Careers Corner

We are back into Term 2 and it’s full-steam-ahead!

The Year 12 VET students are, and will be, going on Work Placement over the next couple of weeks.  The Year 12 Construction class have been out this week (1 – 5 May).  Thanks to Mid Coast Connect and the many employers for allowing this to happen.  This is an excellent opportunity for the students to learn more of the world of work and often results in job opportunities for many of the students.

The Year 12 Hospitality class are flying to the Gold Coast and will be working at Sea World from Monday, 8 May until Thursday, 11 May inclusive, to complete their Work Placement hours.  Once again this is an excellent opportunity for the students to learn about and experience first-hand the many different aspects of the Hospitality industry.

Year 12 students who are interested in a university pathway post school are reminded to check each university’s website for early application and scholarship information.  UAC has opened and it is great to see some names already in the SRS (School Recommendation Scheme) portal which can assist with early entry.  I will be talking about UAC in our Careers sessions with Year 12 over the coming weeks.

Please note that other states do not have their applications open yet (QTAC, VTAC, SATAC) and will open at various stages over the coming months.

The students have received their UAC guides.  If anyone was away on Monday when they were given out, could you please come and see me to get one.  There is a great deal of information in this booklet which can also be accessed from the UAC site

In the Year 12 Team OneNote there are a couple of different Early Entry information sheets.  There is a great deal of information in these about the many university early entry pathways.  Please have a look at these and apply if you would like to.  I am happy to help if you would like some assistance with this process.

Job Jump also has a great deal of information with regard to this, so don’t forget to check out the chapters in our Careers Team OneNote spaces.

On Monday I attended an Industry Update Day run by CAA.  There was a plethora of information about careers in many different industries/professions.  I have placed all the information that I have received in our Careers Team OneNote Content Libraries (Years 10, 11 and 12).  Please contact me if you are interested in any of these or if you cannot access the Team OneNote spaces.

Students in Year 12 who might be considering careers in medicine or dentistry post school need to register for the “UCAT” (University Clinical Aptitude Test ANZ).

IMPORTANT UCAT ANZ 2023 DATES

Candidates taking the UCAT ANZ in 2023 for entry to universities in Australia and New Zealand in 2024 should note these key dates (deadline times are in AEST - Australian Eastern Standard Time):  

Please log on to the UCAT website for specific information.  There are free practice tests on this website to assist with preparation.

On Tuesday evening, 2 May, there was a Medicine Information Evening at the Manning Rural Health Centre in Taree.  This was a great opportunity to learn more about careers in medicine post school.

Year 10 are coming up to “subject selection” time for 2024.  The mentoring process for these students will begin in the last couple of weeks of this term all going well.  Small groups of students are usually mentored by the coordinators.  Information will be given about the various available subjects, closer to the end of this term.

There is a great deal of information from many of the universities for Year 10 students and their parents and as this information becomes available, I will place it in the Year 10 Team Careers OneNote.

As information comes to hand, I will email the relevant students and I will be putting all information in each Year Group Careers OneNote.  This will relate to apprenticeships, traineeships, job vacancies, university information and open days, TAFE information and scholarships.  There is a tab in the Careers section titled Job Jump which has a great deal of up-to-date information in all things careers.  All the students in Years 10, 11 and 12 have, or will have, access to this.

I would also like to keep encouraging the students to have a draft ‘Cover Letter’ and resume which can be tailored for job applications both part-time and fulltime.  This can be saved in the OneNote and accessed/changed at any time.

Next week the Year 11 PDHPE students will complete their Provide First Aid course with Warren Keegan from Coastal First Aid.  The Year 11 Sports Coaching class will complete theirs on Friday, 2 June.  This is a very valuable qualification to have.

This Friday we are very lucky to have Youth Officers Dave Russell and Cheryl Hoffman from the Crime Prevention Unit Manning Great Lakes Police District come in to talk to Year 12 about career pathways in youth work and police.

If any student is interested in Work Experience, please come and collect the necessary paperwork from me.  The Catholic Schools Office has set guidelines for Work Experience.  Year 9 and Year 10 students have to complete this during school hours; however, Year 11 and Year 12 students can do Work Experience during holiday time or on the weekend.

Karen McCann
Careers/VET Adviser