Career Service Centre

Overview and Rationale

The program of Career Services at Collegiate is holistic in its approach and incorporates the following aspects of Career education and pathway planning:

• • Career exploration
  • Career information
  • Career counselling
  • Subject selection
  • Career guidance

These services are provided in a variety of ways and settings that include counselling sessions; subject specific learning of potential careers; experiential learning; career information days; production of up to date careers information and guest speakers from educational institutions and employer representatives.

Our premise is based on the knowledge that as adults, our students will need to keep pace with changing technology and industries, be able to seize new employment opportunities and/or be entrepreneurial in creating new business or self-employment ventures. They will need not only professional or technical skills, but general employability skills and adaptive capacity.

Multiple career changes will mean that students will increasingly need to be able to manage lifelong learning, the ability to make good study and career choices, navigate career changes, and make the best use of their skills and abilities.

Collegiate’s program aims to prepare students to manage these challenges.

The development of each student's capacity to manage a lifetime of learning and work transitions in an uncertain and changing world of work is a central goal of the Collegiate Career Education Program.

Career Readiness in Students

Developing Career Readiness is not merely information collecting. We want our students to develop the abilities required to make decisions. The skills and abilities that we focus on include those related to Career Planning, Occupational Information and Employment Preparation.

More specifically these can be broken down into:

• Concern about the future world of work
• A sense of control over their vocational future
• Knowledge of themselves and how their skills and attributes apply to the future
• Information-seeking and exploration
• Confidence in being able to make and implement career decisions

Our program at Collegiate is aligned to the Australian Blue Print for Careers which focuses on the three key areas of:

• Personal Management
• Learning and Work Exploration
• Career building
• The Careers Coordinator works with students, parents and teachers to develop and oversee the delivery of relevant career development programs.

Aim

The aim of the Careers Program at Collegiate is to ensure our students are truly "Set for Life”. The Centre has an open-door policy as well as students and parents having the ability to make appointments.  Parents are seen as partners in the career process.  Students are welcome to pop in and seek information or advice any time.

We encourage students to have high expectations of themselves in Senior School Together with teachers and Mentors our aim is to assist students to prepare and plan for their future. We all work together to help our students succeed not just in academic study, but in all aspects of their life.

The Careers Resource Centre

The Careers Resource Centre on the second floor of the Emily Building is designed as a one-stop shop to seek information on:

• Careers and Occupations
• Course Counselling and Subject Selection
• University Information and Applications
• TCE and TASQ requirements and standards
• Consideration for special exam provision
• Information on VET (Vocational  Education and Training)
• Apply for Work Experience though the ‘Work Experience Works’ Program
• Post-Secondary courses at RTO’s such as TAFE, Polytechnic, Skills Tasmania and other private providers
• Scholarships and applications
• Enrolment Counselling and support for new students
• Help with Resumes, job applications and interview skills
• Goal Setting, Time Management, Exam Preparation and Study Skills
• Transition support
• Work References
• Job Opportunities (as advertised)
• GAP and travel abroad Information on a range of GAP opportunities.

Career Information

Careers information is available in the Careers Resource Centre and the Library in both printed and digital formats.

Careers Testing

Years 8 and 9 - Career Match and MyFuture are the testing resources we use to work with the students.

Years 10 to 12 - Careers Fast Track and the Morrisby testing are available.

Transition

Transition interviewing occurs at key times throughout the school year. It occurs for Year 8 into 9, Year 10 into 11 and then Year 12 and beyond. Students need to manage the transition to work, university or further study as well as independent living. Transitions occur throughout life and students needs to develop skills that will help them navigate them effectively.

Career Events

• Bi-annual ‘Take Flight’ Careers Expo (Year 8 to 12)
• Bi-annual Parents as Career Partners (Year 8 to 12)
• Year 12 What Next?
• ‘How to Study’ session for Year 9, Year 10 and other interested students
• University Information Day in Year 9 and Years 11 and 12
• Tertiary Information Session for Interstate Universities (Years 11 to 12)
• Course information sessions (Years 8 to 12)
• University Information sessions, including accommodation options
• Guest Speaker Program (Years 9 to 12)
• Targeted Pathway experiences (Years 9 to 12)
• Learn to Earn (Year 9)
• Try a Skill Program (Year 9)
• Just Ask – Subject Dating (Years 9 to 11)
• Career topics are embedded in the students' education from Junior School through to Year 12 and may be flexibly introduced to students through a range of activities.

We constantly examine the aims of the program and how we achieve those so that we continue to meet the changing career development needs of students transitioning into a rapidly changing world of work.