YEAR 12 STUDENT

Results and Change of Preference for University Entry

Results for students enrolled in a completed VCE Unit 3–4 study in 2023 will be delivered to the student’s nominated address from Monday 11 December.

VCE Unit 3–4 graded assessment results and study scores are also available by accessing the joint VCAA and VTAC VCE Results and ATAR Service via the internet, iOS app and Android app, and via student email, on Monday 11 December from 7am. Students are required to register for this service at VTAC https://resultsandatar.vic.edu.au/results/applicants.htm;

Change of Preference for first round offers STRICTLY closes at 4pm on Wednesday 13 December. No extensions are provided.

The Careers Team will be available to speak with Year 12 students for Change of Preference in BG14 and BG15 across the three days of Change of Preference. Students can enter the gym directly from Hawdon Street and speak with the team as follows:

Monday 11 December 10am – 4pm

Tuesday 12 December 9am – 4pm

Wednesday 13 December 9am – 3pm

GOTAFE, La Trobe University and Partners in Training will also be onsite at GSSC to provide additional support as follows:

GOTAFE Monday 11 December 11am – 4pm

La Trobe University Monday 11 December 10am – 2pm, Tuesday 12 December 10am – 3.30pm

Partners in Training Monday 11 December, Tuesday 12 December, Wednesday 13 December 10am – 12pm.

If you have any queries about Change of Preference prior to Monday, please reach out to your Neighbourhood Careers Practitioner.

A big congratulations on completing Year 12!

Whatever your plans are for 2024 and beyond, you should be very proud of your achievements this year. There are lots of decisions to be made about your future.

Year 9 Students

Year 9 My Career Insights – Morrisby Program

This program has concluded for 2023 for our current Year 9s. Throughout the program, students who participated were able to :

• Learn about what skills and abilities they could bring to a career.

• Find out about what jobs match their abilities, interests and personality, and the subjects they

need for those jobs.

• Complete a series of online questions and quizzes on the Morrisby website at school

• Receive a Morrisby Profile Report showing the results from the questions and quizzes, which summarises their individual strengths and interests and suggests related career paths and study

options.

• Have a 30-minute meeting with a Morrisby-trained professional Career Practitioner,

explained the report to your child.

At Greater Shepparton Secondary College, we had 252 of Year 9s complete the profile and 239 complete the profile and an interview.

Students can download their report at any time by accessing the www.morrisby.com website with their login and password. Students have a Morrisby account for life and can access other careers support services on their going forward. Career Practitioners and other staff at GSSC will use the information from the student’s reports in future Careers Conversations and to help assist with subject and course selections next year. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to have a talk tour child about the program and some of the information they learnt about themselves and their potential career choices going forward.

Well done to all students who were involved.

POST SCHOOL CAREER SUPPORT

University and TAFE

If you are transitioning into university or TAFE, you will be able to access free career support. Practitioners are usually located in the student services faculty.

Apprenticeships and traineeships

Many apprenticeship centers and group training companies have free careers support and offer mentoring during your employment.

Transition to Work

Workforce Australia funds a program called ‘Transition to Work’. This free program aims to support young people to transition into employment, training, and further education. Search for a provider via www.workforceaustralia.gov.au

Also locally CVGT in Shepparton will support you to be prepared for and find work. Contact CVGT on 132848.

Employment companies

Staff at employment companies can assist you with your job search and some have funded programs for young people with disabilities. Use the online Yellow Pages to contact local providers to discuss your eligibility.

Commercial Career Practitioners

You can access the services of a private practitioner. Use the online Yellow Pages to find qualified career advisers. Get quotes from different companies as services can be expensive.

