People are losing faith in the ability of traditional leaders and institution to address problems of today and tomorrow. No single organisation, discipline or philosophy has the answers to tackle the challenges thrown up by our volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world.
There is an explosion of activism as young people seek answers by connecting with like-minded people to create new approaches to problems.
A new generation of changemakers is striving to create a better future.
Career information can be the lynchpin that gives school students courage and connections with opportunities to create new ways of being in the world.
The October In Focus Careers Newsletter talks about new tools and strategies that can link your NOW to your best possible FUTURE.
Contact me for a complimentary copy of this insanely great newsletter:
Over 60% of senior school students have part time jobs as well as their full time study.
They have at least one part time job.
They are flexible, often having different jobs or they do more work over holidays.
They aren’t fussy about how they earn money – they freelance doing gardening, washing cars, walking dogs, baby sitting.
They tap into their network of family and friends to build their network of clients.
They have a team of friends who are also flexible and able to work together on a project.
TIPS
Grow your skills by organising your friends into teams of babysitters, office cleaners, gardeners or whatever opportunity you can see.
Make as many contacts as you can at school. Make contacts with other students, work experience providers, sport coaches.
2. Decentralized Workforce
WHY STUDENTS ARE WINNING
Sophisticated social media skills and knowledge of project planning software helps students to market their need for work, schedule tasks and communicate with clients or with other team members.
By being their own boss students learn:
time management – including juggling peak demands times at school and peak times with other gigs.
how to cost jobs
resource management – scheduling time for tasks
quality control
By working as a decentralized team students learn:
communication and trust
quality control
manage fair money sharing
TIPS
Set up your LinkedIn profile:
Capture your skills
Ask friends to endorse you
Build your network
3. Motivation to Work
WHY STUDENTS ARE WINNING
Students can tap into massive opportunities to support causes while they are at school.
These opportunities frequently hit a chord with students who go on to save orangutans, coach kids with disabilities, become environmentalists.
Believing in what they are doing is a greater motivator for young people than money. They don’t want to be ripped off, but they have a sense of urgency and want to be creating the world as a better place.
TIPS
Try for lots of experiences while you are at school.
Search Google for volunteer opportunities that you might like.
Get on a mission to find what you like.
Don’t expect your career to come to you in a blinding flash. It will grow on you.
4. Lifelong Learning
WHY STUDENTS ARE WINNING
School students KNOW about lifelong learning. An accelerating rate of change is one of the few constants in their lives. They expect to learn new ways of doing things all of the time.
TIPS
Try MOOCS and other online learning platforms.
Follow your work interests online.
5. Technology Augmenting Jobs
WHY STUDENTS ARE WINNING
Students already know that technology can make their lives easier. They know how to use their phones to communicate, research, record and collate and hack information to create new solutions.
Expanding their skills to find new ways to use technology will be natural to them.
TIPS
Research where IT is being applied to different jobs you are interested in.
In Focus Careers Newsletter
My passion is making transition from school easier. Each month I write an insanely great newsletter that makes sure you know about opportunities as they emerge.
Stay ahead of the pack. Subscribe to the In Focus Careers Newsletter.
My Commitment to West Australian Careers Education
Insanely great career advice from Bev
So that students can find the easiest and best path from school I undertake to:
Write 10 insanely great issues of In Focus Careers newsletter each year for students and careers teachers.
Search for local, national and international information that could impact on the careers of West Australian students.
Connect you with insanely great careers teachers and industry experts across the In Focus Careers network.
Listen to and support West Australian careers teachers.
There is no question…. it is easier to go it alone than to try collaborating. Things get out of control. Things go wrong.
But schools need to collaborate outside the school to give students the best knowledge, skills and networks to survive in the 21st century.
Trail blazers and changemakers now have a toolkit that will help them to create a collaborative education ecosystem.
Collaboration Toolkit
The Foundation for Young Australians (FYA), together with the Department of Education and Training and the Innovation Unit, has just launched School-Industry Partnerships: A toolkit to support collaboration for career education.
The Toolkit is BRILLIANT.
The toolkit comes in three parts, one each for :
Educators;
Industry; and
Parents and Families
It embeds collaboration theory into practical templates, to do lists and checklists. It isn’t quite “follow the bouncing ball” but if you follow the instructions and don’t skip steps or take shortcuts, you will be guided to success.
