Your registration will lead to updates of new displays, talks and events at the Open Days.
You will be able to schedule different things to go to.
Book a campus tour.
If there are overarching welcome events, make sure you go to those.
Go to course information sessions.
Go to subject taster sessions
Open days are big – Think Royal Show
Take your time. Spend 3-4 hours to get the feel of the campus.
Find Current Students at the Stands
There will be current students at most stands. Ask them what course they are doing and what they love and hate about it.
Ask why they are doing the course and if they are going to achieve the outcome they hoped for.
Find what extracurricular activities there are. Are there any clubs or teams that you can join now?
What can the union offer to students?
Find out what they have done about fees, financial support and scholarships.
Pick Me! Faculty Stands
Every faculty wants you to enrol in one of their courses.
Some questions you could ask:
University lecturers are the experts at the faculty stands who you need to approach with questions like:
Why do you love working in this field?
What are the career opportunities in this field?
What are the entry requirements and pathways available?
How long will it take to get the degree as a full time student?
What subjects can you choose from?
What support is available to students.
If you qualify within any support group ask about financial and other support that the university provides.
Accommodation
If you plan to stay in university accommodation:
Tour at least one of the accommodation colleges
Ask where you can find accommodation scholarships and financial support.
Watch In Focus Careers News for information about scholarships.
Book an appointment with a career counselor
Even if you are one of the few who knows exactly what course you want to take, book a free appointment with a career counsellor at the university. They may know of:
Mount Lawley ECU Campus is to close at the end of this year.
Some faculties, like Business, IT and Creative Industries, which includes WAAPA, are moving to the new ECU campus being built next to Perth train station.
The Teacher Education School is to be split across both Joondalup and the city campus.
Bachelor of Education Early Childhood Studies
This degree will be available at Joondalup, South West and online in 2025.
Bachelor of Education Primary
This course is available at Mt Lawley, Joondalup, South West and online in 2025.
Bachelor of Education Secondary
In 2025 this course is available at Mt Lawley and Joondalup. It will be split in 2026 depending on what you major in.
Students may be required to attend both Joondalup and Mount Lawley campuses depending on their selected major and minor combination.
I’m Sad to See Mt Lawley Close
ECU evolved out of Claremont Teachers’ College which opened in 1902. Half of my family did their teacher education at Claremont Teachers’ College or at ECU in Mt Lawley.
Claremont Teachers’ College. Picture from SIDE
In 1982 Claremont Teachers’ College merged with other providers of teacher education across WA and then evolved into ECU which has been a centre of excellence for teacher education in WA. It is still be biggest provider of teacher education in WA.
I hope it manages to maintain its reputation as a great provider of teacher education through the transition.
On 1 January 2025 Wage Theft became a Criminal Offense in Australia
Young West Australians are frequently underpaid or asked to do unpaid work.
Just clean up those tables and wash the dishes before you go will you?
Wage theft is tricky
You usually like your boss and you are happy to stay back and do a bit of extra unpaid work after your official knockoff time.
Maybe your boss lets you have a free coffee or food.
Maybe you get to roster off when you have an exam coming up or a special event. Maybe they drive you home after they have closed the business for the day. A good workplace has flexibility that supports both the employer and employee.
When you suspect you are being ripped off, you may be prepared to wear it, because the cost of questioning their boss could be that you lose your job.
Employment conditions are often flexible. Determining if you are being ripped off could be difficult.
If you suspect you are being ripped off, the first place to go for advice is probably your union.
You don’t have to be a member to make an enquiry and they will be able to tell you who is best person to sort out the situation.
You can contact an Australian Union by calling 1300 486 466 or by visiting australian.unions.org.au.
Making deliberate wage theft a criminal offence is designed to give back some power to workers.
The Fair Work Ombudsman will provide employers with free information and advice on appropriate wages and conditions.
You can try to protect yourself from wage theft by getting you part time job with big employers, like McDonalds, Bunnings and Woolworths. These workplaces have human resource management systems, and managers who are trained to ensure your wages and conditions are correct.
But each of these big employers has been found to unintentionally underpay workers.
Even big employers can make a mistake. But sometimes underpayment is not a mistake.
