Every life comes with a story … and a possibility for a great adventure.
Make this the year your future self will thank you for as you create your amazing life.
If you are lucky, you will have family and friends and teachers who all WANT you to succeed. They can help you to achieve your amazing life.
A great school experience can set you up for your great future. Get all of the help they can give to boost your academic and life experiences.
If academic success is what you need to to make your crazy dreams come true, you can get extra academic support to boost your ATAR, OLNA and NAPLAN results.
Revision Programs
Check out these different programs to see if any of them can help you to take the next step to your amazing life.
Revise Online
ReviseOnline specialises in providing online education. It provides teaching resources and support as well as practice tests and exams.
Mastermind
Master Mind Australia intensive revision of the syllabus and assessment preparation, including the effective modelling of answers to ATAR-style exam questions.
Academic Task Force
Academic Task Force specialist teachers work with students showing them how to apply what they have learnt at school, how to prepare for their exams and how to maximize their exam performance.
ATARGET
ATARget ATAR Revision, ATAR Exam Preparation and Study Skills programs focus on strengthening students’ understanding of subjects, boosting classroom confidence and improving examination performance.
WACE+
WACE+ ATAR Revision, ATAR Exam Preparation and Study Skills programs focus on strengthening students’ understanding of subjects, boosting classroom confidence and improving examination performance.
TEE Consultants
TEE Consultants deliver intensive courses for year 12 students seeking university.
Accredited Tutor delivers small group classes in most WACE classes, exam preparation and study skills.
INDIVIDUAL TUTORS
Many semi-retired teachers continue to tutor in their specialty subject.
These teachers have a lifetime of knowledge of their subject, what examiners are looking for and tips for success.
Ask at your school front office to see if they know anyone you can contact.
ECU ATAR Free Program
ECU ATAR revision programs are run during the September holidays at the Joondalup and Bunbury campuses.
These are a free service to Year 12 students.
Get Essential Career Information for West Australians
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Testimonial
I have found your material invaluable. The information you have put together is thorough – a one-stop-shop in a sea of information that is out there. I have utilised this information on a regular basis with others throughout the school.
In Focus Careers News has been a trusted source of career information for West Australian school students for years. As I do research for In Focus News I discover information that would help kids who have already left school, and adults who are looking for jobs and career opportunities.
Career Opportunities for Adults collates all of that information so that adults can make informed decisions.
If you aren’t connected to an employment service provider, where do you find career information in Western Australia? Even adults who do get assistance because they are unemployed, can be pushed into unsuitable jobs by service providers who get paid when they place a person in a job….. any job.
Families who receive the In Focus Careers News through schools are able to cherry pick from career information for students, but I hadn’t thought to put in a special section just for people who are no longer at school.
Well, that’s about to change. I will start to share them in the In Focus Careers News this month.
This month I have information about the Westfarmers Bootcamp at Muresk, changes to the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme, Jobs and Skills Centres and opportunities through the ParentsNext program.
If you have any questions about career opportunities for adults in WA or if you have information about career opportunities for adults, please send it to me at Bev.J@infocus-careers.com.au.
The Careers Expo is great fun. There are happy, smiling people. There are glossy brochures and beautiful displays. People on the stands are friendly and helpful. Of course they are! They are professionals. You aren’t going to buy something from someone who isn’t nice.
Many visitors sign up for thousands of dollars worth of training based on a noisy 5 minute discussion in the crowded Convention Centre.
The Expos are a prime marketing place for all education and training organisation. They spend a lot of money on their displays and get their best, nicest, most professional sales people to tell you about their courses.
Tip 1:
Don’t sign ANYTHING.
STEP 2:
Know that the biggest displays, those closest to the entry doors, and the most professional looking displays have spent the most money on trying to sell to you.
Some are pure information, like the WA Police Force, Construction Training Fund, WA Department of Education – Teaching and Defence Force Recruiting. Others have courses they would like you to know about.
If you are interested in having a Gap Year check out which exhibitors will have information that will interest you. If you are interested in Trades, check out the ones that you must visit.
