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Strong Careers & Pathways
Strong Careers and Pathways support young people to explore their future, encouraging them to focus on career pathways that align with their interests, equipping them with a range of skills to help them navigate their ways.
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School to Work
The School to Work program supports access to work-based learning opportunities, so students can develop employability skills and make informed career choices. As a program provider, the North Central LLEN works with local employers, industry partners and schools to improve students’ access to work-based learning opportunities.
Work-Based Learning
Work-based learning opportunities supported through the School to Work program include:
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work experience
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structured workplace learning (SWL)
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school-based apprenticeships and traineeships (SBATs) for non-government school students
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workplace visits and industry tours
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life skills programs and work-readiness activities.
Work-Based Learning helps students to:
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understand how their education prepares them for work
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understand employer expectations
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develop employability skills
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make informed pathway and career decisions
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stay engaged with and complete secondary schooling.
Some work-based learning is part of vocational education and training (VET) programs. VET programs can be part of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), including the VCE Vocational Major, or Victorian Pathways Certificate.
Students and staff can find opportunities on the portal:
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Broader Horizons
School to Work program
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Broader Horizons is a program facilitated by North Central LLEN that provides students with hands-on experiences to explore career opportunities and build skills for their future. Through activities like industry visits, work placements, and mentorships, the program connects young people with local employers and real-world learning, helping them develop confidence, capabilities, and a clearer vision for their career pathways.
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VIC VICE
School to Work program
The North Central LLEN is one of 31 LLENs across Victoria utilising VicVice - a brand new virtual reality platform where students can explore the world of work.
The platform is a modern solution to growing workforce shortages and a widening skills gap. VIC VICE was developed by Goulburn Murray LLEN in partnership with VicLLENs.
In 2024, our School to Work team introduced 216 students to this fabulous technology to students across the north central region allowing them to explore a range of career pathways without leaving the classroom.
Youth Take Over (YTO)
School to Work program
A Youth Take Over (YTO) is a youth-led initiative where young people take the lead in planning and delivering a project or event that addresses a need or opportunity in their community. Guided by mentors, participants develop valuable skills such as leadership, teamwork, and project management while creating meaningful, impactful outcomes that benefit their local area.
YTO is an initiative of the North Central LLEN, in partnership with Campaspe Cohuna LLEN, Central Ranges LLEN, and Goldfields LLEN.
Recent Local x NCLLEN YTO's
Careers Explorium
School to Work program
In response to youth-led research highlighting gaps in careers education and work readiness in our region, we developed the Careers Explorium in 2022. This framework includes 16 resources proven to help young people become work-ready, addressing issues like limited employer connections, work experience, and local labour market insights.
Over the past three years, we have:
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Built a framework of essential work-readiness experiences.
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Curated and developed high-quality, adaptable careers resources, two of which have won awards.
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Conducted youth-led research to influence school-to-work reform, briefing 1,000 decision-makers on key issues like gender disparities in trades.
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Launched the My Local Jobs website, connecting employers and young people with real-time regional job opportunities.
These initiatives aim to equip young people with the tools, resources, and opportunities they need to successfully transition into the workforce.
Career's Education Partnership (CEP)
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.
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).
Career Tools
Part of the Career's Education Partnership
Schools part of our CEP now have access to Career Tools, a game changer. Career Tools is a resource hub designed to help young people explore career pathways, build job-ready skills, and connect with opportunities. Whether you're looking for resume tips, interview guidance, or industry insights, Career Tools provides the support you need to take the next step toward your future.
HeadStart
Head Start is a program that supports students in years 10-12 to participate in a school-based apprenticeship and traineeship (SBAT) program to develop skills, capabilities and confidence that employers in growth industries need. SBAT students receive paid on-the-job training that contributes to their VCE, VCE Vocational Major or VPC and leads to a qualification.
How HeadStart works
Head Start teams are based in 12 school-based hubs across Victoria and provide wrap-around support for SBAT students.
Each student completing an SBAT with HeadStart receives:
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career planning advice from their school career practitioner to find the right pathway
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a plan for their pathway into a priority industry career, tailored to their specific needs and the needs of their employer
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one-on-one support from a Head Start coordinator to keep them on the right track
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quality-assured training through TAFEs and Skills First providers
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a secondary certificate such as the VCE, VCE Vocational Major or VPC
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completion or significant progress towards a qualification such as a Certificate III or IV
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payment of a fair training wage.
Getting started with HeadStart:
Students can join the Head Start program by talking to their school’s career practitioner, who will connect them with their Head Start team. The team will carefully match the student with an employer.
