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What new careers opportunities were on show at the 2024 Skills and Employment Expo?

New Exhibits

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.

You can contact them to find out more at admin@ess.edu.au

Girls were the big thing

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.

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Skillaroos – West Australia’s WorldSkills Champions at the Skills and Employment Expo. Good Luck in Lyon!

Proud. Excited and VERY good  at what they do.

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.

Good Luck to you all.

To learn more about the Skillaroos and their journey to Lyon 2024 visit www.worldskills.org.au/competitions/lyon-france

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The best IT development since ChatGPT

If you missed the Big Day In at ECU you missed hearing about digital twins.

Digital Twins from TATA Consulting

Digital Twins are the most exciting IT development I have heard of since ChatGPT burst into my world in late 2022. Like generative AI, digital twins hummed along under my radar some time.

TATA Consulting showed us their work on digital twins, and they are a seriously cool way of learning. Tushar Arora, from TATA told us about creating a digital twin replica of an electric “Formula E” Jaguar sports car.

As the real car races around the track they collect thousands of data points, then create a digital twin using that data. They then test hypotheticals on the twin to adjust performance. The twin gives feedback and they keep modifying. 

New York City Marathon Sponsor TCS Developing Digital Twin TechnologyTCS Digital Twin Technology

I checked out digital twins  online and found it is possible to create digital models of anything.

They have been used by BMW to create a digital twin of its factory, a replica of the Thames Water System was used to plug leaks, Tata Steel used digital twins to support radical innovation of a steel plant HERE. 

Imagine the applications in sport. 

MY MIND BOGGLED

We also heard from:

Microsoft, Bankwest, Wisetech, Woolworths & ASD

Microsoft logoMichelle Sandford from Microsoft

Michelle is excited about the growing world of generative AI. She showed us a program she had developed to detect fake pictures.

Bankwest IT

Bankwest logo

Three Bankwest interns spoke about the IT opportunities available through banking.

 All three were more interested in data analysis and designing business systems than in cyber securlty. They said that if you like the ongoing challenge of solving complex problems, IT could be the career path for you.

Wisetech Global – Get paid to work and study straight out of school

Wisetech Global is an Australian company that,  like Canva, that has great employee reviews and which gives back to the community.

They have formed an alliance with the University of Technology Sydney where 100 year 12 scholarship winners get paid work at Wisetech and have their university fees paid as they study a computer science degree.

Wisetech Student Representatives said that they get to use what they are working on in their uni assignments and they get to use what they learn at uni in their WiseTech work.

You don’t need to be a maths superhero to win a place in this program but all three of the WiseTech student reps were pretty special. Apply for the program HERE.

Wisetech also supports the Grok Academy  which provides free IT education resources.

Big Data at Woolworths

Ben Hagan worked part time at Woolworths while he went to school at Governor Stirling.

He did his computer science degree at Curtin and worked at Deloitte before returning to Woolworths where he has taken up an internship working for the extended Woolworths group of organisations. 

Ben is on his third of four X six month mentored postings on different projects throughout the company. 

Ben had the quote of the day:

We are swimming in data and the tide is rising. 

Australian Signals Directorate

The Australian Signals Directorate defends Australia from global threats. It is the big player in cyber security in Australia.

It has work experience for high school students. You have to go to Canberra but there are travel subsidies but you are responsible for your own accommodation which I am sure Rotary in Canberra could help to find. 

They also have apprenticeships across a range of occupations. Get details HERE.

Australian Computer Society

The Big Day In is a national IT careers showcase put on for schools by the

Australian Computer Society (ACS).

Kerrie Bisario from Big Day In

 Students are invited to join the ACS to meet people in the industry and talk to students who are currently studying IT degrees at uni. 

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Inspiration from Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl from Foo Fighters is a lovely guy and an inspiration for us mere mortals who have trouble hearing our dreams.

At 17 he was clear about his dream, so he went ahead and overcame his fears and manifested what he dreamt of.

Be inspireed as you listen to him talk about how he lives his life to achieve his dreams HERE.

Dave Grohl on his GOLDEN RULE

That brings us to the tricky problem.

