Head Start

Apprenticeships and Traineeships

Head Start is a program offered at Copperfield College that is designed to support you with your apprenticeship or traineeship while you are still at school, completing VCAL.

How do you prepare for this option?

Work Experience, Structured Work Placements in year 11 & 12 and undertaking VET in schools is a great way to prepare for a Head Start program in the future.

Is this the first year this program is at Copperfield?

Copperfield had a number of Head Start students that completed year 12 in 2020 and are now working full time in their apprenticeships. One of the students was able to complete her traineeship and her year 12 at the same time and started her full time career with her Cert III and Year 12 certificate in hand.

Head Start at Copperfield in 2021

Currently Copperfield has six year 12 and one year 11 student who are signed up apprentices in the Head Start program. We are working with a number of students, still helping them find an employer so that they can start on their Head Start journey.

Meet Shakira, our first Head Start sign up for 2021. A year 12 student, doing the Bakery Cake and Pastry Cert III.

Shakira came to speak to me after a step up presentation telling the students about the program at the end of 2020. After speaking to her family and the school we went out to help her find an employer in the bakery field. A position became available as a Christmas casual. Early in January 2021 we met with the employer as he was looking for a 1st year apprentice and he was happy to sign Shakira up as an apprentice on the Head Start Model.

Why were you interested in pursuing a career in this field? “Love being in the kitchen baking and making food.”

What does your Head Start school timetable look like?

I go to school on Monday and Friday at Copperfield. I work on Tuesday and Thursday. On a Wednesday I attend William Angliss for my Cert III training.

I keep in close communication with my teachers to check that everything is up to date.

Comment from the employer:

I am very happy with her, she is doing better than I expected from a part time 1st year apprentice.

Want to know more about Head Start:

Come and see Chantelle Polacsek in the Careers Office, Delahey Campus or email me chantelle.polacsek@education.vic.gov.au

Ms Chantelle Polaacsek

Head Start Coordinator