Rebecca Ambrose

Careers Counsellor | Teacher

Just a reminder for our Year 12s and families, Melissa Tresidder is a staff member many of our students are working with. Melissa is the CES Project Officer - Transition and she works across secondary colleges in the Diocese to provide additional post school pathway and transition. She is based at SMCC every Friday. Her background is in employment and training. Previously, Melissa worked for Skill360 Australia for 20+ years to provide employment and training pathways for young people to enter Apprenticeships, Traineeships and further study. Melissa provides a range of pathway supports to students such as work readiness training which covers resumes, cover letters, sourcing and applying for jobs and training opportunities, support to prepare for interviews, employer expectations (how to get the job and keep the job), through to on the job supported work placements. Melissa is happy to hear from Year 12 students who require assistance (mtresidder@cns.catholic.edu.au) to find employment.

Congratulations to our Year 9 students and their families for their terrific effort being ready and prepared for their VPG Work Experience interviews. Students did very well, and our interviewers were impressed with the enthusiasm, preparedness, consideration and excellent presentation of all students. Well done and thankyou for representing yourselves, families and SMCC so well. I look forward to your work experience week in Week 10, Term 1 2021.

Wishing our graduating students all the best with their future endeavours. In faith, hope and love you will all make a positive difference in our world.

Free apprenticeships for under 21s - for apprenticeship seekers

Free apprenticeships for under 21s will cover the cost of training for Queensland apprentices and trainees who commence or are undertaking a priority apprenticeship or traineeship qualification before 30th June 2023. To be eligible for Free apprenticeships under 21s, you must be employed in Queensland as an apprentice or trainee under a training contract in one of the 139 priority apprenticeship or traineeship qualifications. Apprenticeship and traineeship qualifications on offer include traditional trade areas such as electrical, plumbing and engineering as well as non-trade areas including early childhood, aged and disability care. There are 139 apprenticeship and traineeship qualifications to choose from.

Pre-apprenticeship courses at TAFE Queensland SkillsTech

Doing a pre-apprenticeship course has many advantages. They include:

Helping you gain skills and a basic understanding of the job and industry
Improving your chances of gaining an apprenticeship, as an employer is more likely to take on someone who has some knowledge of the industry and the skills required
Saving time on your apprenticeship, as part of the first stage of apprenticeship training is completed within the pre-apprenticeship course.

In addition, at the end of your pre-apprenticeship course, SkillsTech’s ‘Find an Employer service’ will help connect you with an employer. For a list of pre-apprenticeship courses on offer at SkillsTech, visit their website. If you are interested in starting a full-time pre-apprenticeship course in January 2021, ring 1300 308 233 as soon as possible to express an interest in a course or, if enrolments are open, enroll.

Resources to help you get an apprenticeship/traineeship

Want an apprenticeship or traineeship? Don’t know where to start? The following websites will help you: Job Hunting Tips on the Australian Apprenticeships Pathways website ; Steps to get started on the Queensland Apprenticeship Info website ; Apprenticeship Central has a job search function specifically for apprenticeships and traineeships. It also has a resume builder.

5 jobs in demand that you don’t need a degree for

Many people believed that you must have at least a bachelor’s degree to become successful. Technological advancement is proving this concept wrong. Nowadays, you don’t have to invest in a university degree to land high paying jobs. Click here to read the article by CareerOne and the jobs they talk about:

Computer programmer
Service Delivery Analyst
Lift Technician
Computer support specialist
Data manager

Essential careers needed in Australia

Australia is rapidly growing. As individuals strive to fill various job positions, some remain open for an extended period showing a gap that can help you minimise your chances of unemployment. CareerOne has come up with their list of some of the essential careers needed in Australia in no particular order which include:

General practitioners
Physical therapists
Software developers
Gym instructors
Construction workers
House managers
Tutors
Financial advisors
Technical writers
Biomedical engineers

Where can I find information about the jobs I’m interested in?

myfuture website - Sign up for free if this is your first time on the website. Go to the Occupations section and search for your job of interest. Click on the ‘Prospects’ tab.
Job Outlook provides occupational information including job prospects (click on A-Z).
The Australian Jobs publication provides information about the labour market for industries and occupations as well as states, territories and regions of Australia. It also provides occupational and industry information that will help you understand where the jobs will be in the future.
The Labour Market Information Portal provides you with up-to-date information about your local labour market. It provides information at the national, state and regional level.
The Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment - National, State and territory skill shortage information provides skill shortage lists for the state, territory and national levels.