The student, their parent and employer sign a training contract, and the student completes a training plan with a registered training organisation.
Depending on employer and student needs, Head Start can support students to increase their hours of paid employment as they progress through their studies. For example, a student might have paid employment for:
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One day per week in Year 10
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2 days per week in Year 11
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2-3 days per week in Year 12
Careers in Agriculture
The North Central LLEN’s project 21st Century Pathways to Careers in Agriculture, funded through the Secondary Schools Agriculture Fund, aimed to build the quality and currency of agricultural programs and industry partnerships across the North Central region.
21st Century Careers in Agriculture
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BCG Partnership
Partnerships in Ag
To ensure that the NCLLEN Agricultural Project was embedded in the community and formed connections that are ongoing and sustainable, we formed a partnership with the Birchip Cropping Group. Broadacre cropping is a key agricultural industry in our region and the work of the Birchip Cropping Group showcases the diverse elements of careers in agriculture.
More than 50 students from schools across North Central Victoria had a fabulous time at the BCG (Birchip Cropping Group) Main Field Day at Nullawill in September 2024 learning about the many careers available in agriculture.
Nutrien Ag Solutions Partnership
An exciting new initiative has seen the North Central LLEN partner with Nutrien AG Solutions to support a scholarship for a senior student in each of our nine cluster schools who has shown passion and achievement in subjects that may lead to a career in agriculture.
In addition to a $150 gift voucher, recipients were hosted by Nutrien Ag Solutions at their Bendigo Office at the end of February 2025 for a networking and careers immersion day.
The 2025 Nutrien Scholarship recipients:
Jenna Alday (Tyrrell College)
Benjamin Greenaway (St. Arnaud Secondary College)
Lily Humphreys (Wycheproof P-12 College)
Annie Olive (Charlton College)
Fynn Clymo (East Loddon)
Jack Gould (Pyramid Hill College)
Kathleen Hocking (Boort District School)
Les Cooper (Birchip P-12 College)
Lachlan Clark (Donald High School)
YTO - Nutrien Ag in Boort
For the Boort District School Vocational Major class, their Literacy studies have taken a turn away from the classroom and into a workplace.
Over term two, the students linked with Nutrien Ag to learn about jobs in the agricultural industry. Supported by the NCLLEN’s Youth Take Over team, the Year 11 & 12 students enjoyed an immersive experience in the world of ag services. Nutrien staff generously gave their time to work with small groups of students, sharing their personal career journeys and the nature of the work they do at Nutrien. Students went out and about with stock agents; Zak, Doug and Nick where they marked lambs and weighed sheep for market. Additionally, Mikaela and Tim, the agronomists, took students out to assess crops and identify weeds. Merchandise manager, Cam, explained the complex nature of the supply chain the logistics of moving products. Manager, Teagen gave her group of students an insight into the Nutrien corporation and an overview of branch management that is safe and customer focused.
This project was a partnership between Boort District School, NCLLEN and Nutrien Ag Solutions, Boort. It was led by VM teacher Tom Bleicher, Nutrien Manager Teagen Welsh and Jacinta Hosking & Susan Gould (NCLLEN).
Youth Take Over Goes Ag
YTO - East Loddon
There are so many different jobs at Loddon Shire Council, from administration and corporate services through to things such as community wellbeing and outdoor roles like gardening, roads and general maintenance.
With this many roles, Loddon Shire Council are always looking for new ways to attract staff to sustain their workforce and therefore the services they offer to the community. They want young people to see the many employment opportunities at the council, and for young people to see themselves working there.
In Term 2, Year 11 and 12 VM students from East Loddon P/12 school worked as a team to design new materials to help recruit the future workforce of LSC. They spent time at the council, getting to know the different jobs, as well as the organisation and the people who live and work there. They created bios of some of these people and their pathways, showing what it’s like to work in their job and how they got there. Working with mentors, they then developed accessible and youth-friendly materials that will help promote these roles to future workers.
Through this Take Over, students completed the following Vocational Major curriculum:
Unit 1 Area of Study 1 – Literacy For Personal Use
Outcome 1 – Demonstrate understanding of how text types are constructed for different purposes, audiences and contexts through a range of written, digital, oral and visual responses.
Unit 1 Area of Study 2 – Understanding and creating digital texts
Outcome 2 – Apply understanding of the conventions of literacy and digital communication by responding to and creating a range of digital content, suitable for a community, workplace or vocational text.
Cool Careers in Council
