Careers Corner

Year 10 Work Experience

This week our Year 10 students have been given the opportunity to gain practical, on the job experience and skills at a work placement. The students have explored a variety of industries such as hairdressing, floristry, retail, bakery, dentistry, web design, electrical, child care, building and construction, landscaping and dance, to name a few.

We would like to thank all of the employers for their indispensable contribution to our students’ futures. 

Our teachers have been visiting the students in the workplace throughout the week for feedback (from both students and their employers) and we have received overwhelmingly positive reports. 

Work experience is a fantastic experience; giving the students a chance to try out their chosen career to see if they really like it, the ability to improve their communication skills and self-confidence, an understanding of what the world of work is really like and to develop contacts with potential employers. 

Casual Roles at Coles

Our Year 10 students have completed work experience this week and a number have opted to work in a supermarket, in the hope of gaining a casual job further down the track.  I thought this may be of interest to our students and families.  Check out the links as they have some excellent tips in reference to job applications.

Start out Strong with a Casual Role at Coles

Becoming a team member at Coles Group is more than just a fun and rewarding experience; it’s a chance to gain practical skills, make friends and build your confidence. It’s the beginning of a journey, on which you’ll discover all kinds of things about yourself, and the support you need to get to wherever you want to go. 

Coles Group are calling for expressions of interest to join their them as a casual Store Team Member. They use the expression of interest method of recruiting to match you to jobs when they become available. When submitting your Expression of Interest, they suggest you maximise your chances of being matched by considering each question carefully and including the broadest preferences you can. 

Coles understands that for many applicants, Coles could be their first job, so they've put together a guide to help you breeze through the application process. Learn about what they're looking for, how to make a good impression with your resume, and how to prepare for your interview. 

Why do students choose careers that are likely to be at risk?

I recently read an interesting article on students choosing careers that may not exist in the not-too-distant future.  There is a myriad of reasons as to why this is the case which may include:

• the rapid advancement in technologies (jobs are becoming obsolete much more quickly)
• a lack of awareness regarding the impact of automation on the job market and how this is shaping the future of work
• choices made on outdated assumptions regarding job security (is there any such thing as job security these days?)

Many jobs will change (or have changed) with the introduction of technology and automation however, this does not mean they will disappear forever.  I was recently speaking to a colleague about her son who had commenced a motor mechanic apprenticeship.  He was disillusioned with his apprenticeship as his perception, and past experience, of what mechanics do on a daily basis has completely changed with the introduction of technology.  Mechanical work is now highly technological and many of the skills that were developed previously, are no longer relevant. 

What can we do as career practitioners when working with young people?  We receive a high volume of information on the job market, careers of the future, skill shortage areas etc. and we pass this on to students in career conversations. I believe one of the most important things to instil in others is the importance of ‘life-long learning’. Through life-long learning we can develop new skills, skills that are needed for future career growth.  This should keep a person more competitive in the future job market, providing them with a range of options. 

For information on the labour market, go to:  https://labourmarketinsights.gov.au

This is a government website, giving you information on employment, growth by career choice, growth by region and so on.  I hope you find it useful.

RMIT Holiday Campus Tours

RMIT would like to welcome all prospective students who would like to experience the sights and sounds of all three of their Melbourne campuses.  They are running an interactive facility tour of their City, Brunswick, or Bundoora campus. Discover RMIT’s state-of-the-art facilities and learn about their teaching spaces and the services they offer. It’s a great chance to get your questions answered by friendly staff members!

These tours are free, but bookings are required via the website below:

https://www.rmit.edu.au/about/our-locations-and-facilities/campus-tours/high-school-students

Experience Day Workshops at Monash University

Calling all Year 10-12 students; explore your curiosity and creativity in Fine Art, Design and Architecture at Monash!

Gain a better understanding of different art mediums, design thinking approaches, and architecture studios through our hands-on experience days right here at the Monash Caulfield Campus. You'll find out what it's like to be a student for a day, meet our exceptional staff and explore the workshop spaces you'll get to work in as a student at Monash.

Check out their upcoming workshops during the holidays - Please click here for all the details

The Australian Defence Force Visit to Year 10 Students

The Australian Defence Force visited the school on the 13th June and spoke to our Year 10 students about careers in the ADF.  After an absence of a few years due to Covid, it was great to have them back again to give students an abundance of information and answer any questions they may have.

They went through all the different types of entry, educational opportunities, apprenticeships, sport and recreation, travel, benefits etc. The representatives also spoke about the enrolment process, from beginning to end, so that students know what to expect if they are thinking of joining the Air Force, Army or Navy when they finish school. 

Please click here to go to their website where you can find all of the above information and much more.

Careers Tools Articles

Below are two very good articles from Careers Tools (the organisation who develops the Pakenham Secondary College Careers website).  If you want to know how sport can benefit your studies or careers, or if Early Childhood Education appeals to you, read on:

Does Playing Sport Benefit Your Career?

Do you play sports? Does it help or hinder your studies, and do you think it's useful for your career? Year13 and Visa teamed up to ask 1,250 thirteen to twenty-three year-olds from across Australia these questions as part of their PlayOn youth sport survey, and this is what they found...

The age most young people stop playing sports is 15. 40% of young people don’t play sport, with the top reason being so they have more time to study.

Of those who do play sport, the majority believe it benefits their studies because it helps clear their mind, lift their mood, give them energy, improve their productivity, and helps them sleep.

Interestingly, only a minority thought sports helped with their careers, despite most identifying it as developing teamwork, resilience, collaboration, discipline, and leadership - all skills high up on employers' most wanted lists!

What this means is that young people see the benefits of sport and the transferable skills playing them builds, but aren’t connecting them to the broader context of their careers and lives. 

So if you've dropped sport to focus on study, might it be time to think again? Rather than seeing sport as conflicting with your study and career aspirations, can you connect it to helping you reach them instead?

Click over to PlayOn to learn more about how sports benefit your life and your career!

Why Students Should Consider Early Childhood Education as a Career

Did you know that 90% of a child's brain develops by the time they're 5 years old? Early childhood education isn’t babysitting; it's teaching through play-based learning, and as an early childhood teacher or educator you have the incredible opportunity to help children learn during their most crucial years of development.

The Victorian Government’s roll-out of free kindergarten for three and four-year-olds will create over 11,000 new jobs. Study and employment opportunities are available across Victoria, with:

• Free TAFE places for Certificate III and Diploma qualifications 
• Up to $25, 000 for students studying approved undergraduate qualifications 
• Up to $34,000 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students studying approved undergraduate qualifications, and Certificate III and Diploma qualifications

Make a difference in young lives and help shape future generations of Australians through a career in early childhood education. To learn more, visit Early childhood teaching: make a difference.

University Open Days

Registrations are now open for University Open Days. Click on the links below to find out more.