Some cautions:

Fast growth within an occupation does not guarantee more job opportunities because the number of people seeking work may outnumber the job openings.
Even occupations with declining job prospects can offer job opportunities as people move across jobs.
It is difficult to accurately predict long term job prospects. Unexpected events, such as COVID, can have an enormous impact on the labour market.

Consequently, when you are making career decisions, job prospects is just one piece of information you need to consider. Other information includes your interests, skills, values, aspirations, work preferences, education and training requirements.

How to sell yourself in 25 words of less to an employer - your elevator pitch

The online world has fast become the “elevator” of today, where we have just a few lines of text on a computer screen to make a striking impact on potential employers. With more pressure on people’s time than ever before, recruiters and employers can benefit from knowing your unique experiences, ambitions, and strengths in 25 words or less. SEEK.com has put together some ideas to make your Personal Summary the lasting first impression it should be. Written for current job seekers everyone should develop their 'elevator speech'. Click here to check out these tips and examples to help you stand out from other candidates.

QILT graduate surveys

The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT) are a coherent suite of surveys that cover higher education from commencement to employment. The surveys provide robust, timely and transparent information about Australian higher education institutions from the perspective of recent students and graduates.

The surveys include:

the Student Experience Survey, measuring learning experiences and satisfaction of current students
the Graduate Outcomes Survey, examining labour market outcomes of newly qualified higher education graduates
the Graduate Outcomes Survey – Longitudinal, providing information on medium-term graduate labour market outcomes
the Employer Satisfaction Survey, assessing the generic skills, technical skills and work readiness of graduates.

Skills for getting a job – full-time/part-time/casual

The following are resources you can access to help you gain the skills you need for your job search:

Applying for a Job on the Youth Central website has information and examples for developing a resume and writing cover letters as well as other tips to help you get a job and more.
I’m looking for a job on the Job Jumpstart website has information on most job search strategy. It can help you build your resume.
Advice and Tips on the Seek website is good to check out for tips on job search. Seek also has a job search function.
Career Advice on the Careerone website has useful tips on job hunting, interview preparation, resumes and job interviews.
The Job Hunting section on the Australian Apprenticeships Pathways website has a step-by-step approach to gaining an apprenticeship or traineeship.
Start an apprenticeship or traineeship on the Queensland Apprenticeship Info website has ideas on how to gaining an apprenticeship or traineeship.
Apprenticeship Central has a job search function specifically for apprenticeships.

The Future of Jobs Report 2020

The Future of Jobs 2020 report has found that COVID-19 has caused the labour market to change faster than expected. The research released by the World Economic Forum indicates that what used to be considered the “future of work” has already arrived. By 2025, automation and a new division of labour between humans and machines will disrupt 85 million jobs globally in medium and large businesses across 15 industries and 26 economies. To read the report click here.

The Top 10 Workplace Trends For 2021

Every year Dan Schawbel publishes his top 10 workplace trends that will impact how we work and live for the upcoming year. He says that there's no question that our work lives have been more disrupted than ever before due to Covid-19 and that its impact has accelerated most of the trends that were already occurring in our work culture. Work and life are blended together now, more than anytime in world history because the impact of remote working makes these trends have bigger implications than in the past. Read about his 10 top trends

What are employers looking for?