It has the order of collaboration preparation just right and it respects all parties to a collaborative agreement.
If you thought the FYA New Work Order series was brilliant, step inside this new environment to find something just as good.
Collaborative education takes you out of the centre of the picture. You become the facilitator of the negotiated educational experience that has agreement from the school, industry partner, student and family.
Managing a collaborative educational environment requires business management skills.
You need to learn how to:
Create project plans,
Talk with industry partners and negotiate agreements,
Manage resources including budgets, and
Ensure things don’t go wrong as you head towards learning outcomes.
It is a different way of educating. It requires different skills. There will be support.
Thanks to those who have given feedback. I am putting that in now.
If you subscribe to the In Focus Careers Newsletter in 2019 you will automatically get access to the 2020 Handbook.
If you don’t subscribe you can either subscribe or buy the handbook WITHOUT subscribing to the most amazing careers newsletter you could possibly find.
The Handbook is bringing together key information I have researched for my In Focus Careers Newsletter.
Three Sections
There are three sections:
Finding Your Purpose: (there is no point starting off if you have no idea where you are going).
Skills for Success which include:
Time Management
Aptitude quizzes and research into possible careers
It held its West Australian hearings last week and a number of In Focus Careers subscribers gave presentations.
I sang my song about schools needing to adopt a collaboration framework that smooths transition out of school.
I was on after Ross Wortham from the Youth Affairs Council who was passionate, articulare and smart as.
He spends his days advocating for the removal of barriers that stop youth having a life well lived.
If you are leaving school, it may be worth checking out the YACWA services HERE.
If you provide services to kids transitioning from school and you are NOT collaborating with YACWA it may be worth checking out how you can work together.
Back to the National Youth Commission. You can subscribe to its newsletter HERE.
To get a complimentary copy of my Insanely Great Newsletter for West Australians:
When you leave school you become the novice. These tips will help you to be safe and find your way into your brave new world.
1. Money
Scammers and rip off merchants can spot you coming. They don’t come with a crowbar and mask. They are more likely to smile and try to become your friend.
These three sites help you to make sure you are not being ripped off.
This is a government site. It is NOT trying to sell you anything. It has a section about Studying that includes where to get financial help and how to plan a budget. It also provides advice on Moving Out of Home.
Wage theft has become too common, particularly in the hospitality industry where many school leavers find part time and casual work. The Fair Work Ombudsman is another government service set up to help you to protect yourself.
The Youth Central site provides information on how to prepare and what to look out for when you are leaving home.
Before you sign a lease you can check what you are signing up for HERE.
2. Apply
You have to do SOMETHING when you leave school. Go to one of the Jobs and Skills Centres to get advice and support to find your best career path.
UNIVERSITY
Even if you plan to take a Gap Year put in a TISC application for the university and course of your choice and defer once you get an offer. All states and territories have uni application systems. In Western Australia we have TISC.
TISC applications for university in 2020 are open. Applications close on 30 September, but you can still apply after that by paying a late fee.
Notre Dame University in Fremantle has its own application process and you need to apply to the university directly.
TAFE
There are lots of vocational education providers, not just TAFE, and there are a lot of job opportunities for graduates with industry focused skills. The long term earnings of Certificate IV and Diploma graduates is equal to those of people who have degrees. If you do a course where there is high demand for workers, the course fees will be much lower than if you do a course like art. Check out the Priority Courses at the bottom of this link to see what courses have lower fees.
You might try to hide not knowing what to do now, but if you don’t ask for help you will feel worse next year when you still don’t know.
If you are going to uni go to the orientation week. There will be students there who are looking for new students to help so that they can get leadership skills. Get one of them as a mentor.
If you are going to TAFE your chosen industry might have a mentor program. Check on Google to see who is around to help. People love to have their expertise recognised so don’t worry about asking for help.
Check your local council to see if there are youth support groups in your area.
See if you can volunteer or join a club. You need to meet people to find your way in your new world.
4. Apprenticeships and Traineeships
Apprenticeships are traditional trades like plumbing. Traineeships are newer and there is more variety in them. They can be in anything… like farming, mining, IT.
If you don’t feel confident going for an apprenticeship or traineeship by yourself, go to a Jobs and Skills Centre. They will give you help to find which industry you want to work in, they will help you with your resume and job interview skills. They also have a jobs board where they will point out jobs that you can apply for.
