To our Sacred Heart Community
Student Stories
A family story of success through VET pathways, school based apprenticeships and hard work.
The Abbott family have had three children attend SHC and through commitment and hard work all three have been able to gain a variety of experiences, workplace knowledge and skills whilst also completing their SACE.
It all started with Jack, the eldest, who had a vision for doing his schooling differently. He was interested in Agriculture and more specifically Dairy Cattle. Once he knew that a school based apprenticeship in this area was possible (fairly uncommon, but still possible) he set about finding himself a willing employer to take him on. For a young man with his drive and initiative, this did not take long, even though he was Adelaide based and did not really have many rural connections. Jack was signed up with a farmer in Mt Compass and he attended the dairy a few times a week which also meant early starts and a lot of organisation. His school based apprenticeship in Agriculture contributed to his SACE which he achieved at the end of Year 12. Cut to today and Jack is one of the youngest in the country to drive road trains in the Northern Territory and across Australia, which he loves.
Jack’s brother Harry arrived at SHC knowing what was possible and got involved with the school VET program in order to develop his skills and experience in carpentry. Harry made the most of any opportunity to be out in the workplace learning new skills and capabilities that made him increasingly employable. From his hard work and commitment to learning his trade, Harry was able to gain an apprenticeship in Carpentry upon leaving school (with his SACE in hand) and is now in his second year and really enjoying what he does.
That leads me to Lucy who is currently in Year 11 and in the second year of her school based apprenticeship in hairdressing. The salon owner where Lucy is doing her apprenticeship has described her as one of the best and hardest working young people she has ever come across in the industry. Lucy has been able to combine her training at TAFE, work in the salon and school studies very successfully whilst at the Marcellin campus and upon leaving school will continue her apprenticeship full time and will also have achieved her SACE.
Pathways like those chosen by the Abbott children not only require support from the school and employers but also parents and family. It is wonderful to see students with a dream for a career which they can follow from school.
The above stories are all positive examples of how the SACE can support students in their career development. Conversely VET can also be a means for students to discover what they don’t want to do. Recently, I have spoken to a few students who have decided that their chosen VET course is not for them. This is also a very worthwhile outcome as their decision making is informed by first hand experience which can then allow them to seek other career directions with greater self-knowledge and confidence.
Tor Campbell
Old Scholar, Tor Campbell (’11) is now a primary school teacher and has co written a book “Hidden Hope – A picture book designed to help little people work through big emotions”.
The need for a book like “Hidden Hope” was highlighted to Tor and co-author Jayne after working with and teaching many students who were struggling after a challenging time in their lives.
This book explores some of the strategies that children can use to manage their emotions and mental health after experiencing a stressful event. More about this book here.
Work Experience for 2021
BEFORE CONSIDERING WORK EXPERIENCE PLEASE BE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING:
It is a legal requirement that prior to commencing Work Experience students are inducted in the following areas: Work Health and Safety Act 2012 SA, Children and Young People (Safety) Act 2017 SA, Sex Discrimination Act 1984 SA, Equal Opportunity Act 1984 SA and Child Safety (Prohibited Persons) Act 2016 SA. Adequate time (approximately 5 hours) should be allocated to cover these topics effectively and students need to demonstrate their understanding. This induction is done by the school and is consistent with our Duty of Care to ensure that no student is placed where they may not be safe physically or psychologically.
In addition to this, the Work Experience form must be signed by the student, work placement provider, parent/guardian (all arranged by the student) and finally the principal or delegate (arranged by the school). The original Work Experience Agreement form then becomes a legal contract which sets the school insurance cover in place and must be retained by the school.
The school must also provide a contact person who is responsible for each student for the duration of their placement.
Work Experience is a very valuable opportunity for most students however, it does take time to ensure that the above expectations are met. We are happy to accommodate students in the times allocated. Please do not cause yourself or the College embarrassment by making other arrangements and then asking for exceptions to be made.
