YOUR ECHUCA COLLEGE CAREERS AND PATHWAYS – BE SUCCESSFUL!

FIRST UP, SOME REMINDERS FROM EC CAREERS AND PATHWAYS:

EC CAREERS AND PATHWAYS PAGES & EC WEEKLY CAREERS NEWSLETTER (FORTNIGHTLY IN 2022):

https://careers.echucacollege.vic.edu.au/

EC ONLINE JOB BOARD:

https://careers.echucacollege.vic.edu.au/custom-page/2

VERY IMPORTANT YEAR 11 & 12 VTAC DATES:

VCE results are released at 7am Thursday December 16 2021

*Please make sure you have paid your VTAC processing fee ($42) - only paid applications will be forwarded to institutions to be considered for an offer.

**(All students in Year 11 and 12 must also register/reregister (even if you registered the previous year) with the Results and ATAR service to receive their results https://resultsandatar.vic.edu.au/results/applicants.htm;)

Change of preference closes December 20 2021 (4pm) and re opens from January 14 2022 (4pm) to January 20 2022 (4pm)

First round offers released on January 14 2022

***Lorelle and representatives from La Trobe University will be available in person at the college on Thursday and Friday December 16 & 17 for contact and appointments for students and parents. Lorelle will also be available for support with offers and change of preference on Friday January 14 and Monday 16th January at the college and then via email or MS teams.

EC WORK EXPERIENCE:

Any Echuca College student 15 years or over is able (and very much encouraged) to undertake work experience at any time during the school year (not available during the summer holidays). Please see Lorelle for information and support to organise this really valuable learning opportunity.

Things you can do to start organising your work experience placement:

Check out the CCLLEN career videos on the EC careers and pathways pages – local employers talking about work experience: https://careers.echucacollege.vic.edu.au/custom-page/1
Let friends and family know that you want to do some work experience (they have the best contacts!)
Approach/speak to local employers and ask whether they would be interested in taking you for a week or a few days (employers really like it when young people use their initiative and confidence themselves)
Speak with Lorelle in careers and pathways to find out what you need to do or to chat to her about reaching out to employers or workplaces

*2022 VCAL intermediate and senior students should start to think about their work place learning arrangements for next year – remember, intermediates, you are looking for 1 day a week, and senior students, 2 days a week.

TERTIARY INFORMATION SERVICE (TIS) 2022:

In 2022, all things going to plan, TIS will be coming to us here in Echuca from the 18th to the 21st of July 2022.

If you are not aware of TIS, TIS runs a series of roadshows (expo and presentation) each year around Victoria, providing an in person opportunity for students (Years 11 and 12) to learn more about their higher education and tertiary study options once they have finished high school, by talking to representatives from universities, tafes and colleges. Not to be missed!

LA TROBE UNIVERSITY SUMMER SCHOOL FOR CURRENT YEAR 11’S:

Just a friendly reminder that applications for the FREE Holsworth Biomedical Science Summer Camp at La Trobe University (details previously sent via Xuno message) close on Friday 12th November.

NOW, SOME RECENT CELEBRATIONS & AWESOME EFFORTS IN EC CAREERS AND PATHWAYS:

BEACON BBQ:

Special volunteers for the Beacon BBQ at Bunnings – a huge thank you to EC Beacon Leaders Tegan Lenne and Lily Dalziel who gave their time and BBQ skills on a Saturday morning to fundraise for the Beacon Foundation.

BEACON PATHWAYS PLEDGE & END OF YEAR CELEBRATION:

Echuca College will run their Beacon/Real Futures Pathways Pledge for all Year 9 students in the coming weeks. Please stay tuned for details. Looking forward to seeing some pictures in the next newsletter from the annual celebration which was held last night at the Moama RSL for all the Beacon Leaders – Sam N, Finn P, Ryder McM, Tegan L, Lily D, Ellie S, Arielle D and Mikayla J.

‘CONSIDER CONSTRUCTION’ EVENT – KANE CONSTRUCTION & EC:

Thank you to Brodie Marston, Lily Perley and Will Warren who made arrangements to attend the online ‘Consider Construction’ event in conjunction with Kane Constructions and Echuca College. It was a fantastic hour of incite into the world of construction, particularly for females and where this exciting industry can take you (second largest growth predicted for the future). Special thanks to our presenters Lindsay and Kelsey, and also to Richard Frisina joint Managing Director at Kane who took time out of his incredibly busy day, all to show their commitment to regional opportunities for young people. Next up – tour in Bendigo and possible work experience! We hope to have this presentation again next year, with Kane, in person.

