Careers News
Year 10 Careers Experience Week – June 21-25
With some very last minute COVID restriction changes at the end of last week, permission was granted by the Department of Education for Work Experience placements to go ahead. This has allowed over 125 students to attend actual placements this week which is a great result given the disruption to the program for students in 2020.
For the remaining Year 10 students the DSC Careers Experience Week Program enabled them to undertake a Virtual Careers Experience project and activities. We have developed a week long program that incorporates guest presentations, a Work Ready Workbook, activities and access to an innovative digital careers platform; The Careers Department.
We have invested in this product again this year as we strive to inspire and empower our students to make informed career decisions. Exploring the idea that “if you can see it, you can be it”, this product showcases 800+ pieces of industry and course content that can show students all of the options on offer to them post high school. The digital program is a touchpoint for our students to not only experience different industries, but to see these industries in action and to learn from their professionals.
Free parent/carer accounts
The Careers Department also have a range of resources for parents to support your child’s career planning and access the platform’s parent-only content. Visit The Careers Department for more information.
What does the program involve?
Each student created an individual account and will have ongoing access to The Careers Department. The platform includes:
- Over 800 pieces of industry content,
- including virtual tours, videos, podcasts, career timelines and more.
Content examples include,
- ‘How to get a job at a Big 4 accounting firm’,
- ‘The truth about studying exercise science,’
- ‘What are the job prospects for a future lawyer,’
- ‘What to expect inside an engineering degree,’
- ‘Site tour with a residential builder’.
- Virtual work experience tasks
- A job finder and CV builder
- Profiling assessment
- Live webinars
- Guest speakers
- Career goal tracking
Students were able to work remotely on Wednesday on their chosen Investigation Project to enable them to focus on the Project and better utilise any resources they may have access to. Friday culminated with presentations, awards and the chance to share the learnings of the week.
What about being a Marine Biologist?
Actual Work Experience, whilst preferred, also has its limitations. Many students have considered ‘becoming a Marine Biologist’ but few students, if any, have had the opportunity to explore this career area with actual Work Experience. This is where the options within the Virtual Program can provide unique insights into previously inaccessible careers.
For this Virtual task, students are asked to ‘assess how the Ningaloo coral community has been impacted between 2015-2020’ by identifying and mapping coral growth from dive photos and analysing the results.
Other unique Virtual Experiences include: Acting, Paramedicine, RFDS Nursing, Artificial Intelligence, Agriculture, Broadcast Media, Cybersecurity and Genomic Research Science.
Careers Experience Week - Intermediate VCAL Presentations
The Year 10 students who were participating in the Virtual Work Experience Program on Tuesday, were treated to some very informative presentations. The Intermediate VCAL Students showcased the vast array of activities and industries that they are involved in this year through their TAFE courses, VCAL subjects and the work placements where they able to put their learning into practice.
The VCAL students explained what life as a DSC VCAL student in 2021. Industries that were presented were Hairdressing, Plumbing both roof and physical plumbing, Building and Construction, Carpentry, Cabinet Making, Sport and Recreation (Fitness), Beauty, Make-up, Hairdressing, Barbering, Automotive, Childcare, Allied Health, Animation and the Rail Network.
The VCAL students took our Year 10 cohort on a journey of their own experiences, through the world of adult learning, VCAL requirements and the world of work. Year 10 students were able to get a firsthand insight into what the VCAL students found enjoyable, the pitfalls and barriers that they themselves had encountered.
What was demonstrated through the presentation was the joy that students found in being able to pursue their passion while gaining a taste of the working world, where most students who are SBATs (Student Based Apprentices and Traineeships) are also being paid. The Year 10s also learnt about the maturity and dedication required to juggle school TAFE, and work. The importance of work-related skills, including being on time, reliability, following instructions, teamwork, perseverance, motivation, problem solving and communication were also highlighted.
Hopefully the Year 10 students will have received valuable insights into the what life in VCAL is like by their contemporaries, which may also help to clarify their own future pathways.
Thank you to the Intermediate VCAL classes.
Vanessa Ramsay
Career Development Coordinator
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