Students who wish to do Work Experience during 2021 are advised that the dates are:
| Work Experience Weeks | Paperwork Deadline |
| 5 – 9 July | 28 May |
| 27 September – 1 October | 27 August |
| 15 – 19 November (Optional Work Experience for Year 12’s Only) | 15 October |
| 29 November – 3 December | 5 November |
Work or job trials are not sanctioned by SA Work Experience guidelines.
Please note this is general Work Experience only. Students undertaking a VET program will need to organise their VET work placement with the VET Office.
Key Dates
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AIE Information Evening
17th June 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Academy of Interactive Entertainment, Adelaide and Online
Discover the courses designed to get you started in game development, 3D animation and visual effects at the AIE Information Evening. The evening will include presentations on different areas of industry to get into as well as information about AIE full-time and part-time courses and entry requirements. Student work will be on display and their teachers will be available to speak with you one on one about courses and how AIE can get you into a creative career.
Find out more here
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Adelaide Education Consultants Early Bird offer for Year 12 students
Once again AEC is offering an Early Bird offer for Year 12 students – $199 per subject.
Year 12 Revision
- Week 1: 6 – 9 July
- Week 2: 12 – 15 July
Adelaide Education Consultants
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ICHM Career Week
13th July 9:00 am – 16th July 3:00 pm
International College of Hotel Management, Regency Park
Deciding your future career path and the tertiary study you need to get there are big decisions. Each ICHM Career Week is specially designed to help those considering hospitality or a related business course.
What to expect at Career Week:
- Learn about the international tourism and hospitality industry.
- Gain an in-depth understanding of the ICHM hotel management course.
- Find out about the different career paths and how some of their graduates are doing.
- Have a fun, hands-on introduction to hotel operations.
- Gain an introduction to supervision and management topics including communications, human resources, management and marketing.
- Visit to local hospitality and tourism sites.
- Ask questions of current ICHM students.
- Meet some of the teaching staff.
- Experience the excellent ICHM teaching facilities.
- Learn about ICHM’s worldwide hotel industry placement.
- Experience ICHM’s outstanding on-campus student accommodation complex.
Places are limited and they tend to fill up fast.
Find out more here
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CAS Hawker Scholarship
Applications for the 2022 Charles Hawker Scholarships open on 6th December 2021 and close on 7th January 2022.
Since 1990, the Hawker Scholarship Trustees have awarded more than six million dollars of residential scholarships to one hundred and thirty-two young Australian students, many from regional areas. The six successful 2020 and 2021 candidates were selected from an Australia wide field of 223 applicants.
The late Lilias Needham, in memory of her brother, established the Charles Hawker Scholarship Memorial Trust. The C.A.S. Hawker Scholarship, valued at up to $60,000 over three years, is one of the most generous privately funded residential scholarships available to all Australian undergraduate and postgraduate students.
There are a number of scholarships awarded each year. The Trustees offer them to capable students of principle and character, who have demonstrated a commitment to the wider community. Selection is based on personal qualities as well as academic ability.
An application form and further information about C.A.S. Hawker and the scholarship are available from www.hawkerscholarship.org or by contacting the secretary to the Trustees on 08 8127 1654.
Vocational Education and Training
VET Update – May 2021
During the April School holidays 35 VET students commenced their Structured Workplace Learning which is a compulsory part of their Certificate course. I received some positive feedback from the workplace supervisors and also from our students. Some students impressed their workplace so much there could be an apprentice on offer.
Feedback from our students;
“Enjoyed it, a lot of fun, a long day compared to school”
“Was really good, had good fun, very busy”
“Learnt a lot about everything, activating muscles, new exercises and to be aware of what people are capable of”
“Went really well, really enjoyed it, learned a lot”
Feedback from our workplace hosts;
“Great, very cluey young man, always asking questions, shows initiative, pre-empting next move – Andrew said that he hasn’t seen that in a long time”
“Good attitude and work ethic, would like to offer him an apprenticeship when he finishes Year 12”
“Great initiative, read the room well for children’s needs, takes activities and runs with them, follows interests with children. Amazing and want to keep her! We received great feedback from the parents”
“Doing really well, very polite, one of the better kids they’ve had, would be happy to hire him if wanted a job, very punctual”
Sarah Benedictson
VET Coordinator (vet@shc.sa.edu.au)
Tertiary Updates – University Open Days
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Flinders Uni Open Days
Open Days this year will be online as well as at their Bedford Park campus on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th August.