DEFENCE FORCE PATHWAY

The ADF Gap Year program

There are a variety of exciting gap year roles on offer in the Navy, Air Force and Army. You have until the age of 24 to apply, so don’t worry if you missed out on applying earlier this year. You can start your application now and work through the steps. Information - http://bit.ly/3eKYXP8

General entry

You can start your application at any time to apply for general entry into most roles (including trades). Search here for available roles www.defencejobs.gov.au Learn about the application process here http://bit.ly/2Tyn8Yp

University - ADFA

You can study a university degree at the Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), Canberra. Applications are closed but will open again next year for the 2025 intake, www.unsw.adfa.edu.au

Defence University Scholarship (DUS)

This option is for students already studying an eligible university degree. The Defence Force will sponsor you to complete your degree and pay most of your course fees. In return, you will commit to a service period in the Army, Navy or Air Force. Examples of eligible courses include engineering, nursing, medicine, physiotherapy, medical imaging, law, business etc., http://bit.ly/2HEjCG6

Trades

You can apply for various trade roles in the Army, Navy or Air Force. Examples include: vehicle mechanic, electrician, aircraft technician, carpenter, chef, and plumber. You will receive full training and an excellent salary. www.defencejobs.gov.au

TAFE PATHWAY

TAFE stands for Technical and Further Education and is a name commonly used for vocational training.

TAFE is an excellent pathway for everyone. Benefits include:

Hands-on applied learning
The aim of the course is to make you ‘job ready’, so every unit is relevant.
There are different study levels and a large range of study areas.
Employers love candidates with job ready skills!
Obtain a qualification in a relatively short time frame.
Can easily fit a TAFE qualification into a gap year before university.
Higher level courses (e.g., Diploma) can provide a direct pathway into university courses with credit.
Can give you the opportunity to trial an industry or career area before you commit to university study.
Can give you a qualification you can use to gain part time work while undertaking university study.

Appliations are open for most TAFE institutes and private providers. The following is important to know:

Competitive courses may have early closing dates

You may need to complete additional tasks as part of your application such as portfolios, literacy and numeracy tests, information sessions, applying for a Working With Children Check, etc.

For examples of TAFE courses and to search for TAFE providers, visit www.yourcareer.gov.au/

UNIVERSITY PATHWAY

Important updates regarding university applications. December will be a very busy time, so it’s important to get organised as soon as possible. The following is information on what to expect:

RELEASE OF RESULTS AND ATAR

Victorian students: Monday 11 December

FINALISING COURSE PREFERENCES

The moment is almost here! If you’d like to change your course preferences, will need to do this via the Tertiary Admission Centres (TACs) you’ve applied through. The following is what you need to be aware of:

There are key dates

Each state has different dates and different offer rounds. Key dates are listed on the home page of each TAC website.

You can change your preferences

You can add/delete/reorder your preferences between offer rounds for most courses and can do this at any time until the cut off dates. You may hear the term ‘Change of Preference’. This typically refers to the following periods in the offer cycles:

Changing your preferences after you receive your VCE/HSC results and ATAR.

Changing your preferences between offer rounds.

Important!

Some courses can’t be re-added if you remove them from your preference list (e.g., medicine).

Some courses have additional selection criteria such as admission tests, portfolio, interviews, personal statements etc. If you have missed the deadlines to submit these, then you will not be eligible for a course offer.

Ordering course preferences

Be very mindful of how you order your preferences. Remember – dream courses should be at the top and then your back-up courses below.

Your RAW ATAR will be different to your SELECTION RANK for the purpose of course eligibility and your selection rank will be different for each university as it’s made up of your ATAR + any adjustments you’re eligible for (e.g., academic and equity bonus points). Each university has different adjustment schemes.

It's important to be aware of this, as you may receive entry into your dream course if you don’t think your raw ATAR is competitive enough.

For example, Jane achieves an ATAR of 60. She applies for courses at Deakin University and La Trobe University via VTAC.

Through the information she submitted in her VTAC SEAS application and her strong study scores she receives equity and academic ATAR adjustments.

Her selection rank for courses is now:

72.5 for Deakin University

71.8 for La Trobe University.

