Life after Year 12 - Tom Poynton

For Tom Poynton, the University of Melbourne offers the course flexibility he wants, while living on campus at Trinity College offers both convenience and community.

Tom Poynton developed an interest in music during his school years in Bairnsdale, where he picked up the saxophone and bassoon, and when he graduated from high school, he didn’t want to give his instruments up.

When researching universities, Tom found that the University of Melbourne would let him combine a Bachelor of Science with a Diploma of Music, while also allowing him to take subjects like Spanish and literature as part of his bachelor’s degree. It was the perfect combination that would let him explore his interests while working out possible postgraduate study options and his eventual career path.

To supplement his university experience, Tom was keen to live on campus for at least a year in order to meet people and feel a part of a likeminded community. "I didn’t really have any expectations, but I knew I wanted to try it out," he says.

When it came to choosing a college, Tom was set on Trinity College, given he’d visited the college during high school when attending a music exam in Melbourne. "The campus is so nice, it’s beautiful," he says of his now home. "I love being close to everything, like the city and the uni."

Tom also found that the students at Trinity seemed to strike a good balance between studying, socialising and other activities like clubs and sport. "Everyone has a really strong work ethic, which is great to be around, but everyone has a lot of fun as well. It’s a good balance," he says. "It’s very supportive and there are a lot of great people who are very friendly."

Given his positive experiences at Melbourne University and Trinity College, even during the pandemic, Tom recommends that other students who grew up in smaller towns give the big city and on-campus living a go.

"It's a great experience, even if you can only live at college for a year," he says. "It's just a totally different world in Melbourne compared to Bairnsdale. It can be overwhelming, but, overall, I think it’s quite rewarding given all the people you meet. Even if you go into the city or to [a Melbourne suburb like] Brunswick, you’ll often see someone you know from college, which is always really nice."

When you’re surrounded by a tight-knit community, it turns out the big city doesn’t always feel so big after all.

Life after Year 12 – James Baker

For James Baker, a Chefs Apprenticeship at The Old Grain Store in Bairnsdale means he continue his education whilst working in a job that he loves.

James came into the VCAL program at the beginning of 2019. He would be the first to admit that he had experienced many difficulties during his school life and he was at risk of disengaging from his education. Despite this he entered the program with a positive attitude an enthusiasm for learning new things and the desire to improve his skills in a variety of environments.

Initially James was unsure of his career pathway and willingly tried a variety of jobs ranging from automotive to engineering. Around mid Year 11 James made the decision that a career in cooking was what inspired him and he arranged a work placement in two local businesses. Along with this James worked diligently and productively in the Kitchen Garden Project group. He was involved in a number of projects during his last two years at the College including catering for the swimming sports, planning and cooking meals for staff and students, maintaining and developing the vegetable gardens and looking after the chickens during the holiday period.

James showed enormous growth in the personal attributes of commitment, loyalty, resilience and responsibility along with a huge development in his communication, inter and intrapersonal skills, all of which supported him in gaining employment within our community.

James agrees that the VCAL program was totally suited to his style of learning and that the flexibility understanding and support of the staff were contributing factors to successfully completing his work requirements and then entering the workplace.

It was through his excellent approach to his work placement that James secured a Chef Apprenticeship at The Old Grain Store in Bairnsdale and is currently completing his first year of study.

Focus on VET

What is VET?VET (Vocational Education and Training) is hands-on, practical training that provides students with work-ready skills and knowledge that can help them obtain their employment or further education goals.

What is VET Delivered to Secondary Students (VET DSS)?VET Delivered to Secondary Students (VET DSS) programs are nationally recognised VET qualifications undertaken by senior secondary student as part of their VCE or VCAL. They provide a vocationally-oriented program of studies leading to a secondary school certificate. VET DSS is designed to expand opportunities and pathways for senior secondary students to improve post compulsory educational outcomes as well as address the employment needs of industry in Victoria. These programs are typically delivered in partnerships between schools, industry and training providers, and often include opportunities for students to participate in workplace learning.