The findings of a Department of Employment survey of employers’ recruitment experiences suggests that, for school leavers, they are looking for:

Experience – through work experience, part time jobs, internships, volunteering
Employability skills – communication and teamwork, work ethic, reliability and motivation, creative thinking and problem solving, personal presentation and organisation
A Good Application –research the job and business, tailor each application to the job, pay attention to spelling and grammar
Education and training – complete Year 12, relevant post-school qualifications; apprenticeship/traineeship, diploma or Certificate lll/lV, university

The above information was adapted from ‘What are employers looking for? on the Department of Employment website and click on the ninth link.

How to save money when you’re a student who basically earns burger rings

Although saving money as a student may seem impossible, once you try some of the following tips, it won’t seem so hard. Try one of the tips below for a month and see how much money you save.

Set goals – A goal might be as simple as buying text books, or as exciting as organising that once in a lifetime trip to Europe. Whatever your goal, use it to develop a weekly savings target. Start with saving $20 a week and see how it adds up.
Student discounts – Whether you are going to the movies, booking flights, getting a haircut or even servicing your car, there is bound to be a student discount available if you just take the time to look. Make sure you check out Student Edge (click on ‘Deals’). This is a great site which is constantly updating the range of discounts available to students.
Uni/college necessities - Be smart: there is no shame in buying second-hand items. Check out your institution’s book store for a second-hand section. Look on noticeboards around the campus for text book ads. Remember to sell your text books as soon as you have finished with them.
Leave the credit card behind – Consider cash-only outings with friends. This way you can easily avoid spontaneously shouting the entire bar a round of drinks.
Quit online shopping - Not only will you save money, you’ll also cut down on the pile of dud purchases sitting at the bottom of your wardrobe that you (let’s be honest) have no intention of returning.
Student services - While services differ between institutions, most are likely to offer free help and advice about money management, legal advice, health services, moving out of home support, scholarships and travel.

Check out Foundation for Young Australians article for further information, hints and tips.

Aurora Indigenous scholarships portal

The Portal lists resources and opportunities such as scholarships, internships and cadetships for Indigenous Australians. You may also find other opportunities open to all Australians where Indigenous students are encouraged to apply. By answering 9 short questions you can find some opportunities for you and subscribe to keep updated on opportunities as they arise. Click here to visit the portal.

Five podcasts to broaden your views

This is from the Good Universities Guide website. The podcasts listed are:

TED Radio Hour – This is a 60-minute program that focuses on a theme and incorporates soundbites and snippets from various TED Talks on the same subject.

Stuff You Should Know – In this podcast, you can learn about almost anything. It's an explanatory podcast series that delves into a diverse variety of subjects such as exploring Bay of Pigs, public broadcasting, disco and McCarthyism.

Dr Karl on Triplej - Australia's foremost commentator on all things scientific, Dr Karl comes up with the answers to some of your most obscure questions.

The Barefoot Investor – Presenter, Scott Pape, has been voted Australia’s most trusted finance expert. He produces 30-minute segments dedicated to helping millions of people save money and become fiscally independent.

Trace - If you know anything about podcasts, you've probably heard about Seriao, the investigative journalism series that follows the murder of a high school student in Baltamore in 1999. Tracee puts an Australian spin on the same genre. It is an ABC produced look at the unsolved murder of Melbourne woman Maria James 37 Years ago.

Queensland Government Youth page

The Queensland Government has developed this webpage for young people. It provides links to a range of information and services, covering topics such as:

Fee Free TAFE Queensland Qualifications for Year 12 Graduates

To support Year 12 graduates into work, the Queensland Government offers free TAFE in high priority areas. If you are getting ready to graduate Year 12 in 2020 or finished school in 2019 (if you start training by 31st December 2020), you can kick start your career by getting the skills employers want without the fees. Eligible Year 12 graduates must enrol and start training in a high priority qualification within the calendar year after leaving school to take advantage of this great opportunity. Click here to find out about high priority qualifications linked to the program.

Options has contacted the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training and although the links are for 2019 Year 12 leavers they assure us that the program is still going ahead for 2020 Year 12 graduates. Keep checking the links for updated information.

SMCC Office