Excellent resources

This video explains selection ranks and ATAR profiles, https://bit.ly/3GiSJFX

This video explains the preference system and course offers. Although it is for VTAC, the information is similar for each state-based Tertiary Admission Centre, https://bit.ly/46H52Xs

HELP WITH COURSE PREFERENCES

Apart from meeting with your career adviser at school, tertiary institutions offer a range of support services such as:

One to one advice via phone/chat

On campus expos and campus tours

Virtual information webinars

For information on the support Victorian institutions are providing, visit https://bit.ly/3Ga9KCk

Note: Many of the expos are running on 11, 12 and 13 December, so plan early.

Webinars

VTAC is running two information sessions in December:

5: ATAR, scaling, and offers release

12: Getting ready for offers

Register via https://vtac.edu.au/events

COURSE OFFERS

Offers will be released over several rounds. It’s important to note that most offers will be made in the December round, you can change your preferences between rounds, and you can only receive one offer per round.

Excellent resource

This video explains the offer system. Although it is for VTAC, the information is similar for each each state-based Tertiary Admission Centre https://youtu.be/1QPBnbe6Ffw

KEY DATES FOR CHANGE OF PREFERENCE AND OFFERS

Victorian courses

Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) www.vtac.edu.au/dates.html

NSW/ACT courses

Universities Admissions Centre (UAC)

www.uac.edu.au/key-dates

APPRENTICESHIP/ TRAINEESHIP PATHWAY

Now is a great time to search for your dream apprenticeship/traineeship!

There are many positions available for enthusiastic young people who are keen to work hard, earn while you learn, and obtain a portable qualification.

Apprenticeships and traineeships combine the best of both worlds of TAFE study and employment. Many employers are finding it difficult to fill positions, so if you’re lucky you might find positions being advertised with a higher rate of pay.

If you’re planning to go to university in 2025, a 12-month gap year traineeship is the perfect way to earn money, gain an industry relevant qualification, and learn amazing skills before you start your degree.

Where to start

Follow the steps in the employment columns to the right.

It’s also important to sign up to local Australian Apprenticeship Support Network Providers and Group Training Organisations as they will be able to assist you with your search. You can find their contact details via www.apprenticeships.gov.au

GAP YEAR

What is a gap year?

Traditionally a gap year was taken by Year 12 students who deferred their universities studies for 12-months. Now gap years are taken by students who would like to delay their vocational or tertiary pathways.

Gap year programs

Year13 have put together a list of companies that offer working holidays, travel, and volunteer gap year programs, https://year13.com.au/explore/travel

EMPLOYMENT

If you are keen to work next year, there are several methods for finding employment. The following explores three.

1. Cold Calling

Did you know that many jobs aren’t advertised? These employers rely on word of mouth and /or contact people who drop in resumes to their business. This is called ‘cold calling’. What does this mean for you? It means you have to be:

Proactive

Get your resume and cover letter together, use/buy/borrow a smart outfit and hit the streets. Employers love young people who demonstrate initiative and independence.

Organised

Ask someone to go over your resume to look for spelling and grammatical errors. Ensure it is formatted correctly and no more than 2-pages. Be careful of using online resume builders as often the formatting looks poor. Youth Central has excellent sample resumes, www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au

Engaged

Let everyone know you are looking for casual employment. Word of mouth is a powerful tool to finding a job. Contact the referees on your resume to let them know they may receive calls from employers.

2. Register with businesses

Some businesses allow prospective employees to register with their organisation and apply for jobs advertised on their website. Access a list of casual job links to get started via https://slmcareerresources.edublogs.org/

3. Search for advertised jobs

Apart from the links in the left hand column, the following websites are great to bookmark and check regularly

www.seek.com.au

https://au.jora.com

https://au.indeed.com/

Also check the classified section in your local newspaper.