Make the decision about which ones to visit before you get sucked in by the bright lights and music!
STEP 4:
Figure out three questions to ask exhibitor one before you meet with them. Make sure one of your questions is about price if they are selling courses.
Don’t be surprised if they don’t want to answer you about. You may get answers like “It depends on…… ” and “We have a great loan to cover your costs”.
You could also ask….
How much will it cost?
How long the course will take.
What are the entry requirements.
For contacts with current students.
What successful students are like.
Do they have a mid year intake.
If they have links with industry that provides work placement.
How long it takes their graduates to get a job in the industry.
What sort of work graduates get.
STEP 5 – FINAL STEP
Go to see your career advisor to discuss what you have discovered.
If you don’t know a career advisor go to a Jobs and Skills Centre and talk with them. Its FREE. The Jobs and Skills Centres are based in TAFE colleges but they also have information about unis.
Go back to the places you are interested in. You will end up paying a lot for your course. This is probably the first BIG thing you have ever bought. Make sure you are buying something that is perfect for you.
Testimonial:
Thanks for the latest newsletter Bev, and for all the information and inspiring ideas over the year. Since I have become a part of the (In Focus Careers) network I have grown in knowledge and motivation to really make a difference for our young people.
I loved this month’s newsletter! There were so many useful links that I’m going to use, like the Logistics Training Council publications and the Future skills Framework infographic on our demographic. So much handy information – I even signed up for the Public Sector Commissions job search so that I can pass opportunities for traineeships onto students. (Northern regional Catholic Education School)
Curtin, UWA and Notre Dame universities all offer a medical degree course and UWA also offers dentistry. None of these universities has planned a 2021 information session although Notre Dame will probably do an online information session given the positive feedback they got for their 2020 online session which is still available online.
To get into medicine in WA you need to get outstanding academic results, get better results than most on an external University Clinical Admission Test and undertake a regime of Multiple Mini Interviews.
School students should apply for medicine at Curtin or Direct Entry at UWA through the normal TISC process.
Applications open for the University Clinical Aptitude Test (UCAT) on 1 March 2021 and testing can be done from 1 July to 11 August.
If you do extremely well on the ATAR and UCAT you will be shortlisted to do a Multiple Mini Interview examination
Curtin
Curtin offers the only direct entry Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery program available to school leavers in WA and there is strong competition for the places.
It opened in 2017 with a focus on delivering high quality medical experts to regional and remote areas.
This course is not available to International Onshore Students on Student Visas.
Length of Course: 5 Years
ATAR: 95 (there are conditions around this that need to be explored HERE.)
Essential WACE courses
Essential: Chemistry ATAR, or equivalent. (Contact the Course Coordinator to find out what to do if you don’t have chemistry.)
Applicants are required to successfully complete a First Aid Certificate (including CPR) or equivalent by the completion of the first semester of the course. Students are also required to obtain criminal record history clearance, Working with Children Check as well as relevant immunisations and health screening.
Desirable WACE courses
Mathematics Methods ATAR, Mathematics Specialist ATAR or Mathematics Applications ATAR
Desirable: Study in one of the following Mathematics ATAR courses is desirable:
Mathematics Applications, Mathematics Methods, Mathematics Specialist, or equivalent.
You can find my notes from the 2017 presentation with suggestions from students HERE.
Australian Citizenship
Applicants must be Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents or New Zealand citizens who have successfully completed year 12 with a Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) or an equivalent senior secondary qualification and have an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR), or equivalent.
General Information
Applicants will be ranked based on the following categories:
Non-school leavers (notional ATAR from previous tertiary studies and UCAT)
Curtin course switchers (Course Weighted Average from current studies and UCAT).
Top ranked applicants will be invited to attend a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI). The interview process provides an opportunity for shortlisted applicants to demonstrate how they communicate, critically appraise information, and think about issues important to the medical profession. Applicants will be ranked and selected for offer based on their ATAR or equivalent, the UCAT score and the MMI score. Final selection will be made by this composite score. Applicants for this course should refer to the Curtin website for more information on specific admission requirements for Medicine. http://courses.curtin.edu.au/course_overview/admission-requirements/medicine.cfm
Multiple Mini Interview Those students who score highest on their ATAR and UCAT will be given an interview. See notes below on Multiple Mini Interviews.