Open Day is a fantastic opportunity for Year 10, 11 and 12 students to:
- Speak with study area experts
- Learn more about their course options and career pathways
- Take a campus tour with a current Flinders student
- Attend presentations on courses, scholarships, study abroad and how to apply
- Experience their award winning Student Hub and Plaza.
More information about Flinders University Open Days on August 13th and 14th.
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UniSA Open Days
City West: Sunday 15th August 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
City East: Sunday 15th August 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Mawson Lakes: Sunday 22nd August 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Magill: Wednesday 25th August 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
UniSA have planned a range of different activities throughout August so you can explore your future study and career options the way you want to.
You’ll have access to degree information videos, campus tours, and teaching staff and students that can talk you through the UniSA experience, entry into university, pathways and more.
Step on campus to:
- Take a campus tour
- Explore our specialised teaching facilities
- Discover your study options
- Chat to staff
Find out more here
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University of Adelaide Open Day
Online: Wednesday 11th August 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
On Campus: Sunday 15th August 9:30 am – 3:00 pm
In 2021, you’ll have the opportunity to experience the University online and on-campus.
The Uni’s online platform gives you the opportunity to learn how their degrees can set you up for your future career, hear from real-world academics and discover the services on offer to set you up for success.
Find out more here
Training and Work
Interested in a career as a dental assistant?
The Jetty Road Dental Clinic at Glenelg are looking for someone interested in a career as a dental assistant.
- 5 days per week -Training offered! Immediate start!
- Family friendly environment & beautifully appointed Practice
- Open 6 days per week, you will join the experienced long-standing Clinical team and be fully supported to train in all aspects of dental assisting, reception and steri.
Dental Assisting duties:
- Clinical chair side assisting for a variety of dental procedures when required;
- Preparing treatment rooms for daily procedures including cleaning and changeover of instrumentation, maintaining appropriate supplies and ordering when required; and
- learning all aspects of sterilization.
- Occasional reception duties
Contact Sandra Chryssidis on 0418 794 957 or the dental practice on 8295 2607 and ask for Sandra.
Grandshake Civil Construction Cadet Virtual Work Experience
In this Civil Cadet Virtual Work Experience, you will have the opportunity to build one of Inland Rail’s biggest projects. Step by step, brick by brick, you will navigate the world of construction at Inland Rail and innovatively carry out your very own construction project. You will tackle all the steps involved in an engineering project and get first-hand experience in geotechnical analysis, surveying and civil design.
Is this for you? If you…
- Are inspired by the cool buildings around you
- Want to understand the inner workings of huge construction projects
- Would like an industry mentor and career guidance
- Have always been curious about how our train lines are built
- Love learning!
Then this experience was made for you! Learn more here!
Spotlight on Careers – Military Chef
Military Chef was a heated competition between three of the ADF’s most prestigious Chefs. Navy, Army and Air Force Chefs battled it out to see who could cook the most delicious dish, using ingredients chosen by their Instagram followers.
You can watch the whole glorious event over on Instagram TV here. It’s an inspiring video for anyone with a passion for cooking.
If students are passionate about cooking, a career as a Chef in the ADF could be for them. Find out more about life and roles in the ADF here.
Or if there are any questions about what it takes to become a Chef in the Navy, Army or Air Force you can send them a message on Facebook and they’ll get back to you soon.