Not many people are like Dave Grohl. He is remarkable. It is easy to see that he loved music and fun and adventure.

How do you hear your dream? 

Dreams don’t shout “HERE I AM!!”.

Most of us look back at the end of the year and see that we have managed to do a lot of the things we love, so we are getting at least part of our story right. That sort of looking back, helps us to see what we want to do in the future. 

There are lots of games you can play that help you to reflect and clarify what you like, so that you can focus on the things that give you pleasure. After doing some of these quizzes you are sure to see that you are getting a lot of your story right.  Your results may help you to focus more on doing the things you love. 

We all want to be like Dave Grohl and be remarkable. If you are feeling trapped and lost because you have no idea what your dream could be, go to see a career advisor. The foundation of their work  understanding people and matching them with opportunities to be remarkable.

You can try sorting out your career path for yourself, but a good career advisor can set you on the best path without years of frustration and going in circles.

Once you are clear about your direction you will have power and magic that helps you to achieve your dreams. 

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I work to democratise career information so that ALL students have every opportunity to find their dream career.  Subscribe to In Focus Careers to know outstanding career information for West Australian students.

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A Snapshot of Great New Stuff at the Careers Expo

The Careers Expo was the usual mix of chaos and wonder. All of the universities were there and defence, police and the public service had their big displays. The number of resource industry recruiters wasn’t overwhelming this year, and NDIS course and service providers seem to have settled down. 

These were my main take aways from the 2024 Career Expo. 

Congratulations to the construction industry for redesigning their workplaces

The Construction Training Fund was promoting a range of new para professional careers like interior designer and pre start consultant which provide entry points to the booming and well paid construction industry.   

These female friendly jobs are the latest effort to attract women into the industry. We think of building trades as being blokie – and they are. Only 15% of building tradies are female and only 1% of plumbers are female!

These new paths provide females with access to well paid jobs in the industry. 

.

These jobs will lead to careers in the construction industry which has been the pathway to success for so many West Australians. 

There is so much money for building and construction in the State and the Commonwealth government budgets that there will be a boom in apprenticeships. Find details of the new careers HERE

Sky Careers – New Push to Promote Jobs in the Aviation Industry

The aviation industry is going through the same staff shortages as every other industry in WA. A new Sky Careers Recruitment organisation has been established to encourage people to go into all aspects of the industry. 

There are jobs that you haven’t even heard of.

Check out information at Sky Careers at the Civil Aviation Association of Australia

IDEAcademy Still delivering a fresh approach to alternative senior school educatoin

For the past few years the IDEAcademy has been breaking new ground in the delivery of education for senior school students in WA.


They mix WACE and VET programs with the big focus being on designining innovative and flexible programs which help students to understand and achieve new horizons.  

Rebecca Loftus and Nicole Gazey know that conventional education is not right for every senior student. I am a big fan of their relentless quest to provide an alternative to conventional education for senior students. 

IDEAcademy founders Rebecca Loftus and Nicole Gazey.

Their approach works to provide individualised learning pathways that boost the dreams of their students. 

Check them out HERE.

Police Cadets – He may look young. He is!

Adam York dropped out of Year 12 this year when he won a Police Cadetship. He has always wanted to join the police force and was talking to school students at the Expo about how he managed to get his cadetship without finishing school.

He said the recruitment process is long and tough but he has made it into his cadetship already. You can read about the recruitment process HERE. 

  • There are mainstream cadetships which you can find HERE. 

  • And Aboriginal cadetships which you can find HERE.

Maxima is one of many agencies to help you to identify a job you want, apply for it and get started

Maxima Employment and Recruitment services was there, working to let students know that there is support available to help them to find, apply for and start a job. If you are a career professional you can meet Nicola from Maxima at the CDAA breakfasts in East Vic Park each month. 

Zero2Hero had a huge, popular presence promoting mental health

I didn’t expect to see one of the biggest stands being Zero2Hero promoting mental health programs for young people. It was also one of the most popular stands with students engaging with the young ambassadors for Zero2Hero.

Check out the great work that they do HERE.

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In Focus Careers News – May Issue is Out

The May Issue of In Focus Careers is a monster. 