You can email Wageline at wageline@demirs.wa.gov.au
You can submit an anonymous tip-off to the Fair Work Ombudsman
Write to Wageline to Locked Bag 100, EAST PERTH WA 6892
Fair Work Ombudsman online
You can contact the Chamber of Commerce & Industry WA for advice on employment laws and other human resource matters.
You can contact the Australian Taxation Office if your matter is about superannuation.
To stay up to date with career news in Western Australia. Subscribe to In Focus Careers
Each month In Focus Careers delivers a magazine full of education, employment and training news and opportunities designed to make sure everyone has the opportunity to find their path to their best life.
Apprentice plumbers, electricians and carpenters are to receive $10,000 payment from the Commonwealth government, spread over their 4 year apprenticeship.
Apprentices will receive $2,000 at six, 12, 24, 36 months, and at the completion of their apprenticeship.
2024 WorldSkills representatives Nick and Lewis
The funding aims to:
attract more people into construction apprenticeships by lifting their wages which are often below minimum wage.
take pressure off employers who are being asked to pay apprentices more.
encourage people to train for jobs in residential housing construction.
The Try-A-Trade program gives students in Year 9 and above, school leavers and mature-age job seekers, a chance to try various construction trades. Selected Registered Training Organisations deliver the courses on behalf of CTF at locations throughout Western Australia. Find details HERE.
Women in the Construction Industry
Although there are lots of incentives for females to go into construction industry jobs, most women in the industry tend to work in the office, in logistics, design and management roles.
The industry knows about discrimination against women and sexual harassment in workplaces and there are moves by many companies to create an environment where women and supported.
There are Apprentice Connect organisations that have been funded to work to reduce barriers for women.
The need to support students who are experiencing trauma or stress is at least one factor wearing teachers out.
The need to ensure the safety of students can isolate schools and prevent them accessing specialist services for students that free up teachers to teach.
Formal arrangements, with stakeholders who meet government safety requirements, can provide expert advice and free up teachers for the already complex task of educating.
I found these services that can engage with schools to deliver services in addition to teaching
Applications and preference change close – Friday 1 November 2024. …
Offers (competitive courses) – Wednesday 4 December 2024. …
Offers (non-competitive courses) – 6 September 2024 to 24 January 2025.
Vocational Education and Training has become a preferred pathway for West Australians because of the big money that can be made in the Resources Industry.
Our housing shortage is also making building trades a well paid career pathway and the Construction Training Fund has designed a range of courses for females so that they can also enter well paid jobs in the industry, without trying to break into the male dominated traditional building trades. See the courses HERE.
If you would like to do a VET course, but you are not certain exactly what to do, get along and see one to the brilliant counselors at your nearest Jobs and Skills Centre. You can do aptitude tests, check your abilities, chat about what is possible and find the best path for you.
If you want to apply for an apprenticeship, they will tell you how to apply and give you interview tips.
What Level Certificate is right for you
CertificateI delivers entry level skills that prepare you for further study. All Certificate I courses deliver literacy, numeracy, computing and life skills. Some provide additional skills, like basic trade skills and occupational health and safety. Certificate I is great for those without OLNA or WACE.
Certificate II is like year 10 in academic difficulty. Some Cert II courses are general, like the Certificate of General Education for Adults and some are more specific like Security Operations and in Health Support Services.
Certificate III is like year 11 academic difficulty. You do a Certificate III to become:
Photo courtesy of Directions Training
A carpenter (Certificate III Carpentry)
An electrician (Certificate III Electrotechnology Electrician)
A farmhand (Certificate III Agriculture)
A techie (Certificate III Information Technology)
Certificate IV is designed to be a more mature qualification for those with experience or previous qualifications:
A carpenter could go on to do a Cert IV in Building and Construction
An electrician could specialise in a Cert IV in Electrical Instrumentation
A farm manager could do a Cert IV in Agriculture to become a more effective at managing the business
A techie may specialize in Cert IV in Cyber Security
No OLNA or English – No Worries
Pathways for those without their WACE or OLNA
The Online Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (OLNA) is designed to enable students to successfully meet the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) literacy and numeracy requirements.
There are several alternative other pathways to TAFE for school students who do not achieve an OLNA.
Certificate I entry level with no qualifications required.
