Careers News

Rebecca Ambrose

Careers Counsellor | Teacher

Senior Education and Training Plans are continuing with Year 10 students and families. I look forward to meeting with you next term if I have not already. The 2024 QTAC pre-requisite guide is online now; all Year 10s and families were sent the link in an email – to view the document please visit: https://www.qtac.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/2024_Year_10_Guide.pdf . This guide will help students understand subject pre-requisites for university entry in 2024.

The 2022 QTAC guide for our Year 12s is still not available. The link will be sent to all students as soon as it is available. Hard copies of the guide will be available early next term and distributed to students. QTAC applications for Semester One 2022 courses opens on 3rd August 2021. Closing dates for some courses and some scholarship applications can vary so check carefully. You can find information about the application process and offer process in the guide and on the QTAC website.

2020 Australian Government Digital Apprenticeship Program

The Australian Government Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Apprenticeship Program targets students who are currently completing their Year 12 studies. As an apprentice, you will complete an ICT qualification as well as work within an Australian Government agency in ICT related areas such as: applications development; cyber security; programming; interactive media; software engineering; infrastructure support; big data; data analytics; applications development; networking; programming; web development; systems testing; systems analysis and design; help desk.

Applications for the 2022 Program are now open and close Monday, 28th June 2021. Visit their website for more information about: Who is the program for? What you’ll get to work on Locations; Who you’ll be working for; Benefits; How to apply; Three stages to success

Job Search Sites

It is sometimes challenging to work out where to start looking for an actual apprenticeship or traineeship. The Australian Apprenticeship Pathways website has a job search site that can be useful when you start looking for that opportunity. Click here to find out more keeping in mind you will need to sort through to find the Queensland opportunities.

My Skills

My Skills will help you to explore Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses and providers that offer the courses and training you are looking for. You will find information on the Registered Training Organisations who offer government-subsidised training and the average training fees for a course. Do your research so you choose the best option for you.

Vocational Education and Training tips for students

Prospective vocational education and training students should view themselves as consumers of training services … in other words … customers. Like any other significant purchase, you should do your research. The Queensland Government has a website that offers tips for training consumers which include:

Checking that the course you want to do meets your needs
Ensure that the course is nationally recognised and leads to a formal qualification (recognised by the Australian Qualifications framework)
Check your eligibility for government subsidised training
Shop around for a training provider that best suits your needs
Confirm your preferred training provider is a registered training provider
Be cautious about paying large sums of money up-front
Read the contract before signing

Visit their website to see more information about each of these tips.

ADF information sessions

Attend a virtual Australian Defence Force information session and find out:

if the Defence Force is a good fit for you
if they have a job that you are interested in doing
how to enlist

Course Seeker

Course Seeker is an Australian Government website that will assist you to explore your higher education study options. You can find information on short courses, course information, entry requirements, admission processes, student satisfaction and graduate survey results for all undergraduate courses offered by Australian higher education institutions. It will help you to make informed decisions about your future study options. www.courseseeker.edu.au

How long does it take to become a Doctor?

Have you wondered how long you need to study before you can work as a specialist doctor in Australia? Professor Mark Forwood has the answers in this short clip. He emphasises that it is a long journey and you should be fully aware of your study and professional commitment.

Job Outlook exploration

The school holidays is a great time to do some quality career research. Job Outlook has some great tools to help you explore the many options available to you including:

Skills Match- to help you identify how the skills you have from past jobs are transferable to new jobs
Career Quiz- to help you think about your work preferences and get career ideas
Explore Careers- to learn about the future outlook, pay, main tasks, and physical and other demands of careers
Explore Australia- to discover how the jobs in demand are changing in your local area
Explore Industries- to learn about the different industries you can work in and what kinds of jobs there are in those fields
Future Outlook- to find industries and jobs expected to grow

Use the school holidays wisely

An important strategy in career exploration is experiencing the job you are interested in. This can be undertaken in many ways:

Work observation - spending a day or more with someone already in the job at their workplace
Career interview – developing a list of questions and interviewing someone already in a job you are investigating
Work experience – spending some time (a week if possible) in the job
Investigating courses by visiting institutions and talking to providers about their courses
Getting a part-time job or volunteering in your job of interest
Doing a course or workshop that relates to the type of work you want to do.

The school holidays are a perfect time to do some of these activities.

What’s the difference between a Registered Nurse, an Enrolled Nurse and a Midwife?

Registered nurses (RN) assess, plan, provide and evaluate preventative, curative and rehabilitative care for patients and supervise other nursing staff. They work in a wide variety of settings such as hospitals, aged care and other health care facilities and private medical practices. To become a RN, you need to complete a three-year Bachelor of Nursing at a university or other accredited institute of higher education. RNs are required to be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency: Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. You can obtain more information about this occupation from the myfuture website (you will need to Log in or Sign up to enter this free site) and the Good Universities Guide website (this site has a list of nursing specialisations).