Careers Week is in May so there are lots of events throughout the month. 

The Careers Expo is on, uni open days are finishing up, the undergraduate course guides are out and each university has slightly different Early Offer information.

There is just so much happening in the careers world in WA in May. 

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Keep up with new courses, information session, scholarships and job support. Subscribe to In Focus Careers News.

At $32 per issue, your organisation will have all the West Australian career information it needs to provide expert guidance to students. 

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What can you tell your students about jobs in the West Australian government?

I wrote to the Premier, asking how teachers can help students discover job opportunities in the public sector and where they can find support and information.

Here is an abridged version of the response from the Western Australian Public Sector Commission, which the Premier heads. 

Public Sector School-based Traineeships

  • The public sector School-based Traineeship program is an opportunity for students from Year 11 onwards to gain real experience while working part time in a government agency, learning valuable workplace skills and being paid while finishing Years 11 and 12.

1 July Applications for School-based Traineeships 2025-26 open

Year 10s can apply for a traineeship for Year 11 from 1 July.

Over 18 months trainees gain real experience working part time in a government agency, learning valuable workplace skills and being paid while finishing Years 11 and 12.

The program runs two days a week for 18 months as you do your WA Certificate of Education in years 11 and 12.

These are the agencies taking part:

Traineeships in metro Perth 

Traineeships in regional areas 

School Based Traineeship Program 2025-26 – Article.docx

Find details HERE.

The Public Sector Commission has created a communications pack with articles, emails and graphics to help schools promote the program to their students and parents/carers which you can also share. 

You can register to attend an online information session to get more details and ask questions: 

Please email us at youth@psc.wa.gov.au or call 6552 8764 if you have any questions

Look for Public Sector Reps at Career Events

  • A career in the public sector is promoted at a range of careers events and exhibitions targeted towards students.  The Public Sector Commission attends some of these events, as do staff from agencies who present on their specific roles and their department’s employment opportunities. 

Check the Careers Expo list of Exhibitors which include, West Australian Police, Public Transport Authority, and Department of Planning, Land and Heritage. There are lots of them. Representatives from each department will be able to tell you about the range of jobs that are available. 

A Place of Opportunity

  • Our ‘a place of opportunity’ program coordinates and promotes sector-wide graduate and vacation programs available for university students and graduates at these events.

This is for university students but it’s worth knowing about. 

Public Sector Jobs

  • All job opportunities in the WA government are listed on Jobs WA at www.jobs.wa.gov.au.

Spend 20 minutes playing around on this site. If you are interested in the environment, for example, identify which departments would have jobs related to that. You can look for specific jobs or enter key words and search on those. The job descriptions say what qualifications and experience you need. 

The public sector employs about a third of West Australia’s workforce and the range of jobs and opportunities is so great that they deserve consideration. 

Solid Futures Aboriginal Traineeship

  • The Solid Futures Aboriginal Traineeship program gives young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people formal training, paid employment and support to complete a Certificate III in Government. 

Details of the 2025 program will be published HERE. 

Additional Support

It can be tricky trying to find out about work in the public sector or to find work experience opportunities, which is why I wrote to the Premier.

If you need help, contact your local Jobs and Skills Centre.

My Experience

I used to work in human resource management in government and we used to get calls from teachers and parents asking us to provide work experience to students. My departments were always happy to help. 

If you have a student who wants to work in say fisheries, give DPIRD human resource management a ring and talk to them about what you need. It’s worth a try. 

Disability Access

All WA government departments have a Disability Access and Inclusion Plan. They include strategies for supporting employees with a disability. If you are looking for work experience, a traineeship or job for someone with a disability, it is worth ringing a government department and asking if they can help. 

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VET and Uni Pathways to Careers in the Resources Industry

Boys in Western Australian know that they can earn big money without a degree by taking on an apprenticeship that will lead to work in the resources industry.

Female school leavers who want to work in the resources industry tend to go to university. There ARE opportunities for girls in trades but it is hard. Sexual harassment has been an ongoing problem that has caused young females to stay away.

