Careers Corner
Pakenham Secondary College Careers Website
I have referred to our school’s careers website on several occasions however, I would like to take this opportunity to speak about it to you again, as it contains some excellent information for both students and parents.
The tab titled ‘Important Information’ has a calendar that contains links to any careers information sessions that may interest students, from general open days to course specific sessions. The Australian Defence Force, public and private providers etc., are all covered. Youth Central and Money Matters also contain information that is important to all students.
‘Senior School Information’ covers a range of areas including VCE, VET, SBATs, the USI, to name a few. If you’re not sure what all these acronyms mean, login and take a look. If your child is going into senior school, many of your questions may be answered under this section. The same applies to ‘Post School Options’.
‘Workplace Learning’ explains the programs that schools may offer, requiring students to go into the workplace. The main three include Work Experience, Structured Workplace Learning and School-based Apprenticeships and Traineeships (SBATs). We offer all three of these programs at Pakenham SC.
The tab that is most important for parents is the ‘For Parents’ tab. This section covers the main areas parents need to be aware of in relation to careers conversations with your child. There is a fact sheet, information on VET (Vocational Education and Training) and useful links.
All students from Years 7-12 can securely log in to our website, where they can access a lot more careers information. This includes resume writing, cover letters, career search, Career Portfolio, Career Action Plan and so on. We use this extensively with our VCE VM students.
If you have the time, log on to our website and take a look around. You can contact us any time, in Careers and Pathways, during work hours.
Lesley McKay – Careers and VCE VM
Nicole Sing – Careers and VET
Mandeep Kaur – Exits
Year 9 Morrisby Interviews
For the past couple of weeks our Year 9 students have been attending Morrisby Interviews. The Morrisby Profile is a powerful career guidance tool, which identifies your strengths and motivators. Morrisby Careers is an effective way of identifying a student's career interest through a career quiz with immediate results. This will be an informative tool for students to use throughout their remaining years of school and beyond.
Your Career Website
Your Career in an excellent government website containing a myriad of careers information. It focuses on study, training and job options, as well as a range of current initiatives. At the moment, the current initiatives include Free TAFE courses, Apprenticeship support and Industry based literacy and numeracy quizzes. The top hiring occupations, VET options, what to do after leaving school and many other topics are also covered.
To explore this website go to: https://www.yourcareer.gov.au
Competitions
The Simpson Prize is a national competition for Year 9 and 10 students that focuses on the service of Australians in World War I. Students can enter either an essay or video in response to the set topic. See student entry requirements for full details. Closes Friday November 3, 2023.
A fun online eLearning campus designed to help students learn the innovation, design thinking, and tech skills to think like a Girl Boss and start their own business one day. Learn resilience and problem-solving and develop the confidence to bring your ideas to life. No closing date; enrol anytime.
The Storyfest National Novella Writing Competition is open to all Australian high school students. It is a wonderful opportunity for serious student writers, encouraging them in their literary growth - and there are also some fantastic prizes on offer! entries close Friday 1 December 2023.
The ACMF National Songwriting Competition encourages creativity and self-expression through songwriting. Students in all year levels across Australia are invited to put pen to paper and enter their original song. There are some amazing prizes to be won! Entries close 30 September, 2023.
The KSP Writers’ Centre is proud to present this annual poetry competition which is FREE for youth (10-17) to enter! Entries must be original and unpublished. All poetry styles and themes are acceptable; maximum 50 line count. Check the website for full details and entry information.
Industry Based Literacy and Numeracy Quizzes
Following on from the previous article, many TAFE institutes require students to complete Literacy and Numeracy testing before offering them a place in their course. They want to ensure that students are at an appropriate level to succeed. Similarly, industries have identified Literacy and Numeracy skills that are an important component to be successful in that industry.
Follow the link to access these quizzes: https://www.apprenticeships.gov.au/apprentices/how-to-find-and-prepare-for-an-apprenticeship/check-your-literacy-and-numeracy-skills
Apprentices are able to access a range of government supports during their apprenticeships, as are their employers. This includes both financial and non-financial supports. For further information go to:
https://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/financial-programs
Games Development
A number of students tell us they love gaming and would like to do this as their career. Initially, I had reservations as students often think they will be sitting around gaming the whole day. As careers practitioners, we attend course information sessions at TAFEs and universities and, over the years, my understanding of this area has increased dramatically. Students certainly don’t sit around gaming all day!
A Games Developer is a Software Developer, specialising across a number of platforms. This is a rapidly growing field, where programmers specialise in mobile or handheld game development. They use both software and hardware to write and modify programming code, requiring a creative thought process to design elements. They need to be problem solvers who can use logic and methodical testing processes.
Some of the career options include: computer game developer, data analyst, game/interaction designer, generalist programmer, graphics engine specialist, IT project manager, network specialist, software engineer, web developer.
Courses are available at TAFEs (certificates and diplomas) or at university (degrees). An example of each is as follows:
- Games Development (Certificate IV) - Swinburne – 1 year – Must have Year 10 or above, complete a pre-training review and Literacy and Numeracy testing
- Games Development (Diploma) – Swinburne – 1 year – prefer a Year 12 pass, pre-training review and Literacy and Numeracy testing
- Bachelor of Design (Games) – RMIT – 3 years – VCE - a study score of at least 25 in English, all applicants must complete a Games task
This highlights a few ways in which you can start your career journey in Games Development. There are many courses available, offering a range of pathways. If a student does not get the mark they require to enter into a degree course, they may decide to commence at diploma or certificate level, pass these and progress upwards. Of course, this will be dependent on a range of criteria and results. This is a growing area and definitely worth considering if you are interested.
Swinburne Early Entry Program for 2024
Swinburne University's Early Entry Program is still open, allowing students to apply ATAR-free for more than 50 Swinburne bachelor degrees – including many double degrees. Conditional offers for successful applicants are being issued on a rolling basis, with over 600 early offers issued already.
Applicants need to provide a recommendation from a school representative and choose the Early Entry Program version of the course in their VTAC preferences. They must also achieve the subject prerequisites for the course.
If an applicant wishes to change the course that they would like to do, they don’t need to submit a new application. They can simply change their VTAC preference to include the Early Entry Program version of the course they are now interested in.
Applications close on Monday 9 October 2023 and the final due date for school recommendation forms is Monday 30 October 2023.
Please click here for details.
News from RMIT
School Holiday Campus Tours 18 - 27 September
In the September holidays, RMIT will be hosting campus tours for high school students across their City, Brunswick and Bundoora campuses.
These tours are a great chance to hear from current RMIT students about how they found the transition from high school to university.
Please click here to register.
Early Offer Program Apply by 17th September
Applications for RMIT's Early Offer Program are closing soon!
If you have any questions about applying, please refer to RMIT's Early Offer website or email them at: earlyoffer@rmit.edu.au.
RMIT 2024 Scholarships - Apply Now
Scholarship applications are open for 2024.
With a comprehensive scholarship program ranging from financial support and accommodation assistance, for students impacted by circumstances effecting their education, options for Indigenous Australians and much more!
Please click here to find out more