Welcome back to school!

To contact the Head of Pathways and Transition, Jane Hedley, you may call 9383 0416 or email pathways@johnxxiii.edu.au You can also make an appointment to see Ms. Hedley using this booking link: https://calendly.com/johnxxiiicollege-pathways-transition

In this week’s Pathways and Transition newsletter read about:

In this week’s Pathways and Transition newsletter read about:

University news
Australian Defence Force careers
Medicine News
Training and VET news
Senior school opportunities
Career-building opportunities and resources
People with a disability news
Spotlight – Understanding the SAT

UNIVERSITY NEWS

University Rankings

Read about how WA universities performed, according to student satisfaction data, in the Good Universities Guide 2023/24 and via QILT/CompareEd.

University Open Days 2024

Attend University Open Days 2024 to find out what’s available and which campus suits you.

17 March

23 March

24 March

5 May

14 April Joondalup

21 April South West

28 April Mt Lawley

Edith Cowan

UWA Fogarty Scholarship Program

If you are aiming for an ATAR of 98+ consider going for a Fogarty scholarship. This is a prestigious scholarship that is awarded to 10 outstanding Year 12 graduates each year. To be eligible you must demonstrate outstanding achievement across Years 11 and 12.

Find out about the program HERE.

University Admissions 2026

For students who are in Year 11 in 2024

How to apply for a place at university, requirements and different pathways
Pre-requisites
Check out the University Admissions 2026 for a comprehensive list of prerequisites from each West Australian university.
Make an appointment with Ms. Hedley and go through university courses that you might choose.
Make sure you are doing the subjects you need to get into those courses.

Australian Defence Force careers

Click here to browse face-to-face and online events from ADF Careers. Events take place every week and are repeated throughout the year. Here are some happening soon:

MEDICINE NEWS

Getting into Medicine in WA

There is good reason to believe medical students are outstanding.

If you want to apply for medicine:

Take chemistry: Chemistry is a pre-requisite subject for medicine at most universities across Australia.

Entry to Medicine for 2025 (UCAT)

Only Curtin University in Western Australia takes students into medicine straight from school*. It was designed as a pathway for West Australian school leavers.

Candidates from rural and regional areas and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and those from disadvantaged backgrounds will be prioritised.

Rural and remote applicants: The Medicine Faculty at Curtin is keen to address the shortage of doctors in the bush in WA. Contact Associate Professor Keith McNaught - Rural Academic Lead, Curtin Medical School at Keith.Mcnaught@curtin.edu.au

There were over 3000 applicants for the 120 places being offered at Curtin in 2024.

Applicants must have an ATAR of 95 or higher, including Chemistry, with a final score of 50 or higher. (See P4 of the Admission Guide for details.)
A competitive score on the Universal Clinical Aptitude Test. Bookings for the Test open 5 March. Testing begins 1 July.
Applicants then take the Casper Test which was introduced by Curtin last year.

Please refer to the Domestic admissions guide for information.

School leavers with an outstanding ATAR may be granted an Assured Pathway into post-graduated medicine or dentistry degrees at UWA. Find details here:

Doctor of Medicine : The University of Western Australia (uwa.edu.au)

TRAINING AND VET NEWS

Year 9 and above - Construction Futures Try a Trade

Gain construction experience with CTF’s fully funded Try-A-Trade program. Participants get a taste of careers in the building industry and learn what to expect in various trades.

The Try-A-Trade program gives students in Year 9 and above, school leavers and mature-age job seekers, a chance to try various construction trades.

Selected Registered Training Organisations deliver the courses on behalf of CTF at locations throughout Western Australia. Find details HERE.

Get an electrical apprenticeship at Electrical Group Training

Electrical Group Training (EGT) is the largest employer of electrical apprentices in Western Australia. Our apprentices are amongst the safest and best trained in the electrotechnology industry.

See how to get an apprenticeship by going to the EGT site.

19 additional occupations added to the Australian Priority List

Western Australia is way ahead in prioritising occupations that are free or low-fee paying VET courses.

The WA Government now delivers 130 free training courses.

The Commonwealth Government has now added these 19 additional fee-free courses:

Ambulance Officer	Animal Husbandry Technician	Aquaculture or Fisheries Technician
Architectural Draftsperson	Boat Builder and Repairer	Earth Science Technician
Fire Protection Plumber	Flight Attendant	Furniture Maker
Graphic Pre-press Trades Worker	Irrigation Designer	Irrigation Technician
Light Technician	Mine Deputy	Nursing Support Worker
Out of School Hours Care Worker	Pharmacy Technician	Shipwright
Sound Technician

There are now so many free or low-cost VET courses that fees should no longer be a barrier to becoming a highly skilled technician.

