Careers & Pathways


Wallan Secondary College supports the future pathways of our young people with a team of staff dedicated to mentoring students in their subject selections and options post-secondary Education. This team works together to ensure that our young people have opportunities to talk through their career aspirations, and that they are provided with relevant, up-to-date information regarding tertiary and vocational employment avenues.

 

Work Experience

Each year, Year 10 students undertake two weeks work experience with an employer /industry of their choice. Work Experience with this employer / industry take place between June 17 - 28. The required Work Experience form requires students, parents or guarding signatures and employer agreement. It should then be returned to Mr Howley at the College. Students will receive two copies prior to Work Experience ; one for themselves and one for their employer.

 

Students will do some preparation for work experience at school but it is their responsibility to identify suitable placements.

 

Work experience is part of the schools' educational program where students experience the world of work, often for the first time. It is the short term placement of secondary school students with employers, to provide insights into the industry, and the workplace in which they are located. Students are placed with employers primarily to observe and learn – not to undertake activities which require extensive training or expertise. It is undertaken at the employer's premises and has enormous benefits for students.

 

Talking Careers

As a parent, you play an important role in helping your child to make educational choices and career decisions. This role begins when your child is young—as they watch you and others around them take part in working life.

 

As they grow older, you can play an even greater part in guiding their career development and fostering their optimism, enthusiasm, energy and curiosity. A lot of this relies on good communication.

 

This brochure covers practical and beneficial ways for you to be involved your child's career planning. It outlines current information on the many options your child will have when they leave school. It also identifies useful resources and websites.


Start talking

Take advantage of all opportunities to talk to your child about possibilities for their future.

 

Most young people respond well to casual conversations about careers, so be ready when they ask questions about life after school. Your child probably wants to know how you made decisions about your career. Be ready to tell them about your own work and life experiences and the paths you took to get where you are. They'll gain from knowing about your different jobs, how you found them and whether you liked them. They may also like hearing about experiences of other family members and friends. It's quite possible you know someone who works in a job or industry that interests your child. See if they are willing to tell your child more about their work, and its positives and negatives.

 

Be ready with questions too. Ask your child if they have thought about different types of further learning. Find out what their friends are planning to do. Ask if they have talked to their school career adviser. Ask if they know other ways to find out more about careers or if they would like to attend career expos. Expos are a great way to find the education and training providers in your area, and meet potential employers.

 

Think about your child's experiences. Have they helped in with your business? Do they have a creative hobby or a special skill or talent that could lead to an occupation? Have they worked as volunteers, held casual jobs or done work experience? How did they feel about these experiences? Learning what they don't want to do can be as important as learning what they do want to do. So even if they didn't enjoy an experience, it is good to talk about why they didn't enjoy it.

 

You can take this further by helping them to fully understand their interests, likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, skills and what is important to them. Be sure to discuss the importance of gaining employability skills

 

And above all, be encouraging and supportive. Be positive about their ideas and chances of finding a satisfying career path. Let them know you believe they are a capable and resourceful person. This kind of parental influence can help to boost your child's confidence, maturity and desire to succeed.

 

Web Links

We're constantly out surfing the web to find the latest websites to assist our students to find their career or pathway. Use the weblinks below to navigate through links to universities, TAFEs, employment sites, and other useful careers websites.

 

University of Melbourne

Swinburn University

 

 

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