Career & Pathways

Curriculum & Pathways Information Evening

In addition to the wealth of information that Wantirna College provides on Curriculum Information Evening, our team decided to add a 'Pathways' element this year, inviting multiple outside providers to showcase their offerings to our students.  We were very excited to host several Universities and TAFEs, as well as Headstart and MEGT Apprenticeships and Traineeships. 

It was fantastic to see so many Year 12 students in attendance as we encouraged them to have a chat with providers before visiting Open Days in the coming weeks.  We also had many of our Year 10 and 11 students make use of the providers, asking questions about prerequisites and the different courses available.  Headstart, who oversee our SBAT students, were a great addition, as they were able to provide students and their families with an overview of the process and how our SBAT program runs.

As always, as Careers Practitioners, Tim Knowles and I, as well as our VET administrator, Jenn Silalahi, were extremely busy all evening, answering questions and providing information to students and their families about the various programs we have on offer and the application process for VET.  If any further questions have arisen following this evening, please reach out to our team:

Jessie Dennison – den@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au

Tim Knowles – kno@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au

Jenn Silalahi – vet@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au

Subject selection

During the first week of term, the Careers & Pathways team have been extremely busy delivering vital information to students in Years 8 through to 11 regarding the subject selection process and the considerations that they should make. 

Year 8: Friday 2 August

For Year 8s, this is a big change, where they have gone from minimal selection of subjects to being able to design their entire program.  Students were involved in a 1 period assembly where teachers from every learning area came to explain the different subjects available to the students across Years 9 and 10. Following this, the students had a special lesson focused on them exploring the different subjects and investigating which might interest them.  

We encourage Year 8s to focus on subjects that they enjoy and that they are good at, and giving different things a go.  It’s important that they are mindful that they cannot repeat subjects in Years 9 & 10, so we encourage them not to fill their preferences with all food subjects, for example, with the risk of them having none left to complete in Year 10! Year 8s will be given the opportunity to select their subjects on Friday 2 August, where they will come out of class to meet with their Transition Support teacher and be provided with assistance in selecting these.

Year 9: Wed 7 August

There are a variety of new opportunities available to students in Year 9, with some requiring an application.  We have had many students apply for Early Start VCE courses, Peer Support, Sports Excellence and our new, exciting Early Start VET Sport & Recreation program. We also hope that some of our Year 9s have considered applying for a CHES subject to extend themselves.  

All Year 9s will be undertaking subject selection on Wednesday 7 August.  Classes will be cancelled for the day, and students will just be required to come in for their subject selection interview, which will be booked via Compass Conferences.  Students will know of the outcome of their applications of the programs listed above by this time.  Parents/guardians are welcome to attend subject selection with their children.

Year 10

Year 10 subject selection is the most seminal of all the year levels, where students get to select their program for the next two years.  We ask students to seriously consider their pathways post-secondary, which is a big thing to ask of a 15 or 16 year old!  We have some students who are already set on what they want to do, whether that is an apprenticeship, a certain job after finishing school or a university course that they wish to pursue.  

For majority of students though, there is a lot of uncertainty, which is completely normal.  As we mention countless times throughout the year, students need to consider the following when selecting their program:

• What are they good at?
• What do they enjoy?
• What do the NEED?

For the latter point, students have been provided access to the VTAC prerequisites guide for 2027, which lists courses at different institutions and the VCE subjects that they require students to have undertaken for consideration into admission of their courses.  This useful resource can be found here: https://vtac.edu.au/files/pdf/publications/prerequisites-for-2027.pdf

For more information about prerequisites, please visit the following site: https://vtac.edu.au/guides/y10guide

We have been excited to receive many applications for our VCE VM SBAT program for 2025.  This program is a great opportunity for students who are certain on the career path that they want to pursue, and require an apprenticeship or traineeship for their qualification.  Next week, Mr Hoogkamer, Mr Pearson and I will be interviewing applicants to determine their suitability for the program, with students being informed of their outcome by the end of the week. Prior to the interview, we encourage students to think about why they would be a good candidate for the program, and consider how they will go about acquiring employment as an SBAT.  We wish students the best of luck in this process.