Finding a scholarship can take up less time than working in a coffee shop or pub and there may be less competition. Lots of scholarships have NO APPLICANTS!!
There are scholarships for students at TAFE and university. They mainly fall into two groups:
Academic scholarships for bright students. Your special skill could be in jewellery design or leadership or farming.
Equity scholarships if you can prove you are disadvantaged. These are pretty broad and there are lots of choices. You are considered disadvantaged for example, if you need to relocate from the country to go to university or TAFE and you can probably find a scholarship or grant.
In addition there is financial support for those in building trades.
If you can show you are a woman in a non traditional trade or occupation including IT, you can probably find a scholarship or grant.
If you are a migrant or Aboriginal you will probably find a scholarship.
Look for scholarships and grants on Google.
This is just a starting point. There is lots of help available to you when you leave school, you just need to discover it.
Keep up to date with career news in WA. Subscribe to the In Focus Careers Newsletter at Bev.J@infocus-careers.com.au
The August Issue of my insanely great careers newsletter is out now.
For a complimentary copy please email me:
My Commitment to West Australian Careers Education
To help West Australians to discover what is possible and achieve their dreams I will:
Write 10 insanely great issues of In Focus Careers newsletter each year.
Provide insanely great personal career counselling.
Deliver the best possible information via presentations to schools.
Build and support an insanely great network of teachers, industry experts and parents who help to deliver dazzling career information for all West Australians.
Graduates at this level will have broad knowledge and be highly skilled for work in a vocation. These are high level vocational skills. The knowledge can usually be transferred to academic qualifications like a bachelor’s degree.
Apprenticeships and Traineeships
Apprenticeships tend to be in traditional trades like plumbing. Traineeships are in non-trade areas like business and computing. They both involve:
• a combination of work and study.
• finding an employer who is willing for you to go to college 1 day per week, or in blocks of study a couple of times a year
• getting on the job training
• getting paid a training wage while you get your qualification
Australian Apprenticeship Support Network
(AASN)
The Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) is your first point of contact for all queries about apprenticeships.
You cannot start an apprenticeship without an AASN provider.
You can find your closest AASN HERE.
Certificate I
This is entry level training that gives foundation skills. Anyone who graduates from school will have qualifications above Cert I.
Certificate II
Entry level for many vocational occupations. Graduates of Cert II will have a basic understanding of the job.
Certificate III
This is getting into the vocation with much more skill. A licensed electrician has a Cert III and it usually takes 4 years to complete the apprenticeship.
Certificate IV
This is getting into management roles. A Cert IV holder will have sound skills in a vocational area AND have enough knowledge of the industry to start exercising sound judgement and solve problems.
Competency
A competency is a skill you are required to learn. It is made up of an element of competency and performance criteria.
e.g.
• Element Identify workplace communication procedures.
• Performance Criteria Identify appropriate lines of communication with supervisors and colleagues
Competent
For each unit of competency, you will be assessed and you will need to demonstrate that you can do the skill. To be competent means that you can do the specific skill that is required in the workplace.
Competency A competency is a skill you are required to learn. It is made up of an element of competency and performance criteria.
e.g.
• Element Identify workplace communication procedures.
• Performance Criteria Identify appropriate lines of communication with supervisors and colleagues.
Diploma
Diplomas demonstrate high level of specialised vocational knowledge and skills in an industry. Workers may choose to study a diploma in order to gain management skills for a vocation. The high level of competence of diploma holders is often recognised by universities which award credit for study in a degree program. The degree will focus more on theory.
Group Training Organisation
Group Training Organisations (RTO) are employers of apprentices and trainees.
Their role is to coordinate a group of small businesses who can employ an apprentice plumber for example for one day per week. Some big organisations now use an RTO to organize their apprentices for them.
Pre-apprenticeship
A pre-apprenticeship is a Certificate II program that includes a period of workplace experience coordinated by a Registered Training Provider. The aim is to provide you with industry specific training, combined with adequate time in a real workplace to gain skills, knowledge and behaviours to enable transition into a full apprenticeship.
A pre apprenticeship is often a pathway to an apprenticeship as employers call lecturers and ask them to recommend a good student to employ.
TIPS for getting a pre-apprenticeship:
When applying for a pre-apprenticeship you may need to do an interview.