It is possible to gain a Direct Pathway (guaranteed place) into medicine or dentistry if you have an ATAR of 99. (You still need to complete your first degree prior to starting medicine or dentistry.)
There are 24 places Direct Pathway places available in Dentistry and 65 placed available in Medicine.
Year 12s should apply for a Direct Pathway place via the normal TISC process in August-September.
You will require a:
Minimum ATAR of 99 or equivalent (Applicants are also required to submit the Predicted ATAR form.)
Competitive UCAT score.
The UCAT testing will be open from 1 July to 11 August.
Successful interview
The final rating will be based on UCAT, ATAR and Interview and will be weighted 1:2:2 respectively.
The Notre Dame Getting Into Medicine information session is held the day after the GAMSAT. You can always pick the people who did the GAMSAT… They are the ones who look exhausted!!
A personal folio that demonstrates your suitability for medicine at Notre Dame.
Grade Point Average
Notre Dame says that successful applicants will already have a degree with a minimum Grade Point Average of 5. This score may be misleading as students usually have a Grade Point Average higher than 6.
Applicants must undertake the Graduate Medical School Admission Test (GAMSAT).
Interviews
Applicants are also required to undertake an interview process…. which is described below.
Notre Dame Folio
Notre Dame also requires a Student of Medicine Application Folio which demonstrates more about the student’s personal attributes and suitability for acceptance.
Notre Dame usually wants to know WHY you want to study at Notre Dame and WHY you want to study the course you have chosen for any course so you would need to be clear on that.
Pre-Medicine Certificate
Notre Dame offers a Pre-Medicine Certificate that its students can take WHILE they are doing their undergraduate degree (and getting a high GPA!).
This pathway also provides students with a mentor from the ND School of Medicine.
Completion of this Certificate will guarantee an INTERVIEW as part of the medical course application process if your GPA and GAMSAT reach the minimal score. It does not guarantee a place within the program.
Multiple Mini Interviews
The interview process is made up of 8 Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs). You move from each interview into 8 different rooms. You are given a question and have 3 minutes to prepare your answer, then you go into the room and give your response for 8 minutes. There are two rest breaks.
The MMI’s take 88 minutes.
I have heard this process described as an endurance test.
Interviews are done by trained MMI interviewers who are trying to determine your suitability for the medical profession.
YouTube videos and sites like MedStudents Online and Whirlpool will give you some ideas about what to expect BUT your experienced interviewers are not looking for rehearsed answers, they want to know about you and your suitability for the profession.
UCAT
Curtin and UWA Direct Entry require a UCAT score as part of their application process.
This test may be taken from 1 July – 11 August.
There are thorough instructions, trial tests and videos available on the UCAT site.
Extra Help
I like asking questions on Whirlpool.net.au . It might not be any more reliable than Facebook but you get to ask people who are in the field for their thoughts. You can even ask what students at different unis think about their medical courses.
Medstudentsonline is similar to Whirlpool. You can join in discussion threads about the application process.
Being a doctor is a tough gig.
I have provided career advice to a brilliant ATAR student who said there was no way he was going into medicine. Both of his parents were doctors and he saw the emotional toll it was taking on them and on their family life. He thought he might become a physics teacher.
The health industry is the fastest growing industry in Australia and Australian health scientists are up there with the leaders in many fields of specialisation.
The application of AI to diagnostics and the use of robotics is creating a boom in new health related career choices. West Australian universities are onto this and competing to be leaders in new postgraduate health education fields.
Good Luck with Your Choices.
SCHOOLS PRESENTATION ON GETTING INTO MEDICINE
I bring together the key information you need about getting into medicine in WA in a one-hour presentation about West Australian medical degree courses.
This is a snapshot of universities in Western Australia.
Notre Dame
BEST IN AUSTRALIA
88.4% 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).
91.1% Were positive about their skills development.
