Careers update 

An interesting article on career directions of our Year 12 students

This article is from the October 27 issue of The Age Digital Edition. It highlights some interesting trends in pathways for our Year 12 students. 

As Year 12 students undertake VCE exams, thousands have already applied for university next year and interest in Nursing is topping all other fields at six of Victoria’s nine public universities. Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre data reveals a bachelor’s degree in Nursing is the most popular choice among applicants at Deakin, La Trobe, Swinburne, Victoria, Federation and the Australian Catholic universities. The data excludes late applicants, so is not yet the complete picture for 2022, but cements a trend that began last year when interest in Nursing degrees surged in Victoria.

A bachelor’s degree in Science at the University of Melbourne remains the top choice overall, with an Arts degree at Melbourne receiving the second most applications. At Monash, interest in the highly competitive bachelor’s degree in Medicine exceeded all else. Victorian school-leavers’ keen interest in studying health mirrors national trends. Commonwealth data published this week reveals health accounted for 28.5% of higher education applications in 2021, an increase of 12.5%on last year, which made it the most popular field of higher education in Australia.

Andrew Norton, professor in the practice of higher education policy at ANU, said there had been a spectacular rise in interest in studying Nursing since the COVID-19 pandemic reached Australia. The cost of a Nursing degree has also been slashed by 45% as part of the Morrison government’s ‘job-ready graduates’ fee changes, potentially pushing up demand. However, Commonwealth funding per place has also been cut, meaning universities could not simply take on more students to satisfy rising demand.

Kate Dahlstrom has wanted to be a nurse for several years and is now juggling her first year of nursing study with working in administration at a Victorian vaccination hub. She said nursing was attractive because it was flexible, and it would allow her to pursue interests in mental health and paediatrics. ‘I’m also really passionate about helping people, knowing that I’m an essential worker, that I am prioritising people as well as helping them,’ she said.

Adam Carey Madeline Heffernan

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Cath Freney

Careers and Future Pathways Coordinator