Careers
Year 10 and Year 11 Career Interviews
Term 3, as always, is very busy and here in B21 we have been interviewing many students. The Year 10 and Year 11 interviews, in the main, are complete, with Careers staff delighted at the preparedness of most of our Year 10 students for their Careers interviews. It has been fascinating to listen to the diverse pathways and aspirations of the students and to get to know them a little better.
Year 12 Pathways
This week we have begun interviewing the Year 12 students about their pathways post Aitken: University, TAFE, an apprenticeship or other employment, a pre apprenticeship, a gap year, joining the Defence Force or attending Bible College. It is a long list of possibilities and there are so many opportunities for our students. We are looking forward to hearing about the directions chosen for their future and are excited for them as they look forward with optimism to a time beyond Aitken.
Open Days
There are still some University and TAFE Open Days to take place so keep checking your Open Day calendar. There is nothing quite like getting on to a campus and 'feeling the vibe through your own skin'.
The VU Bus
In excess of 125 Aitken students visited the VU Bus at lunchtime on a blustery August day earlier this term. The VU Bus is a travelling “arm” of VU with Schools Liaison and Student Ambassador staff on board. They bring with them wonderful knowledge, up to date Course Guides and printed information and lots of fun giveaways, such as stress balls, highlighter pens and more. This year there was a lot of information to impart to students with the new VU First Year Model, which is proving to be such a wonderful success and the VU Guaranteed initiative.
The VU ‘revolutionary’ First Year Model is designed with the needs of the students in mind. Students study in short bursts, called blocks. Each block focuses on one unit (subject) and is only four weeks long. VU believes students learn best with more access to their teachers also benefiting from greater connections with fellow students and one-on-one support from lecturers (who know the names of their students). The VU First Year Model is a more focused approach to learning and assessment, offering problem based, hands-on learning thereby giving students the opportunity to develop valuable communication and collaboration skills to succeed at VU and in the workplace.
VU Guaranteed is new for 2019. Aitken College is a partnership school with VU and this means all Aitken students are guaranteed a place at VU on completion of Year 12. Staff will work with the students to find them a suitable course in either a degree program at the University or a TAFE option at the Polytechnic. Aitken students also receive an additional 5 ATAR points for courses that consider ATAR as part of the selection process. With VU Guaranteed, students can enjoy peace of mind and feel confident going into their exams knowing they will have a place at VU in 2019. When results are released, tailored advice is provided to students who can chat to a personal VU course adviser. If students do not meet admissions criteria for their preferred course they will be mapped into an alternative course. There is no obligation to accept the VU Guaranteed course but what a great safety net! Students have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Adam, a VU Schools Liaison/Student Recruitment representative, commented: “Of course we would love students to select VU as their institution of choice but really we just want to encourage secondary students to seriously consider tertiary study after they complete Year 12. So, on the bus we are ambassadors for further study as much as for VU.”
Careers staff see this as a great introduction to a tertiary institution for our students, setting them up for the Future Finder excursion to RMIT in Year 11 and the Tertiary Information Service (TIS) excursion to La Trobe University in Year 12. These activities model the behaviour useful for attendance at Open Days which assist students to gain the most out of their attendance. Whilst there is no substitute for being on campus at an Open Day, such activities are part of the learning and careers research process, paving the way for making wise decisions about the future when in Year 12.
The VU Bus visit to the College was a terrific success with students now being armed with more detailed and accurate knowledge for their decision making over the next few years.
Do not forget the VU Open Day is this Sunday 19 August.
Career News 12
Career News Issue 12 is now available and includes information about a VCE Music Audition Preparation Workshop at the University of Melbourne, options for studying teaching (Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary) degrees, the new Bachelor of Educational Studies at ACU, a Study Overseas Expo at Melbourne Grammar, the RSPCA Term 3 school holiday programs and much more.
Careers Newsletter on My Aitken
Career News is written and published fortnightly and is available via My Aitken / Resources / School Life / Aitken News / Careers Newsletter / Careers Newsletters – 2018 Editions:
Contact Details
The Careers office is staffed most days except when we are at meetings or professional development seminars. Please contact us on 9333 1866 or email: careers@aitkencollege.edu.au.
Mrs Clare Borg & Ms Rae Gibbs
Careers Counsellors