Girls who want to go into the resources industry can find great role models who have done VET and uni pathways HERE.

Training Pathways to the Resources Industry

By getting a job in the resources industry, West Australian school leavers can earn great money without a degree.

Here are VET jobs in:

  • Exploration
  • Commissioning and Construction
  • Operations and Mainenance
Exploration Occupations include:
DrillerField Technician
SurveyorDrone Operator
Finance ProfessionalsHydrologist
Community Engagement ProfessionalsLaboratory Scientist
Land Access Professionals 

 

Commissioning and Construction Occupations include
Excavator OperatorCrane Operator
RiggerScaffolder
ElectricianWelder
Builder and CarpenterContract Administrators
Construction Materials TestersProject Manager  

 

Operations and Maintenance Occupations include
DrillerShot Firer
Haul Truck OperatorMechanical Fitter
Motor MechanicAutomotive Electrician
Procurement ProfessionalsLogistics Operators (warehousing, rail, and marine)
Telecommunications and Networking OperatorsMaintenance Planner

For more information about jobs in the resources industry go HERE.

Go to your local Jobs and Skills Centre for information about apprenticeships, traineeships and pathways to these jobs.

Resources Industry Jobs that require a degree

Exploration, commissioning, and constructionOperations and Maintenance
GeologistCommunity Engagement Professionals
Environmental ScientistEngineering Professionals (IT, mining, petroleum, rail and civil)
Engineering Professionals (mining, petroleum, rail and civil)  Data Scientist
Project Manager  
Site Restoration
Earth ScientistsEnvironmental Scientists
Environmental EngineersLaboratory Scientists
Water Management SpecialistsField Officers
Planning OfficersCommunity Engagement Professionals
Contract and Compliance Professionals 

For more information about jobs in the resources industry go HERE.

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The Olympics are coming. Want a career in sport?

The Olympics are coming. The Australian team is being selected. The Matilda’s are in the top 10.

So many students play sport. So many would love a career in sports.

Being as part of a team gives you a shared purpose, a feeling of belonging and goal to strive for.

If you want to work in the sport you love, there are hundreds of opportunities.

Sport Super Stars

You know who you are. You have natural talent. You have enormous capacity to endure hardship and you have trained your skills to perfection. You are going for GOLD.

Through your weekly engagements you will be noticed. You need a trusted, wise mentor and coach, who is dedicated to your success and who knows how to guide you through the politics of elite sport.

What to do now

You can find a heap of information about careers as a sports person at the Future Now Industry Training Council.

Supporters of Major Sports

This is where the jobs are. There is an army of supporters who create the world of sports in Australia.

Download a copy of Careers in Sport and Recreation for information.

What to do now

  • Check out the range of jobs associated with sport HERE.
  • Check out some of the funding that is available to support your sport.
  • Apply for a part time job associated with you chosen sport.
  • Volunteer to coach junior teams.
  • Start a blog or newsletter covering your games, training sessions and stories about different players.

MyFuture Careers in Sport and Recreation

The Australian Careers site MyFuture has this roundup of jobs and careers in sport and recreation.

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Career Exploration Toolkit: Navigating Your Path to Success

The Career Expo is like the Royal Show. There is so much to see and do that you can miss something you love by not knowing where to look.

I have done three worksheets for schools which families might find useful to check out.

Step 1: Pre Expo Preparation

This is the most important step. Without at least some preparation the visit can become a race through and you could miss information that could change your life!!.

Download the Worksheet HERE.

Step 2 What to do At the Expo

  1. Get a copy of the Expo map so that you can find your chosen Exhibitors.
  2. Go around the Expo with your Buddy.
  3. Collect handouts from each of your identified exhibitors and talk with the experts. Your Buddy supports you with follow upquestions.
  4. Take photos of things of interest for your class presentation.
  5. Check out anyother exhibits that interest you

Download the worksheet HERE.

Step 3 Post Expo Presentation

This stage is really just for schools and teachers. It ensures students can reflect on their Expo experience and identify what steps they are going to take based on what they learned.

DOWNLOAD THE WORKSHEET HERE.

In Focus Careers provides current career news and tips for West Australian high school students.

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