Careers & VM News 

Trade to Tech Fit Girl's Career Expo

It was a pleasure for Ms Soklevski and I to take over 20 of our Year 10, 11 and Vocational Major students to Victoria's largest hands-on expo for female students, hosted at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The event focused on pathways in high-priority trades and STEM industries. The expo was devised to create a safe, inclusive and equitable space where female students are able to interact directly with tradespeople, apprentices and industry professionals.

The expo included around 100 exhibitors from a huge range of traditionally male-dominated industries, including:

• Building, construction, manufacturing & engineering
• Refrigeration, electrical & plumbing
• Automotive, marine, aviation & aerospace
• Solar & wind clean energy
• Foundry and mining
• Transport and logistics
• Agriculture & horticulture
• Gaming, cloud & robotics
• Civil assets management & infrastructure
• Defence, essential services & fire protection

An amazing array of exhibitors included TAFEs, Apprenticeship/Trainee support organisations, and groups such as the Careers in Collision group and the Australian Women Pilots' Association. 

Activities including things such as the agricultural display with two tractor/heavy machinery simulators, a full size dairy cow and sheep to simulate pregnancy testing and calving/lambing. Other hands on activities ranged from Personal Branding workshops to Panel beating, VR spray painting, colour match challenges and even a fine line taping challenge (do you know what that involves?) Our girls could assemble a Boeing 737 nose landing gear wheel or explore robotics, 3D printing, electromagnetic activity and an augmented reality excavator. For the would be 'Sparkies', there were live demonstrations on running cable, chasing wall (who knew?), fitting off a PowerPoint and safe tool use. 

There were opportunities to try brick laying and carpentry, as well as things like demonstrations of mechatronics equipment and the hands-on assembly of a gear motor. Our girls could chat with employees, apprentices and careers advisors in the car industry, tiling, carpet laying, boating, metalwork, cyber security, IT, gaming, refrigeration, defence, fire safety and more.

2027 Course Counselling and Subject Selections are Happening Now!

It's that time of the year, when all, but our Year 12's, are actively making decisions about their secondary school education. Year 12's, your tertiary application process formally starts in August, when VTAC opens up! So whether it's selecting your Trail of Discovery or a multitude of electives or choosing to apply for a VET Delivered to Secondary Students TAFE subject or a schools-based apprenticeship or traineeship, undertaking a subject with the Victorian School of Languages or the Virtual School or Centre for Higher Education Studies, everyone should be reading the Warrandyte High Subject Handbooks or speaking to Careers (Ms Bloom), Sub School Leader, teachers and support staff or even older siblings or friends to make sure they make the best choices for them. We hope it goes well for everyone, whatever year level!

Vocational Major Speed X Interviews

A bit like speed dating, our Local Learning and Employment network, Gateway LLEN, invited WHS VM students (11 and 12) to the Manningham Council to join with other schools in an hour long session of 5 minute interviews with a number of employers and workers from a variety of industries. Not nearly as nerve wracking as a job interview, but providing lots of good experience in talking to employers in a formal setting, students were asked to prepare some generic questions to explore the various roles represented at the event. The businesses, organisations and careers included: Endota Wellness College, Headspace, RSPCA, Victoria Police, Plantmark, Bendigo Bank, Barry Plant Real Estate, Big Builds Projects, Aligned Leisure, McDonalds, EACH/Manningham Youth Services, Hawthorn Football Club, Surveying Task Force, Fire Rescue Victoria

and staff from a variety of roles at the Manningaham Council. 

Despite some initial hesitation, our students handled the situation with great confidence and maturity. Ms Owens and I look forward to reading the student reports of their experience. Thank you to Ms May for also attending.

A Final Point to Reflect on!

According to the Commonwealth Government's Australian Universities Accord, they estimate that 90% of all new jobs in the coming years will require a tertiary qualification, with a core target for 80% of the Australian workforce to hold a TAFE or university qualification by 2050. 

Claire Bloom

careers@warrandytehigh.vic.edu.au