76.6% found full time employment
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 Bentley 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 leaders 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.
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.
Still not sure what to do?
Go to the university open days
Contact the university career advisors. They are paid to help you.
Contact me. I will be able to point you in the right direction for help.
Director of In Focus Careers Careers Resources Hub for West Australians.
There are decades where nothing happens; then there are weeks where decades happen.
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin
For decades girls have struggled to be accepted into trade jobs but participation in traditional male trades stubbornly remains at 1%.
For decades women have fought to break through the glass ceiling but today senior executives in Australia are more likely to be called “Andrew” than be female.
Workers’ pay and conditions have declined over decades, as migrants were imported in great numbers to take on poorly regulated “skills shortage” jobs in aged care and horticulture.
2021 brings the promises of change.
1. Caring Industries
We learned throughout 2020 that many aged care workers undertake this stressful slog in shifts across a range of sites on pay that is comparable to retail work.
Once borders closed, we had to rely on Australians to undertake this work and the poor pay and conditions became transparent.
Future Directions
Aged Care courses are low cost or free as governments struggle to attract people into the industry. Jobs are plentiful.
Aged care workers pay and conditions are under scrutiny as we all realise how badly they impacted on staff and our aged relatives.
There are suggestions that the West Australian government buy back aged care centres to ensure quality care is provided by well paid, qualified staff.
2. Girls are Getting a Go in Trades
By the time the Careers Expo happened in October the building trade exhibitors were working to attract females into their traditional male occupations. Even the Master Builders Association had a tradie bloke in a pink high viz vest trying to make the building trade appear as if it was now more female friendly.
Future Directions
Skills shortages are costing builders money. Builders are willing to take on anyone with a good attitude towards their industry.
If you want support to go into one of these traditional male occupations the Department of Communities has a list of organisations that provide help. Look for Organisations that Support Women in STEM and Trades on the government site.
3. Harvest Woes
Late last year I suggested that adventures awaited school leavers who chose to bring in the end of year harvest.
As Australians investigated the work conditions and pay that was being given to the traditional backpacker workforce, they walked away.
While most farmers are good employers, there was a storm of horror stories of harvest workers being ripped off.
Future Directions
The agriculture and horticulture industries are scratching their heads to develop a regime that delivers good pay and conditions adn brings stability to workers.
4. Defence Industry in WA
There has been a boom in defence industry opportunities, not only for those directly employed by the industry, but for businesses that are supplying goods and services to defence. The boom has been so significant and wide ranging that the Jobs and Skills Centre site has a special page dedicated to what is happening.
Future Directions
A wide range of well-paid and specialist occupations will emerge through this investment.
Check out the potential careers through the Jobs and Skills Centre page or through the Rockingham Jobs and Skills Centre
5. Agriculture
Agriculture continues to struggle to throw off its old fashioned image as it tries to reflect its place as world leading in the production of high quality, clean, traceable food.
Future Directions
Application of Western Australia’s’ specialist and scientific knowledge of dry land farming will see opportunities for the creation of artificial intelligence to guide farming as the impacts of climate change grow.
6. Mining
While mining doesn’t directly employ many people, the flow on impact of mining in Western Australian has seen us become world leaders in mining technology.
Future Directions
There are big opportunities for the development of knowledge industries in Western Australia through mining and through agriculture, defence and health industries.
It is estimated that there will be 3000 data science jobs created in WA in the next decade.
7. What’s an Epidemiologist?
In 2019 I didn’t know what an epidemiologist did. Now I have had enquiries from several clients about epidemiologist careers in WA.
Future Directions
Murdoch is building a new medical research facility adjacent to Fiona Stanley Hospital.
Notre Dame and Murdoch will be working together to train doctors and medical research specialists.
Western Australia has a world class health care industry and future careers in the industry are looking good.
Infocus Careers is an independent organisation which is solely supported by insanely great subscribers who share information with me, support each other and help me to pay my bills.
I can talk about careers under water, so if you would like to chat about how I can help you to improve your career or the services you deliver, give me a ring on 0434056412 or email me at Bev.J@infocus-careers.com.au