Interesting Stuff
Agriculture in Australia with NT Farmers
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A snapshot of Agriculture in Australia
Agricultural Production is a growing industry in Australia. It accounts for:
- 55% of Australian land use (427 million hectares, excluding timber production in December 2020)
- 25% of water extractions (3,113 gigalitres used by agriculture in 2018–19);
- 11% of goods and services exports in 2019–20;
- 1.9% of value added (GDP) and 2.6% of employment in 2019–20 (Figure 1).
(Source: Agriculture.gov.au)
Here in Australia, the type and level of agricultural activity is usually determined by physical factors including:
- climate,
- water availability,
- soil type and
- proximity to markets.
Livestock grazing is widespread and occurs across most of Australia, cropping and horticulture are generally more concentrated in locations that are closer to the coasts.
In the Northern Territory cattle make up the largest sector of the agricultural industry. Other important commodities in the region include mangoes and hay (Source: ABS), as well as nursery and turf, field crops and fodder, tropical exotic fruits, forestry, vegetables, melons, grapes, and other crops (Source: NT Farmers).
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Employment in Agriculture
Employment figures in Australia are falling with the advances in mechanisation and technology, but labour will always be an important part of farming and there are lots of jobs that only people can do.
In 2018-2019 on average 326,000 workers were employed in the Agricultural industry in Australia, including full-time, part-time, casual and contract workers (Source: ABARES).
Broadacre farms employed the highest number of workers, followed by fruit, grape and nut farms, vegetable farms and dairy farms (Martin, Randall & Jackson 2020).
Sketchnoting
Do you struggle to read large pages full of text? Find writing notes in class a bit boring? Consider yourself more of a visual rather than verbal learner? Sketchnoting could be an interesting study technique for you to try out instead.
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What is sketchnoting?
As the name implies, sketchnoting is a way of taking notes, but instead of writing just words, you incorporate pictures and graphics as well. The great thing about sketchnoting is that there isn’t just one way to do it; you can experiment and find what works best for you. And it doesn’t matter if you think you can’t draw. Even using basic graphics like arrows, charts and thought bubbles counts as sketchnoting.
You can incorporate as many pictures and diagrams into your notes as you like. If you’re a very visual learner, connecting pictures and graphics to short sentences can help to jog your memory easier, and make note taking more fun. Sometimes you might just want to pop in a little diagram here and there, and that’s okay too.
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What are the benefits of sketchnoting?
Sketchnoting helps you to focus on what you’re listening to or reading. You’ll need to really concentrate to be able to condense the information into pictures.
Studies also show that drawing information as well as writing it down helps you remember it better. When you’re going back over your notes later, the pictures and diagrams can work as a way to quickly jog your memory without having to read through lines of words.
Best of all, it allows you to be as creative as you like and can even be a bit of fun.
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Where can I learn more?
If you want to find out more, you can read about sketchnoting in Verbal to Visual’s blog here, which also includes some handy videos and pictures.
Or you can take this free online course to help you learn the basics.
Enter SmartFone Flick Fest
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What is SmartFone Flick Fest?
SmartFone Flick Fest is Australia’s international smartphone film festival for filmmakers of all ages. They are a world-wide festival open to anyone with a smartphone or tablet and a great idea for a short film.
SF3 provides a platform for budding, emerging and professional filmmakers to bring their ideas to life and have their films seen by a global audience, without the need for lots of fancy equipment or a big budget.
You can submit your movie any time before 1st August.
Find out more and enter here
2021 Travel Photographer of the Year Competition
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What is the Travel Photographer of the Year Competition?
The 2021 Travel Photographer of the Year awards (TPOTY) are now open.
TPOTY is truly global – wherever you live in the world and whether you are amateur or professional, beginner or expert, young or old, Travel Photographer of the Year is for you.
Entries are open until Tuesday 12th October.
Find out more and enter here
Disclaimer: Statements on careers and courses included in this newsletter are not necessarily those of Sacred Heart College. i.e. The text of notices on courses and industry prospects may be taken directly from their correspondence/publicity material. Some material taken from Study Work Grow (South Australia Careers News).