• Take along photos of your work in a portfolio to impress the interview panel.
• Dress in the sort of clothes they would wear to work, office clothes for an office job, and smart casual for a building trade.
• Sporting and volunteer experience as well as school results and industry experience will help to impress the panel.
Places in pre-apprenticeships are usually limited so you should prepare well for the interview.
RPL
Recognition of Prior Learning. You can apply to have skills you learned in the workplace recognised in order to get a qualification.
RTO
Registered Training Organisation. A college that is registered by government to deliver registered vocational training.
SPOL
State Priority Occupation List. This list shows government where there will be skills shortages and therefore where it should give the greatest subsidies for courses. SPOL courses will be less expensive and there will be higher demand for skilled workers.
TAFE
TAFE colleges are government run organisations.
Technical and Further Education – This often gets used to describe training after school that is not uni. You may also hear the word “tech” used in the same way.
Unit
A course is made up of a number of units. A unit is a block of skills or competencies grouped together within a course.
VET
Vocational Education and Training. This is often used by people in the training industry.
Students would probably say they are doing a “TAFE” course rather than doing a “VET” course.
You don’t want to impose. You don’t want to be any trouble. They will think you are stupid.
There are 1000 reasons NOT to get in touch with a mentor.
There are a 1000 mentors out there aching to help young people to succeed.
The kids who put themselves forward are the ones who get the help. It takes guts to ask for help. It takes guts to want to succeed.
For Mentors
There is nothing more frustrating than having knowledge and networks developed over a lifetime of work and study that is no longer being used or valued.
For Students
You can tap into this pot of wisdom and network to support your giant leap into a fantastic future.
Be prepared to share your knowledge of apps and technology.
Be prepared to listen.
Mentoring Programs
The Australian Business and Community Network
The Australian Business and Community Network (ABCN) is a not-for-profit organisation that connects business with students through mentoring and partnership programs. It aims to provide students with the skills and work experience they require to make sound personal, educational and vocational choices.
ABCN is supported by over 40 member companies and led by an experienced body of CEOs who participate in the programs and support their employees to do the same.
Together we work with a network of public schools across Australia to deliver a range of critical skills, employability and leadership programs that involve business professionals mentoring students. All programs are provided at no cost to the schools or the students.
The Beacon Foundation is another not-for- profit organisation that provides mentoring services. It works with schools, businesses and communities to inspire students to think about their future long before they leave school.
YMentoring is a community-based not-for-profit mentoring program operated by YMCA WA for youth living in the Perth Metropolitan area. It matches youth with a caring adult who can offer support, guidance and friendship for a minimum of 12 months. The service is offered to young people aged between 7 and 20 years. To find out more go HERE.
Pinnacle Foundation
The Pinnacle Foundation provides scholarships & mentorships to young LGBTIQ+ students to give them the chance to achieve their full potential, and Light The Spark within.
Search Mentor Programs Western Australia for more services that you can tap into.
Find your ideal career path and tap into all the support you need.
Get your professional career plan from Bev Johnson at In Focus Careers.
TISC applications for university in 2020 open on August 5. Students who want to go to university will be asked to identify their preferred courses and preferred university.
There are five main universities that Year 12s traditionally choose between in Western Australia (and a number of courses that you can do online).
If you know some of the key features of these universities it may be easier to make your choice.
Notre Dame
91.1% of Notre Dame undergraduate students were satisfied with the overall quality of their learning experience according to the Quality Indicators of Learning and Teaching (QILT).
EVERY UNIVERSITY WISHES THEY GOT THAT!!
Notre Dame is a Catholic University but you don’t need to be Catholic or Christian or even religious to go there, and the fees are comparable with other universities.
The point of difference is that Notre Dame does have a spiritual, values driven, caring approach to teaching and learning which underpins their interactions and decision making. That’s why they are topping the QILT ratings.
It is quite a small university with 10,000 students and the vast majority of them are domestic students.
The university is in beautiful renovated old buildings around Fremantle.
Pastoral care and support developed for international students has been made available to help regional and remote students to settle in. The only shortcoming is the lack of Notre Dame student accommodation but the student support services people will help students to find accommodation to meet their needs.
Curtin University
Curtin is by far our biggest university with over 50,000 students. It seems like a city with business centres, shops, gyms, accommodation and bands and food trucks, art galleries and theatres.