Enrolled Nurses (EN) under the direction and supervision of Registered Nurses, assist with the provision of acute, preventative, curative, rehabilitative and the day-to-day personal nursing care of patients. They work in hospitals, aged-care facilities, the community and other healthcare settings. To become an EN in Australia, the minimum level of study is the Diploma of Nursing (18 months – 2 years), delivered through TAFE or an accredited private Registered Training Organisation. After graduation, ENs apply for registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency: Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia to practice as an Enrolled nurse. You can obtain more information about this occupation from the myfuture website (you will need to log in or Sign up to enter this free site) and the Good Universities Guide website.

Midwifes provide care and advice to women during pregnancy, labour and childbirth and postnatal care for women and babies in a range of settings such as the home, community, hospitals, clinics and health units. They are also known as a Certified Midwife or Registered Midwife and can specialise in Community Midwife and Midwife Practitioner. A bachelor degree in midwifery is needed to work as a Midwife. Some Midwives complete postgraduate studies. Midwives are required to be registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency: Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. You can obtain more information about this occupation from the Job Outlook and the Good Universities Guide website.

‘Micro-credentials’ in VET: the big and small of it

An analysis of 'micro-credentials' in VET shows that in 2019, 2.6 million students were enrolled in subjects that do not form part of a nationally recognised course, which the report refers to as ‘subject bundles’, out of a total of 4.2 million students who were enrolled in all VET. Individuals and businesses accessing stand-alone subjects, or bundles of subjects that do not form a nationally recognised course, make up the single largest segment of enrolments in vocational education and training (VET) in Australia. If you are in Year 12 and not looking to take on a full course/training study commitment next year, you may be interested in reading about the option of 'micro-credentials' in the VET area. Click here to find out more.

Bright Awards

Courtesy of Billy Blue College of Design at Torrens University Australia, the Bright Awards highlight emerging talent across secondary schools in Australia. A celebration of creative Year 10, 11 and 12 students, the Bright Awards recognise up-and-coming designers and support the future of the arts in high schools across Australia. Whether you’re just tapping into your talent or keen to show off your well-developed skills, Billy Blue College of Design’s Bright Awards give you the chance to have your work recognised by industry experts. Plus, monetary prizes for both students and schools go towards kick-starting creative dreams. Applications are now open and close on 25th November 2021. Click here to read more about the competition as well as the categories and prizes.

20 highest-paying jobs in your state

Whether you’re looking for a new job or you just want to know what a certain job could earn, it’s often useful to get a picture of what roles are paying across the country. When it comes to career investigating knowing what you might earn can be a factor in your decision-making process. That’s why Seek gathered the latest salary data to show the highest-paying jobs in Queensland by industry and salary. Click here to read more.

Jobs that won't go out of style

Claims that 40 per cent of jobs in Australia won’t exist in the future are unhelpful when you are thinking about what job is for you. The reality is some jobs will no longer exist, new jobs will be created and most jobs will undergo some form of change. The skills we need for work are changing. But, you can plan for these changes. Fears of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) wiping out future work are well founded – new technology is changing the way we work. But as the current workforce ages, future generations will have many job opportunities, if they gain the right skills. Click here to read more including: Jobs of the future; Which industries show growth?; Skills young people can learn now.

Online employability course

Learn how to unlock your personal and professional development to maximise your career success. A degree is necessary to secure a graduate role, but employers are looking for much more. The key is showing a potential employer what you can offer beyond your credentials. EMPLOY101x "Unlocking your employability", is a free, self-paced, online course developed by UQ to show you how to take your experiences, extract what you’ve learned from them and present them in a way that would be attractive to an employer. It's never too early to do some self reflection.

Student experiences and graduate employment

Thinking about higher education institutions and study areas? The QILT (Quality indicators for learning and teaching) website helps you compare official study experience and employment outcomes data from Australian higher education institutions. Create your own shortlist to compare different study areas and institutions. See what students think about the university and study areas that you’re interested in.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander university entry schemes

These schemes provide alternative entry pathways for applicants from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. Specific information about these schemes can be obtained from the following links.

Note that when applying for courses through QTAC, you need to identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander on the application. You may have to provide the university with a Confirmation of Aboriginality. To obtain this might take time, so organise it early.

Employment prospects from a VET qualification

School News Australia published an article looking at employment outcomes for students who went on to gain VET qualifications. They say that more than 80% of young adults who did a short spell of post-school education or training (such as a certificate or diploma) or went directly into work were in full-time work by the time they were 25. This was compared to 64% of those who studied at university first. Click here to read the full article.

Job search basics workbook

The job search workbook, put together by JumpStart aims to help you to understand your work preferences and skills and what you have to offer employers. It provides practical information to help you research employers you want to work for and helps you to tailor job applications and prepare for interviews. Some of the topics included are: Know what you want and can offer; Understanding employers; Your job application; Interviews.

Thinking about studying a language?

Learning a second or third language opens up your eyes to a whole new world. If you are interested in languages but don’t have the desire to learn another one, a foreign language is not the only path you can take. Many courses are available in English, linguistics, applied linguistics, interpreting and translating, which all look at human language in very different ways.

For more information about careers and education in this field, visit the Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers Associations, Australian Linguistic Society and National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters websites. If you are interested in general study of language and culture, you may also wish to browse the offerings in communications and humanities and social sciences. Find out more here.