Subsidies for Apprentices

The Commonwealth Government has created incentives for apprenticeships. You can find an overview of incentives for employers and employees HERE.

SMTAFE Women in Defence Scholarship

Delivered in partnership with industry, the Women in Defence Industry Scholarship provides 6 months of free technical engineering and electronics training. Applications generally open around October/Nov for Semester 1. For information contact Martin.Turnbull@smtafe.wa.edu.au

Fee-Free Training in 2024

Find details of the 130 courses that a fee free in 2024.

NOTE: Students must still pay for their tools, uniforms and equipment.

Find details HERE.

Notre Dame to deliver free Diploma of Nursing

Notre Dame is delivering a Diploma of Nursing in 2024 under the FREE VET courses offering being subsidised by the WA government.

Students can undertake the 18-month Diploma, which leads to work opportunities as an Enrolled Nurse.
Students may also choose to use their diploma to gain one year credit towards a Bachelor of Nursing.

There will be a resource fee; however, the course delivery will be subsidised.

For more information go HERE or email to VETAdmin@nd.edu.au .

SENIOR SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES

31 March 2024: Applications Close for Rotary Youth Exchange 2025

Rotary Youth Exchange students spend 12 months in a foreign country with board and accommodation provided by host families.

Students make lifelong friends, expand their worldviews, and have a brilliant time.

Students must be between the ages of 15 and 18 on the 1 January of the year of their exchange. Contact Rotary Youth Exchange Western Australia for details on how to apply.

Fully supported volunteering overseas

Projects Abroad supports students aged 15 to18 who would like to volunteer to work overseas for approximately two weeks. There is a range of fantastic opportunities available and Projects Abroad support participants through all stages of the experience. Programs cost about $3000.

The most popular High School Special projects include:

Conservation in Thailand	Childcare in Cambodia
Medicine in Nepal	Conservation in Botswana
Childcare in Fiji	Medicine in Sri Lanka

You can find more HERE.

Senior School Language

Here is a quick guide to some of the acronyms and initials that you will her in senior school. You can download a free copy HERE.

Weekly WA Police Recruitment Sessions – Saturday mornings

There is no age limit to apply for the WA Police Force. You must be 17 years and 6 months or older to apply for a Police Officer (Entry-level) and over 17 to apply for Cadet or Police Auxiliary Officer roles. You can register for a session HERE.

Year 12s - Register NOW for Scholarship Alerts

Set up your infrastructure to support your transition from school at the end of the year. Register for scholarship email alerts at universities of your choice at:

Good Universities Guide Scholarships page.
Your local TAFE college

Check out special needs scholarships like:

2025 Scholarships to Boost Diversity in STEM

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) has announced 116 scholarships to support women and diverse people to thrive in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers.

Applications for the Elevate program commencing in 2025 will open in early 2024.

Gap Year Study

If you think you might like to do something different in 2025, you could try studying overseas. You can find courses @hotcoursesabroad.

Crimson provides services that link you to universities in the US or UK. Crimson staff come to Perth and give presentations each year. Register on their site for updates.

For information about Gap Year opportunities for the end of the year check School Leavers 2025 Gap Year Opportunities HERE.

CAREER-BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES

STEM Women Careers Event 20 March

Register HERE.

Famelab Academy 2024

FameLab Academy is an initiative for Years 9 and 10 students to encourage their interest in STEM and develop their science communications skills.

FameLab is the world’s leading science communication competition. It aims to discover charismatic early career scientists who can inspire people to see the world from new perspectives. To find out more, go HERE.

Fogarty Foundation Opportunities

Families seeking new opportunities to support their students to achieve their full potential can connect with the Fogarty Foundation, which is committed to ensuring all young West Australians can receive high-quality education.

Opportunities include:

Fogarty Scholarships. These highly sought-after scholarships are for high-achieving, high-potential students. You can read about the scholarship program HERE.

EDfutures CoderDojo offers free sessions to help 7 – 17-year-olds be creative and solve problems using computers. You can find out more at CoderDojo@Curtin.

The Smith Family program provides opportunities for talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
ABCN Fogarty Accelerate Scholarships provides intensive mentoring scholarships.

You can get regular updates about the Fogarty Foundation programs by connecting HERE.

WAAPA Junior Academy for secondary school students

The WAAPA Junior Academy is designed specifically for young people who have a passion for performing.

