Creating opportunities for all children and young people to be on their way to success in education, work, and life
The Career Education Partnership (CEP) is a collaboration between the North Central Local LLEN, Birchip P-12 School, Boort District P-12 School, Charlton College, Donald High School, East Loddon P-12 College, North Central Trade Training Centre, Pyramid Hill College, St Arnaud Secondary College, Wedderburn College and Wycheproof P-12 College to support students to explore careers and pathways.
Change has always been a constant in the world of work, however automation, globalisation and flexibility has led to an unprecedented level of change. Technological advancement has made us part of an increasingly global economy where geography no longer matters as long as workers have a computer and an internet connection.
According to the Foundation for Young Australians, the number of young people in casual full-time employment has more than double since 1992 and almost one in five are juggling multiple jobs to work full-time hours.
The combination of these factors means that the average 15-year-old will need to be able to negotiate an average of 17 jobs over five careers in their lifetime.
So how do we prepare young Australians for the future? By partnering with schools and the community we aim to help young people build a portfolio of hard and soft skills.
’Hard’ skills are the technical skills required to undertake a particular role in the work place - for example a construction worker needs to know the fundamentals of building, while ‘soft’ skills are transferable skills that workers can use in all workplaces, such as problem solving.
Increasingly employers are looking for a set of generic skills on top of those related to a specific field. The World Economic Forum has recently identified 6 soft skills that all workers will need to possess if they are to be successful in the future - creativity, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, active learning with a growth mindset, judgement and decision making, and interpersonal communication skills - will be integral to the success of employees in the future.
In addition, we need to support our young people to develop job search skills, work experience, and networks with the world of work.
While at school young people need to work out what they enjoy and might be good at, and the pathways that could lead them to jobs that suit them. They do not need to know exactly what they want to do. But they need practical job search skills and work experience.
These resources may be available in our communities but are not always easy to navigate and access without support.
Our individual Career Action Plans help young people plan for success In partnership with schools we work with students to explore different pathways, identify skills and interests, and help them define their own career journey.
We provide students with a Careers Development Practitioner to help them develop a pathways plan, select subjects, encourage them to be involved in activities outside school, and make a positive transition from school to further education, training or employment up to 24 months after leaving school.
A rapidly changing world of work Our Careers Development Practitioner staff work with students to help them make informed decisions about their future education and career opportunities through a four step process to create and implement an individualised career action plan (CAP).
Victoria’s senior secondary education is changing. From 2023, the new VCE Vocational Major will replace Intermediate and Senior VCAL. This means the VCE will recognise different students equally.
The new Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) will replace Foundation VCAL. Students will have more education choices, a higher-quality curriculum and better workplace experiences – preparing them for further study, training at TAFE or work.
From 2023, more students will study the VCE. That is because the VCE will include the Vocational Major, a 2-year program that sits within the VCE. There will also be the Victorian Pathways Certificate for those who need flexibility in their learning.
The changes are a result of the Review into Vocational and Applied Learning Pathways in Senior Secondary Schooling (the Firth review). The review found we needed to improve vocational learning in schools.
Schools currently offering VCAL will switch to the VCE Vocational Major from 2023. Some schools that do not offer VCAL will expand their options to include the VCE Vocational Major.
The National Careers Institute has produced a Careers Guide to help school leavers make decisions in relation to their education, training and work in 2021.
During Covid-19 Careers and Pathways Coordinator Sue Clay has been putting together weekly newsletters to provide students in Years 10-12 with information about career and post-secondary school education opportunities.