Careers News – Issue 1 2024 (Week 11, Term 1)

Posted on April 9, 2024

Congratulations to Class of 2023 graduate, Ella Meredith (pictured with Director of Teaching & learning, Alex Daw and Pathways Coordinator, Caitlin Rayner), who was the deserving recipient of the 2024 Daniel Cagney Camp Counselors USA (CCUSA) Award.

Welcome to Careers and Pathways and Sacred Heart

Welcome to the first Careers News for 2024. The Careers News aims to provide a wealth of information for senior years students and families on possible pathways during and after school. We encourage you to contact the Careers and Pathways Office to discuss any matters relating to careers and pathways or Vocational Education and Training (VET) including career counselling, work experience, VET courses and school-based apprenticeships.

Meet the Pathways and VET team below:

2024 Daniel Cagney CCUSA Award

Sacred Heart College is pleased to announce Ella Meredith (Class of 2023) as the deserving recipient of the 2024 Daniel Cagney Camp Counselors USA (CCUSA) Award. Ella will be going to Camp Matoaka in Maine, USA as part of the Camp Counselor USA Program.

Camp Counselors USA is honoured to offer this annual award in memory of old scholar, Daniel Cagney (SHOC ’12) and in recognition of Daniel’s outstanding commitment to youth through his work as an American Camp Counselor. Ella was presented with the award at the annual Formal Friday event on 2 February. Formal Friday aims to raise awareness about the importance of mental health, the importance of supporting each other, and raise funds for Beyond Blue – all of which is in honour of Daniel’s memory.

Graduating students from Sacred Heart College are eligible for the CCUSA award by successfully completing their application to Summer Camp and being accepted into the program. Find out more here.

Meet Adele O’Dea:
Sacred Heart Class of 2023 and Tutor at Sacred Heart

What are you studying?
I am currently studying Optometry at Flinders University (see Bachelor of Health Science (Vision Science)/Master of Optometry).

What has university been like so far?
University is very different to school with much more self-directed learning, and you need to be more dependent on oneself to seek out the help. There is far less structured time as a student so you need to manage your time wisely to get through.

What do you hope to do once you graduate?
I hope to specialise in pediatric optometry. I was inspired by an incredible pediatric optometrist in my childhood and am passionate about pursuing this for my own career. I look forward to working with children and making the process fun, welcoming and less scary for them, especially with small children. I am currently working as a tutor at Sacred Heart, and am enjoying this work with students and building my skills working with young people.

Some advice for current Year 12 students…
Balance is key; having time for yourself is important and can be the hardest thing to squeeze in. While it is also important to be there for your friends and family, allocating some time for yourself will come back in spades. No matter what it is that makes you happy, self-care or exercise, trying to fit that in with study and schoolwork is so important. While it may sound cliche, staying on top of study is actually the best way to get through. I would also recommend using all of the resources available at Sacred Heart such as the teachers, tutors and workbacks.

Key dates

Work experience update

  • Term 1 Work Experience dates and information

    Term 1 Work Experience Dates
    15 – 19 April 2024
    Deadline for paperwork: 27 March 2024

    A quick word on Work Experience; 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
    • 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 Workplace Learning and Agreement 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 Workplace 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 or job trials are not sanctioned by SA Work Experience guidelines.

    Please see the Sacred Heart College Work Experience Guidelines and Procedures.

  • Work Experience at CAV Power

    If you are considering pursuing a mechanical apprenticeship then Cavpower would like to invite you to apply to participate in their Work Experience Program where you will take part in a range of activities that will teach you some of the basic skills required to become a fully qualified Caterpillar technician.

    Find out more here.

  • Work Experience at Festival Theatre

    The Adelaide Festival Centre Work Experience Program focuses on Arts Administration, Marketing, Programming, Visual Arts, Curation and Arts Education.

    Find out more here.

  • Medicine Update: SAHMRI Work Experience Program

    SAHMRI offers a selective work experience program to introduce secondary school students to the many career options available in the medical research field. The program aims to give students a practical understanding of careers in medical research and equip them with the knowledge to make more informed decisions around their future careers.

    Over a five-day program, students will be exposed to a range of activities across the SAHMRI research themes. Students will have the opportunity to learn from world-class researchers and discover what they do at SAHMRI.

    Students from Australian secondary schools who are currently undertaking Year 11 or Year 12 are eligible to apply. Year 10 students can also apply, however due to the complexity of the content covered in the program, Year 11 and 12 students will generally be given preference. 

    Find out more here.