Year 11

Over the past 2 weeks in Explore, Year 11s have been working on their Career Action Plans and using this process to delve deeper into possible pathway options for 2026. Although it may seem like a long time away, we always remind students how quickly these final years of secondary school fly by!  Over the next few weeks in Explore, students will be sitting down with their teacher to input their final program for Year 12.  We have asked students to think carefully about this, considering what prerequisites may be required for tertiary education, which subjects they most enjoy and which they feel that they best perform at.  We also encourage students to avoid a few things, with further conversations required with Mr Knowles and I if they are wishing to make these decisions.  This includes:

• Undertaking more than 2 folio subjects (as these are very demanding!)
• Changing or picking up a VET in Year 12
• Picking up Chemistry and/or Physics without having completed Units 1 & 2
• Going against recommendations from their subject teacher

Ideally, students will just be discontinuing one of their 6 subjects from Year 11, continuing on with the remaining 5.  However, we understand that people change their minds and their interests and we do sometimes see students picking up a new subject in Year 12.  We ask students to do their research, speak to the subject teachers and be prepared for these changes.  If any students require any extra assistance or have an queries about subject selection, please message us and we will organise a time to see you.

Year 12 

During Explore this week, students were required to work on their Career Action Plans for the  final time in their schooling lives. Throughout each year of schooling, the purpose and focus of the Career Action Plans shifts, as the students begin to focus on a different part of their pathways journey.  At Year 12, students are required to reflect upon their journey thus far, and seriously consider their plans for next year.  It is expected that students are at differing levels of their readiness to make these decisions, and urge students, parents and guardians to empathise with the normalness of students not being sure of what it is that they want to do with the rest of their lives!  We also emphasise to students that it is extremely common for students to change their careers and employment multiple times throughout their lives, with the World of Work looking much different to how it looked even 10 years ago.  We hope that through the information we provide and the activities that we guide students through in Explore, that they are equipped to continue making career-related decisions throughout their lives.  In the meantime, they are always encouraged to chat with Mr Knowles or I to explore what it is they might pique their interest – even if they currently have no idea.

VTAC Assembly

What is VTAC? The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) is the central point for applications to Victorian universities, TAFEs, and Independent Tertiary Colleges. VTAC also calculates the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) for Victorian Year 12 students.

On Wednesday 17 July and Thursday 18 of July, Year 12 students were presented with information regarding VTAC and the process to apply. We presented information about how university and TAFE applications work, including an overview of the application process, key dates, fees, offer and acceptance procedures and Change of Preference periods.  

Students were shown how to use VTAC CourseSearch to research courses of interest and provided students with information about SEAS (Special Entry Access Scheme) and Scholarships, including the requirement of supporting documentation.  VM students have this information presented to them next week. More information regarding VTAC applications will be provided to students when registrations open on Monday 29 July.  

Students are reminded to bring their charged laptops to Explore on Wednesday 31 July, along with their USI number which can be obtained by following instructions below.  Students are encouraged to continue making appointments with us through Compass – Conferences.

USI (Unique Student Identifer)

To register for VTAC and submit an application, students are required to obtain their USI. Your Unique Student Identifier (USI) is your individual education number for life. It also creates a Government authenticated record of your vocational education and training (VET) achievements.  Students who are studying a VET will already have a USI, whilst other students will need to obtain one.  It is an extremely easy process and will only take a few minutes.

To obtain your USI, please visit https://www.usi.gov.au/students/get-a-usi

Students will need to select either “Get Your USI” (for those who do NOT study VET), or “Find your USI” for those who do.

Students will need identification to obtain their USI – such as their passport, driver’s license or Medicate card.  Make sure you use a personal email address and your correct phone number when registering, as this is how you will find your USI in the future.  If any extra assistance is required, please contact Mrs Dennison or Mr Knowles via Teams.

Career News

Items in the 19th July Career News include - 

• Dates to Diarise in Term 3
• Melbourne Careers Expo
• ACU Guarantee
• RMIT’s Early Offer Program
• News from Bond University
  • Bond University Scholarships – 2025 Entry
  • Applying for 2025 Entry
• Careers in Journalism
• Science Degrees in Victoria in 2024  
• Snapshot of Monash University in 2024
• Snapshot of Monash University – Peninsula Campus in 2024

Items in the 26th July Career News include - 

• Dates to Diarise in Term 3 
• SW Accountants and Advisors School Leaver Program 2025
• Studying Engineering at Monash University
• New Sport and Recreation Management Degree at La Trobe University
• News from the University of Queensland
  • UQ Ramsay Undergraduate Scholarship
  • Spotlight on Studying Medicine at UQ
• Psychology Degrees in Victoria in 2024  
• Snapshot of Flinders University in 2024

Jessie Dennison

den@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au           

Tim Knowles

kno@wantirnacollege.vic.edu.au

Careers Practitioners