Vocational pathway (VET in schools): school students who complete a vocational course while at school can rely on their school qualification to demonstrate their literacy and numeracy skills i.e. students can achieve an OLNA or a Certificate I, II or III to gain entry to a TAFE course.
TAFE Admissions testing: School students may be eligible to register for TAFE Admissions testing if they have not sat the OLNA at school within the six months preceding TAFE Admissions testing and if they have not exhausted their maximum six attempts at the OLNA while of compulsory school age.
Alternative assessment: students can be referred to the learning area at their preferred TAFE college for a Learning Area Assessment.
Students can enrol at any Certificate I level, as there are no entry requirements, and
Students can enrol into one of the foundation skills and equity courses.
All the usual suspects, defence, police, NDIS, the Construction Training Fund and resources were there, but there were new ones.
YES Program
Youth in Emergency Services (YES) was new to me. If you are 11 – 18 you can become a YES cadet and train with emergency services volunteers on land and on the sea.
There are branches all over the state. Find the one closest to you HERE.
National Institute of Training
This RTO was new to me. They had these horrible robotic dogs that attracted lots of attention!!
Turns out their batteries run low, so they aren’t totally terrifying.
Lots of visitors were asking about their courses which attract the same government subsidies as those at TAFE colleges.
ASC told us to get a “Deeper Purpose”
Eye roll! ASC is the Australian Submarine Company. It builds and maintains submarines!
They are based at the Henderson and at Garden Island. You can get details of their apprenticeship opportunities HERE.
Development WA (traineeships coming)
This is the State government’s land and development agency. They do big industrial, residential and strategic projects.
You can check their current projects HERE. They are going to be advertising traineeships later this year.
Energy Skills Solutions
They provide skills needed to supply electricity. Heavy duty solutions that go way beyond domestic electricity. I think this will become a peak career as renewable energy projects come on line and transmission networks need to be built.
Every non traditional occupation seemed to have realized that they have only been recruiting from half the population. Mining and construction companies had pictures of women in high viz PPE using welding irons and climbing up scaffolding. The Construction Training Fund is doing what it can to create gender inclusive courses and workplaces. If you are a girl interested in these high paid jobs, contact CTF for information and support.
Want More?
I will write up more targeted information in the September In Focus Careers News.
For the latest career information for West Australian High School Students subscribe to In Focus Careers News.
There are six West Australian competitors heading off to France in early September where they will represent Australia to win recognition as best in the world in their chosen fields.
All six of them are showing off their skills at the Skills and Employment Expo.
They have just come back from a training competition in China where the Chinese competitors were trained at an organization that JUST trains competitors for WorldSkills type competitions.
I ran into Lewis Italiano from Bunbury who did his cabinetmaking apprenticeship in at South Regional TAFE in Bunbury. His family is going over to WorldSkills to watch him compete.
His expert lecturer from South Regional TAFE is Nick Johnston. Nick is going too.
Next to Lewis and Nick were Lachlan Gelavis and Kai Baharthah-King who are representing Australia in a Cyber Security Team Event. They had also been to the trials in China.
You can see from the screens behind them, they were busy “playing” with code.
These are our Champion Geeks. They are already working in industry.
Congratulations to these six West Australians who are going to WorldSkills
Lewis Italiano – South Regional TAFE – Cabinet Making;
Jacob Dixon – North Metropolitan TAFE – Wall and Floor Tiling;
Antoinette Jackson – MPA Skills – Painting and Decorating;
Mitchell Rigney – North Metropolitan TAFE – Jewellery; and
Kai Baharthah-King and Lachlan Gelavis – North Metropolitan TAFE – Cyber Security (Team Event).
Who are the Experts?
WorldSkills Australia has also selected five Western Australians as Experts to coach the Skillaroos in the lead up to, and during, Lyon 2024.
WA Experts:
Nick Johnston – South Regional TAFE – Cabinet Making;
Liam Cochran – North Metropolitan TAFE – Wall and Floor Tiling;
Brendan Hibbert – North Metropolitan TAFE – Graphic Design Technology;
Ryan Goggin – North Metropolitan TAFE – 3D Digital Game Art; and
Todd Bell – Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety – Electrical Installation.
If you suspect you are being ripped off, the first place to go for advice is probably your union. 
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