Careers
Careers Report
This term is jam packed with events and activities! We have almost concluded our Guest Speaker program with only one industry to go….Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) on Wednesday 28th August (Game development, 3D animation, & Visual Effects). This program has had a great impact on our students, exposing them to the huge variety of careers available for them to explore. I encourage students to visit the careers room to have a chat about career pathways or to discover the many resources on hand in support of their decision making.
Year 10 Work Experience
Work Experience for Semester 2 group is from 21st - 25th of October. Students in the following classes, 10HUM1, 10HUM2, & 10HUMD5 will participate. It is an expectation that all Year 10 students participate in this program. Students have received this information and discussed the process during class time this week. Students are required to source their own work experience placement. Doing this provides students with a great opportunity to develop their communication skills, initiative and ‘real world’ experiences. Please see attached documents.
Year 12 RSA course
During July, some of our Year 12 students participated in an RSA course to gain a qualification in the Responsible Serving of Alcohol. Well done to those students who wanted to increase their employability by seeking additional credentials.
BrainSTEM
We have 2 teams representing Lowanna at the BrainSTEM 12-week Food & Fibre challenge. Students attended the ‘Kick-starter’ meeting at the Gippsland Tech School so they could meet a mentor in local industry and work on solving a real problem within that industry. The local industry that Lowanna students are working with is Agriculture Victoria and Flavourite. We can’t wait to hear about the problem-solving ideas our students come up with!
Year 8 Federation University
Federation University visited our Year 8 students as part of their ‘schools outreach’ program. Students listened to how important it is to make choices about subjects and decisions about their future. Activities included understanding the importance of taking control of their future decisions, 'your future-your choice', and creating pathways. The students were very engaged in these activities and asked lots of great questions.
STEM – Melbourne Zoo
Over 200 students and teachers throughout Victoria got to connect with female STEM role models, explore the future of work and experience a STEM ‘Design Hack’. It was inspiring and epic! Our students worked with like-minded students to discover some amazing career opportunities within the STEM field. Students explored the Melbourne Zoo while undertaking a STEM design challenge that required using their design thinking to explore solutions to animal enrichment. Valuable ‘soft skills’ were used including team-work, communication, problem-solving and listening. Well done to Mar-Lea Chak, Hayley Palmer and Angela Slatter who represented Lowanna in a great manner!
Morrisby Year 9 Career Advisory Service
The Careers online assessment started last week and students have been amazingly receptive to this great opportunity. Students understand that the benefits from this assessment, report and careers counseling session will have a great impact on their decision making in the future.
Catch up sessions will be held for those students who missed the timeframe.
Students and parents can access the report via the link below. All students have their login credentials.
Students will undergo a Careers Counselling session with external Careers Practitioners in September. More information to follow about this.
VTAC – applications open 5th August
The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) is the central office that administers the application processes for places in tertiary courses, scholarships and the Special Entry Access Scheme at universities, TAFEs and independent tertiary colleges in Victoria. Applications opened on Monday 5th August. Students have received several presentations and supporting information surrounding this. Staff will be available for support during Home Group to those students who wish to put an application in and have any questions about the process.
University Open Days
Please see the link to university open days. Lowanna strongly encourages interested students to attend these open days. It’s a great chance to see the University first-hand along with getting answers to important questions and exploring the facilities. Year 12 students have been reminded about these open days via Compass.
https://www.lowannacareers.com/?page=calendar-of-events
Job Skills Expo
Students from year 10 – 12 attended the Gippsland Job Skills Expo at Lardner Park in Warragul. It was a great day and our students, along with 2500 students from schools across Gippsland had the opportunity to learn about the range of careers & training options available to them. Students enjoyed guest speakers, collecting career resources and generally interacting with local industry representatives.
Careers Website
Please follow below link or access through the Lowanna College website under ‘Careers’
Guest Speakers
CFA
Our first Careers Guest Speaker for Term 3 was CFA Commander Steve Morgan and CFA Administration support Melissa Armstrong. Commander Morgan spoke with students about being a career firefighter and the steps required to begin this journey. Students heard about Steve’s experiences and what he loves about his job. Did you know that there is 13 tests to become a fire fighter? Steve explained each step to our students. It was a very informative session and outlined a very rewarding and exciting career.
Thanks to Steve, Melissa and the CFA for supporting our careers program.
SAFETECH
Charlene Kenney and Adrian Densley kindly found time in their busy schedules to share the variety of careers available at Safetech. Safetech is a local business that is an Australian premier dock products and lifting solutions company. Adrian is a Product Engineer with Safetech and spoke to students about his career and what he enjoys about working with Safetech. Charlene is an accountant who also works in HR with the company. Charlene spoke about her career and what she enjoys about her job.
A huge thank you to Charlene, Adrian, and Safetech.
Victoria Police
Our students had the privilege of hearing from the Victoria Police about Careers in the police force. Senior Sargent Rumble and Senior Constable Woodbridge gave a detailed presentation to students about their journey and their career pathways. Students heard about different fields within the Police Force and also the diversity that comes from being a police officer.
A big thank you to Victoria Police, Senior Sargent Rumble and Senior Constable Woodbridge for helping our students gain an understanding of this amazing public service.
Regards,
Kirsty Mitchell
Careers Pathways Coordinator
Head Start
Introducing Warren, Zak and Deegan. These boys are one of our first Head Start Apprentices who are undertaking Certificate III in Light Vehicle Mechanical Technology with Paynie's Diesel & Hydraulic, Robbie J's Automotive and M & J Stewart Motors.
All three boys will be supported by Lowanna College and their Head Start Coordinator Amanda McMahon throughout the duration of their apprenticeships.
Good luck and great work Warren, Zak and Deegan.
For information about the DET Head Start Apprenticeship and Traineeship program please contact us via email head.start.innergippsland@edumail.vic.gov.au