What comes after school? Once the initial excitement of the thought of their final years at school sink in, students begin to cement their understanding of their endless post school options and the connection it starts with their life and career journey. Some individuals are already set on a preferred pathway and others who are unsure will work be encouraged to diligently finish their studies with their best academic results and a successful repertoire of soft skills to ensure their career success once they leave secondary school.
St James’ Anglican School aims to provide quality support and counselling dedicated to assisting students in making informed decisions about their career pathways, inclusive of school and post school education, training and employment options. The focus is on empowering students to plan their transition from high school to their ideal post school option through identifying their strengths, passions, future goals and preferred learning style; all in relation to their career journey.
St James’ Head of Careers and VET, Mr Daniel Thomas, is committed to providing guidance to students and parents regarding students’ future career paths and opportunities. To book a meeting with Mr Thomas, visit his office located in the Senior School Stage 4 building on the ground floor, or contact by email at [email protected].
St James’ Anglican School educate families about the variety of pathways that exist after school from an early stage. Each year, a parent information session is held for all parents and carers who wish build on their understanding of what ATAR, General Education and Vocational Education and training is and what these pathways mean for their child. Over the course of Senior school, students will be exposed to a wide variety of guest speakers, attend excursions, workshops, off-site Try-A-Trade opportunities, work experience and career shadow weeks and information sessions about the choices available to them as students and post year 12.
In addition to this, each year St James’ runs a Careers Week. The focus of this week is to further develop the students soft skills and expose them to a variety of age related topics which can include interviewing skills, building a portfolio and resume, understanding their resilience and growth mindset and more job and study exploration. Guest speakers include TAFE, the Defence Forces, University representatives, current and past Year 12 students and inspirational speakers whose ultimate aim is to educate students on what Year 11 and 12 look like and inspire and motivate them about life after high school.
Year 11 (2024) Parent Information & Proposed Subjects
St James’ has a dedicated careers website which collates important information for all students, but most importantly for Year 11 and 12 students who may be seeking information on their chosen career path. The website can be accessed via www.stjamescareers.com
There are also a number of websites available to students and parents/guardians which also explain the different pathways available to students. These include but are not limited to:
The school holds a membership to the my-future resource, which is Australia’s national online career information and exploration service. Students are encouraged to use this resource to develop their understanding and knowledge of career decisions, the variety of career pathways and further understand the transition to the workforce.
In Year 10, the parents and students are invited to an information session which explains the Year 11 and 12 pathways in greater detail. Before students make their final subject selections, individualised counselling and interviews are held with the parents and student to ensure all options have been considered to optimise their chances of success and fulfilling all the requirements for WACE. Every step of the way, St James’ aim to encourage and provide guidance to ensure students are able to access their preferred pathway and, if unsure of what they want to do, have options and choices at the end of Year 12.
St James’ Career counselling and pathway support can be offered in many ways and will be a culmination of the following experiences:
- Providing information on ATAR subject choices and how these affect student eligibility to enter university courses or a specific career pathway
- Researching employment and tertiary course pathways
- Applying to TAFE and other registered training providers for Certificate and VET qualifications
- Investigating occupations that reflect their interests and talents
- Researching university courses and their relevant ATAR’s
- Encouraging students to apply for employment opportunities, both full-time and part-time
- Providing individual students with information about pre apprenticeships and traineeships and relevant School based traineeships
- Preparing resumes, letters of applications, collating a portfolio, preparing for a job interview and learning how to apply for a tax file number and USI
- Utilising diagnostic tools and the multitude of resources available to assist students to make informed decisions and support families to make the career education process a positive and exciting experience
- Assisting students where possible to apply for relevant scholarships and opportunities