The program runs in eight-week blocks from February to December each year, in accordance with the school terms.

2024 Courses

Education Coordinator: Gabrielle Metcalf Phone: (+61 8) 6304 6775Email: explore.waapa@ecu.edu.au

MyFuture – your one-stop shop for career information

Do quizzes, watch career videos, check out courses, and see what happens when you get into the job. MyFuture takes you on a career exploration pathway.

MyFuture is thorough and delivers loads of free information.
It is supported by ALL Australian governments.
The information is not biased by someone trying to sell you something.
They have a strong privacy policy and DO NOT share your data.

You can register HERE.

PEOPLE WITH A DISABILITY NEWS

Support for Australian Apprentices with Disability

The Australian Government provides support to Australian Apprentices with disability to help them reach their full potential as skilled workers. A range of assistance is available, including tutorial, mentoring and interpreting services, as well as the Disabled Australian Apprentice Wage Support (DAAWS) incentive, which is paid to employers.

Find out more and how to claim HERE.

Can Do Training for people with disability.

Marilyn Garbin has been around the WA careers education world for some time. She is providing short courses that develop soft skills, for people with disability. Some courses like these have been cut from TAFE, and Marilyn is addressing the needs identified by families of people with disability. I went to the graduation of the Term 4 group in December and all participants were supported by a family member or carer.

Check out the pictures and find out about the courses HERE.

Employment Pathways for People with Intellectual Disability

Everyone Can Work is a website designed to help people with intellectual disability and their families to understand the supports available to get into open employment.

School Leavers kit for students with Disability

A School Leavers Information Kit specifically designed for school leavers with disability has been developed. You can find a copy HERE.

Entry Roles Supporting Deaf and Hard of Hearing

Find information about entry roles supporting the Deaf and Hard of Hearing HERE.

SPOTLIGHT

Understanding the SAT

Why you might need to take the SAT

If you’re a student outside the US eyeing college admissions, you may have noticed that in some cases you’re required to take the SAT. But what exactly is the SAT, why do you need to take it, and how can you prepare? Let’s take a look.

Understanding the SAT

The SAT (which stands for Scholastic Assessment Test) is a standardised test widely used for college admissions in the United States. It’s designed to assess a student’s readiness for college and is typically taken by high school juniors and seniors.

The test consists of two sections: Reading and Writing and Maths. Each section of the test is then divided into two modules. The first module contains a mix of easy, intermediate, and hard questions. The difficulty of the second module will depend on your answers in the first module. Most of the questions are multiple choice.

You have 64 minutes to complete the Reading and Writing section, and 70 minutes to complete the Maths section (a total of 2 hours and 14 minutes all up).

Why take the SAT?

Many universities around the world, not just in the US, accept SAT scores as part of their admissions process. It provides a standardised measure of your academic abilities, making it easier for colleges to evaluate applicants from different educational backgrounds. And as a bonus, a strong SAT score can increase your chances of securing scholarships and gaining admission to top-tier universities.

How can I prepare for the SAT?

College Board (the creator and organiser of the SAT) provides a variety of resources to help you practice and prepare for the test, including practice tests, checklists, and guides. You can check them out here.

Other providers, such as Crimson Education, also provide SAT practice resources and even tutoring to help you succeed.

Do I need to pay a fee to take the SAT?

Both US and international students will need to pay a fee to sit the SAT. For US students, it’s US$60 – international students then pay the same plus a US$43 regional fee on top.

Some US students may be eligible for a fee waiver – unfortunately, this is not available to international students.

There are also other additional fees you may need to keep an eye out for. You can see a full list of fees here.

Note that fees listed above are correct as of date of publication, but may change in the future.

Important dates for the SAT

Here are the upcoming dates for test days and registration closing dates:

Test Day: March 9, 2024 – Registration Deadline: February 23, 2024
Test Day: May 4, 2024 – Registration Deadline: April 19, 2024
Test Day: June 1, 2024 – Registration Deadline: May 21 2024

All dates and deadlines apply to both US and international students.

You can find a full list of upcoming dates, including tentative testing dates for late 2024, here.

Where can I register or find out more?

You can register to sit the SAT fully online on College Board’s website here. If you still want to know more, they also have heaps of other information and resources on their website about the SAT.

Just want to brush up on your general study skills or learn more about life at university? You might like to read some of the other blogs on the website here.

Jane Hedley

Head of Pathways and Transition

Direct: (08) 9383 0416

Email: Jane.Hedley@johnxxiii.edu.au

Drama

2024 College Musical