Tertiary update

Vocational Education & Training (VET)

Over 190 students are on their way to completing a VET course in 2024. The table below highlights the top 10 most popular VET courses this year at Sacred Heart College.  

1Cert IIISport Coaching50
2Cert IIIEntrepreneurship and New Business BSB3022019
3Cert IIIFitness SIS3032119
4Cert IIElectrotechnology UEE2202019
5Cert IIConstruction Pathways CPC2022017
6Cert IIIEarly Childhood Education & Child Care CHC3012115
7Cert IIIIndividual Support CHC3301515
8Cert IIIMusic10
9Cert IIRetail Cosmetics SHB201167
10Cert IIIScreen & Media CUA310205

VET Taster courses

Western Technical College (WTC), located at 44 Russell Street in Rosewater, will once again be hosting their Try a Trade (TAT) program in Term 2 and Term 3.  

The WTC TAT program is designed for Year 10 students wishing to experience trade pathways. The program provides students with practical first hand experiences in their chosen trades, informing and supporting their decision making process when deciding to pursue a VET Certificate Pathway as part of their Year 11 or 12 SACE plan.

Try a Trade Construction for Term 2 (promoted earlier this term via email and SEQTA notices) is now full for Term 2. 

WTC will open enrolments early Term 2 for the following Try a Trades which will be delivered in Term 3.

  • Automotive 
  • Construction
  • Electrotechnology
  • Engineering (metal)
  • Hair & Beauty
  • Plumbing
  • Screen and Media/IT

Other training providers will offer VET tasters and will be announced next term. This may include the following;

  • Cosmetics/Beauty
  • Early Childhood Education
  • Hairdressing
  • Horticulture
  • Individual Support (Health Care)
  • Screen & Media/IT

VET Tasters will be promoted via email and SEQTA notices as they become available. 

Costs are covered by families and students are to make their own transport arrangements.

Construction Industry Training Board Award

Congratulations to Year 12 student, Ethan Fitzgerald, who received a significant award from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). Following the completion of his qualification (Certificate II in Construction) in 2023 at Thebarton Senior College, Ethan was awarded by CITB for demonstrating dedication and commitment to the program.

Throughout the Cert II in Construction Pathways course, Ethan demonstrated all the qualities required to be a great young tradesperson. He is a reliable, punctual young man who consistently shows initiative and completes all tasks. Through high quality personal skills, he interacts positively in a team environment, building great relationships with his peers throughout the program. Due to his skills and commitment, Ethan has now gained a School based apprenticeship, which he commenced this year.

Congratulations to Ethan on this very well-deserved award.

Volunteer and other opportunities

  • Volunteer opportunities

    Volunteering is a great way for young people to learn valuable and employable skills. These will look great on a resume and can be an excellent start off point for a career.

    Check out some of the below opportunities in volunteering.

    Red Cross Op Shop (Retail)

    Meals on Wheels (Hospitality)

    St. John’s Ambulance (Medical)

    National Parks SA (Environment)

  • ADFA Degrees and Trades

    The Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), based in Canberra, offers a range of post-school pathways in both degrees and trades.

    Students can choose from a range of degrees available  in Business, Engineering, Computing, Arts and Science.

    Students can choose from a wide variety of trades ranging from electronics, mechanics and carpentry to cooking and plumbing, and enjoy training, good pay, mateship and job security.

  • Born to Build

    If you are interested in a career in the building and construction industry the Born to Build program might interest you.

  • Scholarships

    Scholarships are available at all tertiary institutions. While the exact impact of a scholarship will depend on a few factors, including how much it’s worth, and how much support is needed, it can always be a worthwhile investment in time to investigate scholarships available at the institution of your choice. More informaiton is available at the links below:

    The University of Adelaide

    University of South Australia

    Flinders University 

Tutoring

Do you need tutoring?
If you feel any of the following, tutoring might be something you’d like to try:

  • You’re feeling behind or that you don’t understand what’s being taught
  • You missed some classes and would like to catch up in your spare time
  • You’ve kept up with class work, but want a bit of extra help to do well in assessment
  • You’re really interested in a particular subject and are keen to learn even more.

Tutoring is something you can access at any stage of your educational journey, from primary school all the way through to university.

Subject teachers are available in the library after school any Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday up until 5pm and for Year 12 students until 8pm on a Tuesday and Wednesday. You can see the library roster of staff and subjects here.

Tutors
Tutors Australia – offers both in-home and online tutoring
Cluey Learning – offers one-on-one online tutoring
Tutorly – find a private tutor to suit you
Kumon – individualised learning for Maths, English and Japanese

You can also find more study tips here.

Spotlight on careers

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).