Careers and Pathways Programmes 

The Careers Administrator is Mrs Shelley Pender, who provides individual students with guidance and career information, vocational programmes and workplace activities to support the holistic development of our students. 

Our Career service includes a careers area located in the mezzanine floor of the school library. This area is resourced with: 

• course prospectuses from tertiary institutions, and directories and guide books on career choices 
• computer access to careers websites and databases.The careers area is open to students during intervals and the lunch hour Monday to Friday. Use of the computer database for careers specific information is encouraged, and written material may be accessed from staff on duty in the office. 

Students wanting careers/academic/counselling assistance may book class time for an interview and make an appointment with the Careers Administrator or their Dean. Senior students planning to leave School are encouraged to contact the both the Dean and Careers Administrator. 

Presentations by educational institutions or career providers are generally run during lunchtime but on occasions these also take up class time. These mainly involve visiting speakers from business or tertiary institutions. Any senior student wishing to attend a careers presentation in class time must obtain a permission slip from their Dean and present this to their subject teacher for signature. 

Work Experience is aimed primarily at Year 12 and 13 students. The programme involves placement for 1 to 5 days, working under normal (but unpaid) employment conditions. The procedure for placing a student on work exploration involves: 

• (i)  Registration and Parental Consent forms collected and returned to Mrs Pender
• (ii) Approval by the Deputy Principal and Assistant Principal
• (iii)  Interview of student and arrangement of employer placement.
• (iii)  A Work Experience Assessment will be completed by the Employer and returned to the School for review with the student.

‘STAR’ (Secondary Tertiary Alignment Resource) courses

These are provided by a range of tertiary providers and are actively promoted in the School. STAR programmes are the responsibility of Mrs Pender. The purpose of these courses is to provide an introduction to tertiary study, and courses are run on campus or at the providers premises for an average of 3 days each. They are designed by the providers in consultation with the School and instruction is by providers’ staff. 

The procedure for granting students leave to attend STAR requires a Permission Slip to be sent home and signed by a Parent/Guardian. 

Participation in these programmes often has a dramatic and positive effect on a students development in terms of outlook and motivation. 

GATEWAY: 

This is a standalone programme with an application, interview and selection procedure offering Year 12 and Year 13 students the opportunity to do workplace-based learning and in most cases earn industry-based Unit Standards. It is aimed primarily at students whose goal is a trade or technical career, including apprenticeships and cadetships. 

It emphasises personal goal-setting and self-management. Key staff involved in Gateway are Mrs Pender, Mr Senior, and Mr Bailey.