If you see career events advertised please think about attending. An hour of your time may see your world of opportunity open up far beyond your expectations and one small piece of advice might take you where you want to go.

‘CHILDCARE & KINDER TEACHING’ EVENT – DEPT OF ED & EC:

Thanks to Dana Twycross and Sam McMasters from the Dept of Education and Shirley Burrell from Shine Bright for informing our students on the careers and pathways in childcare and kinder teaching event which was being held today. We had a fantastic take up from interested students across the college. Well done to these students for checking their messages and social media posts particularly the Year 9 cohort who really want to discover what is out there beyond school.

JOB SUCCESS:

As a side note just to show you what motivation and connection does - Brodie Marston also applied for a position at Rich River and was snapped up very quickly by the team out there – well done Brodie on what was a whirlwind process for you but they obviously really wanted you! Do you have a job success story? Let Lorelle know for the newsletter.

SCHOOL BASED APPRENTICES & TRAINEES:

Congratulations go out to Kallahrney Turner (Westpac Bank) and Jess Kingsbury (Trac Iorianni’s Hairdressing) who have both completed their studies alongside their Year 12 certificates. A wonderful effort ladies. Both ladies have now taken up positions with their employers since finishing school. More congratulations to Kaylee Turner (Trac Iorianni’s Hairdressing) who will start a school based apprenticeship whilst completing Year 12 in 2022.

INDIGENOUS PATHWAY OPPORTUNITIES:

There are a number of amazing indigenous student careers and pathway opportunities on offer at the moment. Students met a few weeks ago to take information on school based apprenticeships with Victoria Police and ANZ Bank, Marrung Scholarship applications and support from Njernda to get Learner Drivers licences.

MORE FREE TAFE COURSES FROM 2022:

*Please note that Bendigo TAFE accepts direct applications for study. You do not apply through VTAC for Bendigo TAFE courses. See Lorelle for assistance.

YEAR 11 & 12’s:

Great to see some of our very motivated Year 11 and 12 students, both VCE and VCAL, taking up opportunities to apply for full time employment, making informed decisions about their pathways and returning or not returning to school. There are always a lot of choices with pathways and employment at this time of year but make sure you are having conversations with myself, your parents and your teachers if you are contemplating big life changes such as leaving school early – you are a long time working!

SCHOOL LEAVING AGE REMINDER – VERY IMPORTANT READING:

The compulsory school age as determined by the government (not just the college) is from 6 years of age through to the age of 17.

In Victoria, the law is, you may only leave school before the age of 17 if:

You have a PERMANENT (not casual/after school) ongoing position of work for 25 hours or more a week or;
You are enrolling at TAFE or another education or training provider in an approved course of study; and
Evidence of the above is provided and you apply for, and are granted, an exemption from school.

Completing Year 12 isn’t just for those who want to make university their end goal, the completion of school has many benefits. Senior secondary certificate completion is fast becoming a standard requirement for many workplaces and even when it's not a formal requirement, employers may look more favourably on an applicant who has completed Year 12 compared to an early school leaver.

With opportunities available to begin an apprenticeship or VET qualification while still at school, students can complete their secondary studies and begin work or further study simultaneously (Headstart or school based apprenticeships/traineeships).

Research shows us that finishing year 12 can increase your chances of moving to further study and could help you find the right job. Completing year 12 looks great on your resume and it will show your future employers that you are committed and dedicated to things – both great qualities!

If you do not have an apprenticeship or traineeship to go to, or do not want to go to TAFE, you are far better off being in school where you will have a greater chance of being selected for a job if you are doing ‘something rather than nothing’ (and by ‘being in school’ we mean attending, completing work and behaving appropriately – exactly the things that will be expected of you in the workplace as an employee)

Research has shown that the benefits for completing Year 12 include better full-time employment rates, lower chance of unemployment, higher wages and higher-status jobs, particularly for females. Research also shows that apprenticeships and traineeships are becoming avenues for success prior to year 12 completion but they must be undertaken with full understanding and confidence for success (ie. knowing that this is why you want to leave school)

Leaving school should be because a position or career or course or pathway has attracted you, not because you dislike school.

Please do not hesitate to contact me through Xuno or via my email lorelle.pearse@education.vic.gov.au to assist you to support your EC student with their career and pathways aspirations. Everyone can be successful!

Wellbeing