Pathways Update
Mr Paul MacCallum, Pathways
JCU HEROES PROGRAMS - Get a sneak peek at the career of your dreams.
Year 11 and 12 students from all over North Queensland are offered the opportunity to attend JCU HEROES Programs throughout the school year to gain practical skills and real career experience. To help with their future goals, JCU Advisors are always on hand to provide information about JCU and the courses of interest. Open to all Year 11 and 12 students, the programs provide behind-the-scenes access into what various careers may look like. Programs are available in Business, Sport, Health, Science and Veterinary Science. JCU works with their industry partners, including the Mater Hospital, North West Hospital and Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service, Queensland Country Bank and the North Queensland Cowboys, to give a chance to meet the experts and experience a day in their lives. Visit https://www.jcu.edu.au/jcu-heroes-programs for more information and enrolment dates.
GENERAL CONSTRUCTION INDUCTION TRAINING (GCIT) CARD (or White Card)
Year 10, 11 and 12 students have had the opportunity recently to complete General Construction Induction Training. More commonly referred to as White Card training, a White Card is required by:
- School students wishing to complete work experience on or around a construction site.
- School students wishing to commence a school-based, construction-related traineeship or apprenticeship.
- In Queensland, anyone working on a construction site. This includes labourers, tradespeople, site managers, supervisors, work experience students and anyone accessing or routinely entering operational construction zones.
The GCIT training provides a basic knowledge of:
- work health and safety laws;
- common site hazards;
- how to control any associated risks.
The college is able to process small groups of students to complete their GCIT training, especially if they are looking to complete work experience in a construction setting or commence a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship. Please contact me (Paul MacCallum) to express interest. Training sessions are completed on-line via Blue Dog Training and are organised on a needs basis.
YEAR 10 AND SUBJECT SELECTION FOR SENIOR (Years 11 and 12)
It has been reassuring to have some Year 10 students pop in and see me regarding subject choices for Senior (Years 11 and 12). For me, this demonstrates commendable levels of forward thinking, initiative, exploration and risk-taking, all necessary skills in successfully navigating the present and future world of work. This no doubt follows the recent request for Year 10 students (from Mr Vaughan) to “indicate” their subject preferences for Years 11 and 12. I encourage students and their parents/carers to meet with me before the required Year 10 SET Plan meetings in Term 3, should a lengthier, more in-depth discussion be necessary to look at subject choices for Senior. It is important, among other considerations, to give good thought to Senior school-based subjects and/or VET courses, as these can play a pivotal role in the direction taken beyond Year 12. Whether that’s a university or TAFE course, an apprenticeship, or another work pathway, careful consideration of Senior subjects and pre-requisites is important. Please know the Term 3 SET Plan meetings are not designed for career counselling or in-depth discussions. They are meant for confirming subject choices and signing-off on required documentation. Please contact me to make a time to catch-up (via phone, Zoom, face-to-face) ahead of the Term 3 SET Plan meetings if you wish.
BUSTING VET MYTHS - something worth considering…
The 2017 Perceptions are Not Reality report from Skills Australia debunked some of the most common misconceptions about Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Australia.
MYTH: Almost 30 per cent of Australians believe that university graduates find work more easily than VET graduates.
FACT: VET graduates have a higher employment rate than university graduates. The average employment rate of a VET graduate is 78 per cent (it’s 69 per cent for university graduates).
MYTH: One in five Australians believe that VET graduates earn less than university graduates.
FACT: The average VET graduate actually earns similar wages to, if not more than, an average university graduate.
MYTH: Three in five Australians believe we need a university education more than VET to thrive in a globally competitive world. Almost half of those people think VET is no longer as relevant as university education.
FACT: VET aims to provide the skills we need to keep up with our quickly changing employment and industry trends.
Additionally, VET provides courses for nine out of 10 occupations predicted to have the greatest growth of new jobs over the next five years.
UNMASKING THE ATAR WEBINAR
Find out how to get the most out of Year 10, 11 and 12 by learning key information for the senior years of high school. The Unmasking the ATAR Webinar demystifies the university entry process and explains everything you need to know about:
- subject selection
- ATAR calculations and university applications.
Through this webinar, you’ll gain a clear picture of your pathway forward by debunking the myths about senior schooling, ATAR and uni.
Key topics include:
- The role of the Queensland Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) and how they can assist you in your university applications.
- Breakdown of QCE system terminology so you can understand phrases like applied subjects and summative courses, as well as what they mean for you.
- An overview of what your Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR) means, how it is calculated and how it can assist you on a university pathway in Queensland.
- Subject selection and scaling, including how different subjects are graded and which subjects cannot be studied together.
- The importance of subject prerequisites for certain university course, and how to know if your ideal course has them.
This webinar is suitable for Year 10, 11 and 12 students, parents/carers and teaching staff. To register: https://www.jcu.edu.au/webinars/2025/unmasking-the-atar-system-webinar
CAREER NEWSLETTERS AND OTHER INFORMATION
Please note that two career newsletters are available for viewing through your child's Canvas platform on their computer. Study Work Grow and Options Career Information are both available for students (and parents/carers) to read. Be aware, though, that both newsletters contain a wide variety of information from Open Days, career events, job explanations and descriptions, competitions, scholarship information, apprenticeships/traineeships, and much more. They can be overwhelming, but do save a lot of time searching for the information yourself. Please see the Canvas "Pathways" page for these newsletters.
Paul MacCallum | Pathways Officer