I think undergraduate students could have a ball at Curtin, but the sheer size of of the place can be daunting. You need to actively work at getting engaged with the Curtin community, both social and academic, to make the most of your Curtin experience.
Curtin knows this and has invested in providing plenty of help for new students and for students with special needs, but it is up to you to seek it out.
Because of the size of the university there are many opportunities available for students to extend their experience, in Australia and internationally.
Curtin is part of a knowledge precinct in Bently with CSIRO, Tech Park and the Pawsey supercomputer in the area. Staff and students actively seek to engage with industry to get knowledge and experience and do industry based research. It is number 2 in the world for Metals and Mining Engineering programs. This industry focus underpins the feel at Curtin.
Curtin seems exciting, dynamic and very cosmopolitan with lots of international students and with campuses in Malaysia, Singapore and Dubai as well as the one at Bentley and in Kalgoorlie.
ECU – Edith Cowan University
The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching ranks ECU as the top public university in Australia for undergraduates’ student experience. You can feel the quality of the experience when you contact ECU for information. They get back to you. They try to help.
ECU started as a college for teacher training and gradually expanded its courses with WAAPA being one of the first ventures into new areas. Now WAAPA has a reputation as one of the BEST performing arts learning academies in the world.
ECU’s more recent expansion has been into engineering with significant investment into new facilities, international learning opportunities and strong demand for graduates.
ECU is pretty big but students are on the Mt Lawley and Joondalup campuses so it doesn’t feel overwhelming.
The buildings are great examples of design with some of the coolest architecture in Western Australia.
ECU is manageable and there is a strong student centric management focus which means students get help to succeed. There are many alternate pathways into ECU including the UniPrep program and experienced based entry.
People who didn’t think they could get into uni and succeed can are supported to thrive at ECU.
Murdoch University
Murdoch has recognised that the world is changing and that there is a disconnect between education and where jobs are emerging. It has introduced “adaptive expertise” as a learning spine being introduced across the university.
They are focusing on adapting traditional courses with the application of technologies. So History + STEM could result in machine learning that unearths previously unknown information about cultures. Journalism + STEM, as seen in the use of drones, is revealing what is happening in emergency or war environments.
Murdoch has a strong focus on getting girls into engineering. They have engaged with schools and support in industry to lift the number of girls entering this field which delivers 25% of the world’s CEOs.
Murdoch has the biggest percentage of international students in WA.
They are teaching students to think globally, to seek ways to apply technology to their work and to work collaboratively.
UWA – University of Western Australia
This is our oldest university. Many industry, political and community leaders in Western Australia went to UWA which gives strong links between UWA and leadership across the State.
The UWA campus is beautiful with Winthrop Hall being the most recognised symbol of “a university” in WA. The gardens, theatres and art gallery and its role as the initiator of the Festival of Perth make UWA a hub of culture.
UWA has positioned itself as the university for high academic performers and many high achieving school leavers identify UWA as their first preference.
It is aware of its low QILT satisfaction results and is supporting strategies like the Fogarty Foundation Edfutures initiative and consulting with experts in an effort to become more student centric in its approach.
CQU – Central Queensland University
This is a new comer to Western Australia and it is working hard to attract students from their traditional university pathways with courses in sonography and echocardiography which are new to WA.
The main campus is located near the bottom of William Street near Elizabeth Quay and they have set up study hubs in Busselton, Broome, Geraldton and Karratha. These are often on TAFE campuses.
Many of the students are mature aged, external students who make use of online learning, occasional face to face contact and phone calls to fit their learning around their work and other demands.
Although there are 20,000 students at CQU, they are spread across Australia and numbers in WA are still quite small.
Comparison
The comparison of student experience outcomes puts Notre Dame as a clear leader with
ECU also doing well.
Each university has different features that will impact on your choices.
What possibilities are open to you?
Subscribe to the insanely great In Focus Careers Newsletter to find out.
People are losing faith in the ability of traditional leaders and institution to address problems of today and tomorrow. No single organisation, discipline or philosophy has the answers to tackle the challenges thrown up by our volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world.
SEE: 
Scammers and rip off merchants can spot you coming. They don’t come with a crowbar and mask. They are more likely to smile and try to become your friend.
If you don’t feel confident going for an apprenticeship or traineeship by yourself, go to a 
