By Pam Kiriakidis
Students, parents and teachers attended Broadford Secondary College’s first careers day last week, designed to provide information about future pathways.
‘Creating My Footprint’ was designed for students and their parents to talk to teachers and senior peers at stalls about career pathways, and what to expect in coming years.
As part of the day, year nine and 10 students took part in a course counselling session to help make informed decisions for their senior years.
Year seven and eight students were able to explore other stalls throughout the day, learning about subjects such as English, art and history that they could choose in coming years.
Students were given a passport to stamp when making their way around the stalls, asking questions to discover answers about the VCE system and other subjects.
Career pathway manager Deb Hubbard said she was thrilled to see students and their parents become involved in their future careers.
“We’ve managed to have a lot of students voice what they want to do, and we’ve been able to work a curriculum around their interests,” she said.
As the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning, VCAL will no longer exist under the State Government’s plan for secondary education, VCE students will gain access to hands-on subjects through vocational majors.
Ms Hubbard said the careers day came at an opportune time, as the new system was dedicated to enhancing and furthering skills.
“They have more opportunities now than they ever had before with the new curriculum, and they got the opportunity to combine interests and make a timetable for them,” she said.
Year 12 student Angus explained to students about diesel work at Seymour Railway Heritage Centre Diesel Engines as part of his final studies. Year seven students showed interest in the subject, and asked him questions.
“I hope to see some of the younger generations get more involved with older vehicles and even just getting into the mechanical trades,” he said.
“It’s a dying trade – a lot of people aren’t as interested in working on trucks. The best way to get people really involved in doing something is actually get them out there and see for themselves.”
He said he would have appreciated walking into a careers day in his junior years when considering options.
“If I had come in here when I was in year seven and seen something like this I would have been really interested. You get a really broad branch of everything out there, like building construction. You learn something you didn’t know,” he said.
GOTAFE youth engagement officer Madison Whiteman shared information about other careers students could consider.
Ms Whiteman said any type of discussion, whether about enrolment or making an informed choice, was what a careers day was about.
“Even if it’s just choosing something and they rule it out, that’s okay too. Sometimes you learn a lot from those experiences even if it doesn’t lead to anything,” she said.
Ms Hubbard said she hoped the event would grow bigger in and that universities would attend in the future.
Senior school leader Melissa Loterzo said careers day was a way to link students to their subjects.
“It’s a day to have those conversations and set goals for students’ future pathways. It’s great to see so many students connect with staff and parents,” she said.