VET DSS is a great option for students who are considering further study after secondary school. Not only do students develop new skills and knowledge, but they may also earn credit towards a nationally recognised qualification.This qualification can give students a great head start, potentially increasing their employability by developing real work skills and providing pathways into further education. Students completing a VET subject at school have the option of going onto a TAFE Gippsland Certificate I-IV or Diploma.A number of VET programs provide a study score that can be used as one of the primary four VCE subjects when calculating the ATAR. How long does it take?Most VET DSS students attend TAFE for one day a week throughout the academic year, although some VET subjects are delivered internally at the College within our normal timetable. VET DSS qualifications generally take two years to complete.Students start each year in February and complete their study in October/November, in order to give them time to prepare for final exams.

Focus on VCAL

On 26th March The East Gippsland Jobs Expo was held at the BARC. The expo offered job seekers the opportunity to connect directly with more than 25 employers. Our VCAL and hospitality students were approached by East Gippsland Learning and Employment Network to cater for the exhibitors on the day. This was a great opportunity for our students to practice their teamwork, organisation, communication and general hospitality skills in a real-world environment.

The students readily accepted the challenge and did a fantastic job on the day. We received many compliments from the organisers and exhibitors for the quality of the lunch, coffee and service they received from the students.

Photos :VCAL and VET Hospitality students teamed up to cater for the businesses taking part in the Job Expo

Projects in the VCAL classes are really getting underway. Our very own Lisa Evans from the Year 7 hub came and gave some of our students lessons on macrame. Amalee Flukes and Hayley Hewitt really took to this new skill and decided to take their skills further, coming up with a design for a plant shelf incorporating their woodwork and macrame skills.

VCAL student Amalee Flukes designed, built and stained this beautiful shelf for the VCAL room. She then made macramé pot holders to display.

Thanks to ex-student Dan Robinson of Amax Automotive, VCAL students gained some valuable knowledge of basic car maintenance, with the students asking some very interesting questions. Dan has only been open in his new factory for 6 weeks and the students were also interested in hearing his story of opening his own business.

VCE MUSIC PERFORMANCE

During the term holidays our hardworking and dedicated VCE Music students were rehearsing Group Performance work in a private studio. Rehearsals for this group performance have been happening in smaller sections during Term 1 and this was the first opportunity for the band to rehearse with the entire rhythm section. Callum Ingram will play guitar for his Group Performance examination later in the year and there will be many hours of practice and rehearsals that will achieve an outstanding result. James Caddie will be examined for Solo Performance for Drums but generously supports other students by being part of their group. Callum is being supported by musicians James Newman, Pete Howell, Ethan Bury and Aleka Hutton and we are very grateful for their contribution to Callum’s program.

VCAL Organise Renewable Energy Incursion

VCAL in conjunction with Environmental Science organised for Ian Southall, a renewable energy expert, and Executive Administrator from the Gippsland Climate Change Network to run sessions on how to generate energy sustainably. Students also learnt about how fossil fuels contribute to CO2 emissions.

The trailer contains multiple resources which all run on renewable energy. This included an Xbox 360 that was powered by solar, a bike that you ride which powered multiple lights, the quicker you peddled the more lights it lit up at a time and many other hands on renewable energy activities. Students also held hands and made a complete circuit whilst holding conductors which lit up flashing lights.

The sessions were also attended by general science classes as well as the senior Systems Engineering students who are completing a unit of study on renewable energy production.

The day was made possible thanks to the Gippsland Climate Change Network and East Gippsland Shire’s Resource Smart Schools program.

Article by Kallum O’Neil VCAL

Photo: Khloe Watkins, Ms Hammond, Amy Howard, Sophie Lewendon, Darci Akeroyd holding conductors and making a circuit.

Photo: Boris Bryant playing the Solar powered Xbox

Photos : Paige Tarling and Mr Weir lighting up for Lilli Raeburn, Gabby McLeish-Kauter and others.

Article by Kallum O’Neil VCAL

VCE English

Year 12 students began studying their analytical text this term – Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. This novel has a shifting timeline, and students worked collaboratively to organise the important events into chronological order. A great start to our text study!

Student Artworks