Thank you for the Inspiration!

Emily Gosbell, Careers Coordinator, writes about the Inspire careers evening at the end of May.

INSPIRE is a verb, meaning to give an idea or a feeling. To make someone feel that they want to do something and can do it. To fill someone with confidence and the desire to do something. 

On Wednesday 31 May, over 600 people from our community, 28 external providers of tertiary study, apprenticeship, and traineeship opportunities and 33 of our Donvale alumni attended our Inspire Careers Expo.

We invited students in Years 9-12 to come along and dedicate an hour to thinking about their futures. The community hub - decorated with more fairy lights than you could possibly have imagined - was the venue for the night. 

Students moved through a PATHWAYS level, where they could learn about different universities, TAFEs, private colleges, traineeships, and apprenticeships from 28 different providers. There were rich conversations, new opportunities uncovered, brochures and giveaways galore.

Students then proceeded to a JOURNEY level where alumni shared their work, study, and decision-making intel. Students were encouraged to ask questions and learn from others through their various experiences. To hear about jobs they may not know about, pathways relevant to their interests, the importance of networking and that it is ok to change your mind. 

Feedback from community members has been extremely positive. Both our external providers and alumni were impressed by our students' behaviour, manners, future thinking and by the insightful, rich questions they were asking. The evening was about parents and students learning together, exploring options, making discoveries, and dreaming about the future.

A special thank you goes to all our alumni who gave so generously of their time and expertise - these evenings don't happen without you!