VET and Careers News

Careers News

Mrs Michelle Carter

Careers Information Bulletin – Something for Everyone

There are so many fantastic and current career opportunities found in our fortnightly ‘Careers Information Bulletin’. 

Careers

As the Year 12’s finish their Senior Schooling, it is exciting to let you know that 42 students have received Early University Offers (as at 21 November).  Twenty of these offers were from the Diploma of Business students; 3 students had completed a Certificate III. 

Here is a snapshot of Early Offers:

ACU:     1 Student

GU:       6 Students

QUT:     30 Students

UniSC: 2 Students

UniSQ: 1 Student

TAFE:   2 Students

NB:  UQ is not part of the Early Offer Scheme 

The major round of university offers is on 23 December with the second round of offers on 15 January 2026 (usually the date for UQ Health courses). External Results (QCAA MyQCE) are available on the 17 December; ATAR’s get released on 18 December 2026. Students should ensure their QTAC preferences are in order by 19 December.

The Parents and Guardian’ Guide to education, training and work opportunities for young people 

The Parents and Guardians' Guide to education, training and work opportunities for young people summarises the resources and information available to help you explore all the education, training and work options available to your young person. The School Leavers Information Kit contains more details and is designed for your young person to help them navigate their post school options. 

Skills for Getting a Job – Full-time/Part-time/Casual

The following are resources you can access to help you gain the skills you need for your job search: 

• Applying for a Job - the Youth Central website has information and examples for developing a resume and writing cover letters as well as other tips to help you get a job and more. 
• I’m looking for a job - the Job Jumpstart website has information on most job search strategy. It can help you build your resume. 
• Ready to explore - visit the Seek website to check out for tips on job search. Seek also has a job search function. 
• Career Advice the Careerone - their website has useful tips on job hunting, interview preparation, resumes and job interviews. 
• Apprenticeship or traineeship the Queensland Apprenticeship Info - their website has ideas on how to gain an apprenticeship or traineeship. 

The following article is topical and relevant for all parents with teenagers: 

Tips for helping teens to build a positive mindset 

When teens can reframe negative thoughts and situations, they feel more empowered, hopeful, and confident, and go on to make better choices for themselves. 

Challenge negativity 

Like biting your nails, negativity can become a habit – once you do it for a while, it becomes nearly second nature. You can help your teen recognise these negative thinking patterns, then be mindful about breaking them. 

If they often find themselves using exaggerating words like always and never, encourage them to be mindful about whether these words are really accurate. For example, they might be feeling down about not doing so well on an assignment and feel like they “always get bad marks” – remind them that this isn’t true and that they have done well on lots of their other assignments and exams.

You can also help them to recognise catastrophising statements, and guide them to challenge these thoughts by asking questions like these:

• “Can you think of any other solutions?”
• “Is there another way you can think about this?”
• “Can you tell you me what facts you have on this topic/situation?”

• “Could you walk me through your evidence?”

   

Hopefully they’ll start to see other perspectives and turn around the way they’re thinking.

Promote Self-Compassion 

Adolescents are highly critical and harsh on themselves. Encourage your teen to practice self-compassion by reminding them that it’s okay not to be perfect – nobody is! Ask them to think about how they would feel if it was one of their close friends or a family member talking about themselves negatively, and how they would respond to make them feel better. Then apply that advice and choice of language to themselves. 

Be a Role Model 

As a parent or carer, your behaviour serves as a blueprint for your teen. Show them how you handle negative thoughts and situations by using positive language and re-framing. Modelling a growth mindset could also improve how your teen perceives future challenges (and could be good for your own mental wellbeing too). 

Guide Them Towards Solutions 

You don’t have to (and probably can’t) fix everything for them, even though you might really want to. Instead, encourage problem solving and help them to brainstorm coping strategies and solutions. This will serve them better down the track when they’re more independent and need to make decisions on their own.

Focus on the Good Stuff 

Gratitude journals, mindfulness, and meditation are all great ways for teens to shift their mindsets into a more positive space. But in reality, not all teens may be up for this, and that’s okay. Alternatively, you can encourage mindfulness by having conversations at dinner time, in the car, or before bed. Ask them to think about the best part of their day, something that made them feel good, or something kind they did for someone else, for example. 

Celebrate Progress 

Acknowledge each time your teen manages to reframe their negative thoughts or says something positive. Celebrate in their favourite way, especially if they’ve overcome a particularly big hurdle. You’ll be rewarding their efforts and motivating them to keep doing it.

Seek Professional Help if Needed

If negative thoughts persist and are significantly impacting your teen’s life, consider seeking professional help. Your doctor, a therapist, or a counsellor may be able to provide more guidance and strategies to help your young person better manage negative thinking. 

Remember 

Being negative is a normal human trait, and it’s not something we’re generally conscious of. It definitely is possible for you to help your teen to change their mindset and reframe negative thoughts – unfortunately, it won’t just happen overnight. But your support, guidance, and love will definitely help.

As we wrap up a busy year in the Careers space, I wish you all a wonderful and relaxing holiday.

VET

Mrs Robyn Gooley

Welcome to the VET/Careers Office

We are excited to introduce Heather Stabik, who has joined our team as the Industry Liaison Officer. Heather will play a key role in strengthening our connections with industry partners and supporting students as they explore career pathways and vocational opportunities.

Pease join us in giving Heather a warm welcome to the team.

Trades Pathway Information

Everyone is welcome to come into the VET/Carers office to discuss a Trades Pathway.  The College does not source apprenticeships for students, but our role is to share opportunities that employers may send directly to us. When we receive this information about school-based apprenticeships, we advertise these to the relevant year groups.

Recently, we have distributed several Construction apprenticeship opportunities to Year 12 students and these positions are specifically targeted at students who have completed their schooling.

When students apply for Work Experience, we ask them to indicate if they are interested in pursuing an apprenticeship. If they do, we will make every effort to connect them with an employer who may be willing to offer a placement—provided the student meets the employer’s requirements. Please note this is not guaranteed. Students should always seek feedback during their placement and ask questions if they are aiming to move into the industry.

When students visit the VET/Careers office to collect their Work Experience Student Logbooks prior to the work experience, we always encourage them to discuss potential opportunities with the company and provide guidance on how to conduct themselves appropriately during their placement. Once the logbooks are returned, we review them to help identify and improve future work experience opportunities.

Looking ahead, be proactive over the holiday period to approach local construction companies and inquire if they need an extra labourer.