Careers News

TAFE TASTER DAY

Students interested in finding out careers and courses via TAFE NSW attended an excursion to Wollongong TAFE. It was a fantastic and informative day where students were placed into different groups to explore the campus and here about different careers. Thank you TAFE NSW for the excellent day out.

SMITH FAMILY MENTOR DAY

A small group of students participated in the Smith Family Mentor Day at Blackbutt Youth Centre. Various people of our community gave up their time to speak to the students so that they could be aware of the different pathways and options available. Thank you Smith Family’s coordinator Sian for organising and inviting Lake Illawarra HS to attend the fourth annual Mentor Day.

YEAR 10 FUTURE FINDER DAY

Students interested in university and what courses are available were invited to attend the University of Wollongong Future Finder Day. Organised by the In2uni team mentors our students have a full day exploring the campus and being organised into groups to discover different courses and options available. The students were a pleasure to take on the excursion and had a great time learning new things and starting to think about their future choices. Thank you UOW for another splendid day.

INDUSTRY VISIT

During the year at various times we endeavor to have interested students go to various local community businesses for industry visits. This year so far, Lake Illawarra HS students from year 8 - 11 have visited WESTRAC Unanderra. Kyrios Kitchens and Glass, SCA Beauty Academy and the Illawarra Academy of Early Learning at Mount Warrigal.

Industry visits allow students to see the operation and layout of the business and they can discuss with managers and owners the different job opportunities. Hearing first hand what is expected in the work force and how to work towards the different careers is always important information. For some students a visit to a place of work is something new and starts them thinking of the world of possibilities on offer.

Thank you to our wonderful local community for opening up your environment to LIHS students and we look forward to continuing our future connections.

S.T.E.M MINI EXPO

As the careers adviser at Lake Illawarra HS I am always looking at doing different things to show and engage LIHS students in exploring new and different careers. This year I decided to organise the LIHS S.T.E.M mini Expo which involved areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The session was fantastic and both students and presenters involved really enjoyed the experience. One presenter was quoted in saying:

‘What a fantastic idea, I wish I had this opportunity when I was at school. I will be sure to come again”

Various people working in these different areas of industry were invited to come and speak to Year 9 and 10 students in a speed dating style of presentation. Small groups of students were rotated around the visitors and in under 5 mins at each desk they learnt about different careers, personal journeys and knowledge of the methods of how to advance into certain career pathways.

I would like to publicly acknowledge the following people and businesses who made this event possible and gave up their time to participate in our expo:

Thomas Doyle, Matthew Norris, Sallie Fredericks, Jen and Melinda Brady, Greater Bank, Westrac, Civil Construction, Landteam Surveyors, TAFE Illawarra and the University of Wollongong

YEAR 12 INTERVIEWS

All students in Year 12 have been participating in the process of individual interviews with a member from the Careers office. Discussions on future options and plans are undertaken so that each student can feel confident about their future beyond LIHS and if uncertain to help them make steps to understand what they need to do next.

Some things for Year 12 students to consider:

Be sure to have resume and portfolio up to date
Follow careers facebook page for any careers information
Research their options
Plan to attend information sessions and open days
Ask for assistance when needed

CAREERS WEBSITE and FACEBOOK

Remember to use the Lake Illawarra High School Careers website http://lakeillawarrahighcareers.com

as it has lots of information for you to research or help students in planning future ideas. All Year 10 students have been actively using the website in Careers lessons this year.

The Lake Illawarra High School Careers facebook page also has useful information of upcoming events, jobs and courses. It is important to like the page to know what is happening here at school and in the wider community.