Careers News
Nicole WILSON
Leading Teacher - Pathways and Transitions
Classroom Teacher
Careers & Pathways Update – 2025
It has been a very busy and productive year in Careers and Pathways at Highvale, with a strong focus on supporting students to explore a range of pathways, make informed decisions, and plan confidently for their futures.
Student Experiences and Pathway Exploration
Throughout the year, students engaged in a wide range of experiences designed to broaden their understanding of post-school options. These included university tours, with Year 12 students visiting the University of Melbourne and Year 10 students participating in a full-day immersion experience at Deakin University.
We also hosted a number of tertiary and industry providers during lunchtime presentations, including RMIT, Monash University, AIE and the Australian Defence Force, to name a few. Monash University additionally delivered a targeted presentation for our International Students, providing tailored advice and guidance around tertiary pathways.
Highvale VCE & Careers Expo
Once again, we proudly hosted the annual Highvale VCE and Careers Expo in the Community Centre. With over 30 external providers in attendance, alongside all Highvale learning areas, the event saw strong engagement from students and families.
The atmosphere was buzzing with curiosity and excitement as students gathered valuable information, asked thoughtful questions and began shaping their future aspirations.
Work Experience and Career Development
Our Year 10 students participated in Work Experience, gaining valuable insight into the world of work while developing employability skills such as communication, responsibility and self-reflection. Work Experience will continue to be a key focus area in 2026 as we further strengthen connections between learning and future pathways.
In Year 9, students completed Morrisby Profiling, a comprehensive career guidance program that supports students to identify their strengths, interests and potential career pathways. This information provides a strong foundation for ongoing career conversations and subject selection planning.
Vocational Education and Training (VET)
We continue to see an increase in students choosing Vocational Education and Training (VET) to complement their VCE or VCE-Vocational Major studies. In 2025, VET taster experiences were offered to both Year 9 and Year 10 students, an initiative that will continue in 2026 to support informed pathway decisions.
Career Education and Planning
Through Focus Group time, the Careers and Pathways team delivered a comprehensive career education program, culminating in students completing their Career Action Plans (CAPs).
A significant focus this year was supporting students and families through subject selection and post-school planning. This included:
- VCE, VCE-VM and VET Parent Information Sessions
- Subject Selection Expo
- Individual career counselling
- Subject selection support
- VTAC, SEAS and scholarship application support
- Change of Preference guidance
Alumni Program
We were also proud to host our first Alumni Event, providing current students with valuable insights and inspiration from former Highvale students as they shared their post-school journeys.
2025 Year 12 students – please look out for the email sent by Ms Egan this week with details about joining the Alumni Program.
👉 Sign up here:
https://forms.office.com/r/uUtpURii5x
Year 12 – University Offers & Change of Preference
December Offer Release Update
The release of December course offers, originally scheduled for 10:00am on 23 December, will now occur at 2:00pm on 23 December.
This change is due to additional processing and validation required to ensure every student’s information has been accurately captured and applied. Taking this extra time helps maintain the integrity of the offer process.
Getting Ready for December Offers
December offers will be available through your VTAC account from 2:00pm on Tuesday 23 December
If you receive an offer, you will also receive an email shortly before 2:00pm
Change of Preference will remain open until 8:00pm on Tuesday 23 December
Preferences submitted after this time will be considered in the first January offer round
You will automatically be considered for any higher preferences, so you only need to change your preferences if your preferences have changed or you wish to add additional options
Support and Contact Information
If you have any questions about December offers, you can:
Send a message through your VTAC account, or
Call VTAC on (03) 9926 1020 (9:00am–5:00pm, Monday–Friday)
VTAC phone lines will be open until 8:15pm on Tuesday 23 December.
If you require additional support during this time, please reach out to VTAC or the institutions directly.
The Careers and Pathways team look forward to supporting students again in 2026!