Careers Corner News

Term 3, 2024!

No matter your pathway this year, we encourage you to come and visit us in the Careers Corner (located in the CRC) throughout the year, engage in opportunities such as work experience, open days, and excursions, and be curious and excited about your post school pathways. 

Debbie Edwards, Tee Kruse, Carly Pearson, Kerry Lee Jenkins

upcoming career events & excursions

Thursday 29th August- Women in trade Incursion- Year 9- please see below for more information

Thursday 5th September- Peter Mc Callum Cancer Centre Excursion

hpsc careers page

Hampton Park Secondary College has its own Careers page. It’s a one stop shop for everything you need with Career planning and help. Check it out!

www.hamptonparksccareers.com

Do you need a resume?

The Careers team run workshops to assist.

• Resume: Thursday at lunchtime 1.15pm- 1.45pm. Bring your laptop.
• Job Search, Interview Skills Sessions: Wednesday 1.15pm- 1.45pm 

gain knowledge on how to search for a job and the type of questions you may be asked in an interview. Bring your laptop.

YEAR 9 -WOMEN IN TRADE INCURSION

On 29th August in Period 1 & 2, is an opportunity for 25 female Year 9 students to experience a incursion to explore the world of trades. Students will learn about valuable career pathways, and hands on experience with tools.

To sign up please see Tee Kruse in Careers. 

Year 12 interviews

During term 3, Year 12 students will have a meeting with a member of the Careers team about your VTAC account.   Each team member is allocated to a house so if you need to speak with someone, please see below:

VTAC – ACCESS FOR YOUR APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN

While you are in Year 12 you will need to start planning for life after school. If you want to go on to tertiary education, you also need to research and apply for courses

The VTAC Year 12 Guide is designed to lead you through the process of researching tertiary education and applying for courses, special consideration (SEAS) and scholarships.

You can also download the VTAC Quick Reference Guide for Year 12 Students or a postcard with key dates.

Check out further information posted on the Year 12 students team’s page for links like - 

WHAT IS SEAS (youtube.com)

SEAS Category 1: Personal Information and Location (youtube.com)

SEAS Category 2: Financial Disadvantage (youtube.com)

SEAS Category 3: Disability or Medical Condition (youtube.com)

SEAS Category 4: Difficult Circumstance (youtube.com)

VTAC Course Codes

Every course that has applications through VTAC has a ten-digit course code. Some courses have more than one. A course code represents:

• the institution
• the course
• the campus it is taught at, and
• the fee-type

The course code can be found in CourseSearch and it is also used when completing your course application preference list. Check your codes carefully to make sure you are applying for the institution, course, campus and the fee-type for the place that you want.

The last digit of the course code (1, 2, 3 or 4) shows you the type of course fees you will be required to pay if you get an offer:

• Codes that end in 1 are government-funded places, so you only pay part of the cost.
• Codes that end in 2 are domestic full-fee places, so you pay the full cost.
• Codes that end in 3 are international full-fee places, so you pay the full cost.
• Codes that end in 4 are determined by the provider. Whether you are eligible for a government-funded place or a full-fee place will be determined by the institution when you enrol.  

Study Tips

ATAR calculators – What are they? 

If you’re in Year 12 in Australia, the biggest thing on your mind now is probably your upcoming ATAR result. You won’t receive it until December, but most universities start taking applications before your exams are even over. 

So when you haven’t received your ATAR yet, how can you know if you’re on the right track?

That’s where ATAR calculators come in.

ATAR calculators take the results of any assessment you’ve done so far and use this raw information to estimate what your final ATAR might be. It’s an easy way of seeing whether you’re on track to get the ATAR you need for your course or future pathway.

Are the results from ATAR calculators accurate?

Most of the ATAR calculators out there use data gathered from previous years to give you an idea of where you might fall on the scale.

Because assessment results and scaling change from year to year, it’s important to remember that the predicted ATAR you’re given from a calculator most likely won’t be the same as your actual final ATAR. However, they’re still good to get a general idea of what to expect.

It also depends on the calculator you use. We put the same subjects and same scores into four different calculators, and they all came out with slightly different results:

Subjects used: English Advanced, Mathematics Advanced, Biology, Physics, Drama, Ancient History.

A final note

Remember that your ATAR isn’t everything! If your ATAR isn’t quite enough to get into your dream course, this doesn’t mean you have to give up. There are lots of alternative pathways you can take to reach your goals.

Scholarships

Westpac Young Technologists Scholarship

Opens: September 2, 2024

Closes: January 13, 2025

The Westpac Young Technologists Scholarship was made for talented and inquisitive high school graduates looking to strengthen their passion and expertise in technology to innovate and create new opportunities and inspire good in the world of STEM.

Find out more

Employment 

If you are keen to find a casual job, now is the perfect time to start looking for employment opportunities. The following are resources to get you started. 

Excellent job seeking resources

For job seeking tips, and resume/cover letter templates, check out the resources at Youth Central- www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au 

Rights and responsibilities

Know your rights and responsibilities when starting a new job, www.fairwork.gov.au 

Tax File Number (TFN)

If you don’t have a TFN, you will need to apply for one via the Australian Tax Office – www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Tax-file-number/ 

Learn about safety in the workplace

It’s very important to understand safety in the workplace. Learn how to stay safe at work – www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/young-workers 

Have you been thinking doing an apprenticeship or traineeship?

Are you motivated to get a headstart on your career while you complete school?

Ask Jacqui Edwards at Headstart how you can get started.

Jacqui is in the Careers office Tuesday and Wednesday.