Careers
Wanganui Park Career News
Events coming up
Tues. 30th May – Latitude Global Volunteering visiting Wanganui @ lunchtime
Thurs. 1st June – GV Health Careers Day @ GV Health & Uni Melb (Shepp.)
June 5 - 14 - Inside Monash Seminars: Medicine & Biomedical Science (5), Business (14), http://bit.ly/1ScshkI
June 6 – 30 - Focus on Melbourne University: Arts (6), Design (7), Law (8), Music (13), Fine Arts (20), Education (21), http://bit.ly/2pWxQIT
Defence Force Technical Trades Tour
Last week I had the good fortune of participating in a Defence Force Recruiting tour of recruit training facilities at Wagga Air Base, Kapooka Army Base (Wagga), Bandiana Army Base (Wodonga) and HMAS Cerebus Naval Base (Flinders). With me were 30 potential recruits and career practitioners from Victoria, NSW, Qld & SA. The focus was on recruitment opportunities in Science Technical Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) focused roles. As someone who has a good familiarity with Defence, built over a number of years of helping students apply, even I was surprised at the range of technical opportunities.Last year we had 10 of our Year 12 students apply for positions in the Defence Force. Some were for Gap Year, others 12 month roles and several were for general recruitment. We have heard back from at least a few students who seem to have done particularly well.
At Wagga Air Base I got to sit in the cockpit of a Hawk Fighter (well the simulator anyway) and we saw the mechanical and electrical skeleton’s that are training devices for the various technicians.
At Kapooka we participated in the various steps a recruit would undergo including weapons simulation, watching the live firing range in action and bayonet training before looking through Echo Battalion’s Barracks. In the next Newslink I’ll detail the visits to Bandiana & HMAS Cerebus.
Applying for a position in the Defence Force
If you are interested in any career in the Defence Force the starting point is making contact with DFR (via phoning 13 19 01 or through their website http://www.defencejobs.gov.au or via their FB page) and arranging what is called a ‘YOU Session’ (Your Opportunities Unlimited. This is a face-to-face interview/counselling session. They will complete an aptitude test (numeracy, literacy, problem solving, mechanical aptitude) and on the basis of performance and their interview will be assessed as being suitable for a list of different roles/positions. These may be direct combat or non-combat roles and could be as variable as avionics technician, plumber, communications technician, fitter, unit supply operator, military police, combat systems operator, specialist driver, artilleryman or just about any of numerous other roles. From that list, should you wish to proceed, you will be able to submit an application which places preferences against the roles you are interested in. Whether you are applying as a general recruit, gap year recruit or officer recruit (via ADFA) the starting point is the YOU session.
The 2nd step is to attend an ‘Assessment Session’. Here you’ll undergo a medical assessment, a psychological interview and an ADF interview. There are details on the ADF website to assist in preparation for this.
If you’ve chosen an Officer role, the next step will be to attend an Officer Selection Board. You will be interviewed by a panel of Officers and a psychologist and complete a range of group and individual activities. Your leadership, teamwork and other potential will be assessed.
The next step is a pre-entry fitness assessment. The benchmarks for the three services vary, as it does with gender, but essentially involve a beep test (endurance), push ups (upper body strength) and sit-ups (core strength).
Finally you will attend an enlistment/appointment day. Here you will have your final medical examination before joining friends and family for the enlistment ceremony. You will be able to withdraw your application at any stage up until departing for your recruit training on this day.
Defence Force Gap Year
At HMAS Cerebus I managed to catch up with Georgia Otto who is completing a Gap Year in the Navy. It was fantastic to hear how much Georgia is loving it. She did say that the 1st two weeks of recruit training were particularly challenging and that the team nature of recruit training ensured she and her fellow recruits negotiated every new hurdle they encountered. She had just returned from a two week tour of all the naval bases around Australia. At the moment she is working in an administrative role with the Bosun, which I understood (on the base) to mean managing armaments, stores and equipment.
University experience days coming up next school holidays
RMIT Experience Days: These events provide a fantastic opportunity for you to experience life as a RMIT student for a day and to explore the courses you are interested in.
To book your place, go to http://bit.ly/2qRca05
Australian Catholic University Experience Days: University Experience is a hands-on event where you will participate in a range of activities related to the course area of your choice. A large range of workshops will be available and a parent session will also be running. The following are dates the events will be running:
- Melbourne campus, Tuesday 4 July
- Ballarat campus, Tuesday 11 July
Registrations will open on Monday 22 May at the following link, http://bit.ly/2pb23CK
DeakInspire Day: Deakin University is running full day events at the Melbourne and Geelong campuses designed for Year 10 – 12 students to learn more about Deakin courses and programs.
Dates are as follows:
- Melbourne Burwood campus, Tuesday 4 July
- Geelong Waurn Ponds, Thursday 6 July
For information on the venues, speakers, workshops and to register your place, go to http://bit.ly/2r0rbh5
Experience La Trobe
Be a uni student for the day. Attend workshops, lectures and seminars, find out about career options, areas of study, pathways and student life. Come with your friends and parents and chat with our Student Ambassadors about what to expect at university.
Experience La Trobe is a free event – with lunch and entertainment provided.
- Melbourne Campus: 6 July
- Bendigo Campus: 5 July
- Mildura Campus: 7 July
- Shepparton Campus: 4 July.
For information on the venues and workshops and to register your place, go to http://bit.ly/2p07y7b
Volunteering opportunities with Lattitude Global Volunteering
Lattitude is one of the largest international volunteering organisations, supporting around 1000 young people globally every year. As a non-profit organisation, we ensure we remain cost effective and are transparent about all costs involved, while providing comprehensive support throughout the process.
They have placements available in 13 countries, lasting between 4 and 11 months and departing throughout the year.
Latitude will be visiting Wanganui Park SC on Tuesday 30th May @ lunchtime
Graeme Crosbie