types of VET study options and courses
VET entry requirements
Where are VET courses offered?

Employment support

Support is available to help you with finding and keeping the right job. The Australian Government helps people with disability, mental illness, chronic illness and injury to find and keep meaningful work by delivering services through Centrelink that meet a person's individual needs.

Disability Employment Services help job seekers with disability and mental illness find work. You can search for a Disability Employment Services provider online.
BuyAbility are commercial businesses that employ people with disability. You can find a Disability Enterprise in your local area.
Other employment assistance is available, including Jobs in Jeopardy, which helps people at risk of losing their job because of disability, support with workplace modifications and other services and programs. Information about these services is provided on the Centrelink website.

Vision Australia Further Education Bursaries

Each year, Vision Australia awards Further Education Bursaries to a select number of students who are blind or have low vision. The bursaries provide adaptive technology to help students fully participate and succeed in their chosen studies. Assistive technology can eliminate barriers to education and enhance access to information. It enables students to read course material, conduct research and improve their student life. Applications close on 30 September 2021 and click here for more information and details on how to apply.

Are TAFE Or Uni? The only two paths to employment?

University degrees and Technical and Further Education (TAFE) qualifications have long been considered the only two career pathways. So, if you had to choose, where would you study? And more importantly, why? Research shows these traditional roads to employment aren’t necessarily working. Many young people are struggling to navigate a rapidly changing world of work. On average, it’s taking them 2.6 years to transition from full-time education to full-time work, compared to the 1 year it took them in 1986. What if there were other ways? Click here to read the full article that will provide you with food for thought!

Courses and study pathways to help build enterprise skills

Kelly Fawcett from FYA suggests that as technology and automation sweep through workplaces, enterprise skills are the skills which current and future workers need in order to thrive in their future careers. Instead of focusing solely on building up the technical skills needed to do a job, young people need to be equipped with skills that can be used across multiple roles and occupations. These skills are increasingly important in a world of work where an average 15 year old is expected to navigate 17 + jobs across 5 different industry areas during their working life. Click here to read the three types of pathways Kelly Fawcett suggests that build enterprise skills.

Do you like Maths?

75 per cent of the fastest growing jobs require STEM skills! We hear this a lot but what does it really mean? STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) helps us understand and make sense of the world. It provides the tools to cure deadly diseases, design future proof cities and make sense of increasing volumes of data and new technologies. Studying and working in STEM equips you to solve problems, shape lives and build futures. It’s about having the agility to embrace the new and creativity to innovate tomorrow. AMSI has put together a list of industry areas and jobs that use Maths and you can check them out below:

Interested in being a police officer?

Visit the Queensland Police Recruiting website to begin your exploration. Click on Entry Pathways and then New Recruit for information about the entry requirements and determining suitability. From December 2020, to be eligible to apply to become a Queensland Police Service Recruit, you must first successfully complete the QPS Entrance Assessments (QPSea). They state that while advice from family, friends and serving police may be well intended, you must rely on the current and specific information available from Police Recruiting for the Application Requirements and recruiting assessments.

Pilot aptitude test

Do you want to be a pilot but am not sure you're suited for the job? If you are unsure about your aptitude to be a pilot, you could investigate sitting for a pilot aptitude assessment at Aviation Australia. Find out more and book a test on the Pilot Aptitude Assessment website.

Want a casual job over Christmas?

Did you know that many employers start recruiting their Christmas casuals as early as July? And that many large recruiters try to complete their Christmas recruitment by November? But don't despair! There is still time to find that holiday job. JobJumpstart has put together four tips to help you start your school holiday job search. Check them out and start hunting!

What you should know when you start a job?

The Fair Work Ombudsman website has many resources that can help. You can find information on the following which is essential knowledge for successfully managing your work:

What can the Fair Work Ombudsman help with?
Pay
Leave
Ending employment
Employee entitlements
Awards and agreements
How they can help
About the Fair Work Ombudsman

Don't Quit - some words of encouragement

Don't quit when the tide is lowest, for it's just about to turn;

Don't quit over doubts and questions, for there's something you may learn;

Don't quit when the night is darkest, for it's just a while till dawn;

Don't quit when you've run the farthest, for the race is almost won;

Don't quit when the hill is steepest, for your goal is almost nigh (within grasp);

Don't quit, for you're not a failure until you fail to try.

How to use social media more mindfully and productively

It’s easy to spend hours scrolling and liking posts, but it's possible to use social media productively, to better and educate yourself. Read more about:

Develop your critical thinking skills and worldview
Follow the news
Use your platform
Follow people that inspire and educate

Catholic Education Services Notices

Postponed - Parent Engagement Day