Excellent job seeking resources

For job seeking tips, and resume/cover letter templates, check out the resources at Youth Central- www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au

Rights and responsibilities

Know your rights and responsibilities when starting a new job, www.fairwork.gov.au

Tax File Number (TFN)

If you don’t have a TFN, you will need to apply for one via the Australian Tax Office - www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/Tax-file-number/

Learn about safety in the workplace

It’s very important to understand safety in the workplace. Learn how to stay safe at work - www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/young-workers

YEAR 11 STUDENTS

MeDICINE, DENTISTRY, ORAL HEALTH

If you will be in Year 12 next year and are planning to apply for medicine, dentistry and/or oral health to start in 2025, you may need to sit the UCAT ANZ (University Clinical Aptitude Test).

You will sit the test mid-year and selected universities will use your UCAT ANZ results as part of the selection process, in conjunction with your ATAR and Year 12 results, and in some cases an interview.

You will only have one chance to sit the UCAT ANZ in 2024 and you will be able to receive your results straight away.

Please go to www.ucat.edu.au for more information about the UCAT ANZ, to see if you have to sit the test and to access free preparation materials. Registrations will open on 5 March 2024.

UCAT Preparation Sessions

You have the choice to start preparing for the test early. There are several private companies that offer commercial preparation programs such as:

NIE, www.nie.edu.au

Med Entry, www.medentry.edu.au

It’s important to note that private companies are not endorsed by the universities that use the UCAT.

FOCUS ON SUMMER SCHOOLS (Check ages for eligibility)

The following programs are running during the Christmas break.

MAGNIFY MUSIC CAMP

Magnify is an intensive high-level skills camp for high school students between the ages of 14 – 18 who are serious about career success in the field of music. Run by Box Hill Institute, the camp will run between 15 - 20 January 2024. There will be a final concert on Friday night, where students can show off their newfound skills. Entry is by audition and there are only 30 places. The cost is $450, https://bit.ly/45idxrc

INSIGHTS PROGRAM

NIE and Immerse Education offers an amazing 11-day residential program in Sydney for students who are passionate about academics. The program will run between 3 – 13 January 2024.

Streams cover study areas such as medicine, business, creative writing, veterinary studies, international studies, and psychology. The cost is over $10,000 and students will stay on campus at a University of Sydney College. For information and to apply, visit www.niecareers.com.au

FILMMAKING SUMMER SCHOOL

Filmmaking for the Digital Age: this intensive summer school is taught by Australia’s leading film industry professionals and is suited to people from all ages and backgrounds. The event will be held between 12 - 14 January 2024 at Dancehouse, Carlton North, Vic.

www.summerfilmschool.com/

CAMPION COLLEGE SUMMER PROGRAM

This immersive four-day program provides the opportunity to reside on campus and interact with like-minded peers. Students will engage in a fun-filled program including movies, trivia, dancing, and sports, as well as sample lectures from history, literature, philosophy, and theology professors. Applicants must be 16 – 20 years old.

When: 9 – 12 or 16 – 19 January 2024.

Where: Campion College, Toongabbie, NSW.

www.campion.edu.au

FUTURE DOCTORS PROGRAM

NIE offers a 4-day intensive work experience program for students interested in medicine. Cost is $2,290 and doesn’t cover transport or accommodation. The Melbourne program will run between 19 – 22 January 2024 and is currently 88% full. For information and to apply, visit www.niecareers.com.au

THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DRAMATIC ARTS (NIDA)

NIDA is running several acting and musical theatre short courses for students at the Melbourne campus during January. To explore the program options and reserve your place, visit www.open.nida.edu.au

The Careers Team

Careers Leader – Natasha Boyko

Neighbourhood 1 Biyala – Susan Barr

Neighbourhood 2 Dharnya – Graeme Crosbie

Neighbourhood 3 Bayuna – Dan Watson

Partnerships Manager – Mary-Ann Linehan

Industry Engagement Priority Cohorts Coordinator – Colleen Wilkinson

2024 Booklist