Parents

Here at the SDIEA we acknowledge that supporting your student to make career decisions can be fraught with danger. Most of the staff at SDIEA have secondary schools students of their own and share your issues and concerns.

We also understand that sometimes school doesn’t fit all young people and it can be a hard slog keeping them engaged in learning.

The following programs and resources are available to you.

Parents as Career and Transition Support (PACTS) – Funded by the Australian Government’s Dept of Education, Science & Training

This series of three, three hour workshops has been developed specifically for parents to help provide them with information on careers and options for their young person and details information of vocational employment options including Traineeships & Apprenticeships, University, general career advice as well as where to go to get help and learn more about career preparation.

The program works with small groups of parents in a relaxed, informal workshop setting and is led by a qualified career specialist and trainer. Parents are provided with a workbook that includes practical resources and a range of handouts including information to allow for further investigation and research.

Workshop Topics Include:

SDIEA run these workshops throughout the year, please contact us for details on the next workshops and registration.

Youth Support Coordinators – Funded by the Queensland Government’s Dept of Communities

Youth Support Coordinators support young people still connected to education and/or training to move into and through the senior phase of learning. Their role within schools, Technical and Further Education Institutes (TAFEs), and communities can include:

SDIEA’s youth support coordinators can work with you and your young person individually to help you overcome any barriers that are stopping succuss in the school environment. They are not teachers. Our youth support coordinators have diverse backgrounds but all of them have extensive experience working within a social work context. No matter what the problem our Youth Support Coordinators can help. Clare Hine looks after the schools in the Warwick Shire and Dee Tribe looks after both Goondiwindi State High School and Inglewood State School.

Resources for Parents

Australian Career Development Studies (ACDS)

ACDS is designed to enhance the skills of professional career development practitioners and others who want to know more about career development. It has three components:

  1. Awareness of Career Development – an introductory program for anyone wishing to learn the basics.
  2. Elements of Career Service Delivery – three nationally endorsed units at AQF Certificate level IV
  3. Career Development Studies – an accredited unit at Post Graduate Certificate level.

The materials are available free of charge on the internet (although participants will pay a fee if they require recognition of prior learning or choose to have their learning accredited by a registered training organisation or university).
Visit: www.career.edu.au

Australian Apprenticeship Job Pathways

This site is dedicated to Australian Apprenticeships, it contains a variety of resources and tips. Particularly useful is the 30 interactive industry pathway charts that show you the jobs and careers that can start with an Australian Apprenticeship. An articulation chart if you like.
Visit: http://www.aajobpathways.com.au/

Bullseye Posters

A series of 20 posters covering a wide range of subject interests and the occupation or career they can lead into. They are aimed at helping students to focus on what they enjoy or are good at both in and out of school. There is no cost.
Visit: www.dest.gov.au/careerdevelopment to order limited copies

Getting A Job – Future Directions

Getting A Job is designed for young people finishing school about entering the world of work. It provides information on how to find a job, how to apply for work and tips about how to get through the interview process. SDIEA keeps a stock of these booklets and we provide each school leaver with a copy in our school leaver bags.
However, there are nine Getting A Job worksheets that teachers could use in their lessons. These can be downloaded from:
www.dest.gov.au/careerdevelopment by navigating to Getting a Job Worksheets – Future Directions.

Higher Education Information Kit

The Higher Education Information Kit has been developed to assist careers advisors, principals and teachers provide information on higher education to Year 12 students.
The kit contains information products such as fact sheets and publications which provide information on the type of government assistance available to students who wish to attend university and promotional material which raises the awareness of the www.goingtouni.gov.au website

I Can Do That Too – Future Directions

I Can Do That Too – future directions is a booklet that assists job seekers to identify the skills they have developed in their every day life and how these skills are presented as assets of value to potential employers. I have found these booklets invaluable when working with young people. It helps them to identify that they were born with skills and abilities, and have developed valuable skills during their life.
Schools can order limited copies of this publication from the DEST website: www.dest.gov.au/careerdevelopment

Indigenous Australians’ Career Information

How To Get Yourself a Job was prepared jointly with the Dept of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) in 2003. It is aimed at supporting young people in their transition from school to work as well as job seekers.

No Shame Job is a guide to jobs in the health industry for Indigenous students. The booklet provides details about the support services and organisations that can assist Indigenous students to succeed with their studies, as well as inspiring stories of Indigenous Australians working in this area.

Schools can order limited copies of these publications from the DEST website. They are also available online for the general public to download.
Visit: www.dest.gov.au/careerdevelopment

Job Guide

DEST distributes Job Guide to schools each year to be provided to all Year 10 students. The Job Guide is a comprehensive resource that describes the tasks involved in entry level jobs. We love the Job Guide and use it everyday in our work.
The Job Guide is researched an updated annually and the online version is updated monthly.
Visit: www.jobguide.dest.gov.au

JobJuice Website

JobJuice is an interactive website that provides career advice and information to youth aged 15 -24 years, parents, teachers and counsellors. The site uses interactive and animated functions to engage browsers and encourage return visits on a regular basis. Visitors are guided through helpful information such as working out a career path, creating a resume and preparing for an interview.
Visit: www.jobjuice.gov.au

My Future Website

www.myfuture.edu.au is Australia’s online career information and exploration service with useful information on occupations, courses, education and training providers, the local and national labour market, scholarships and more. It is an initiative of the Australian, State and Territory governments and is freely available on the internet. The service assists people of all ages, including students, to develop career management skills and plan their career and transitions. It is also used by teachers, career advisers and others who help people explore and plan their careers.

The site has three main sections: The Facts (career information), My Guide (a career exploration tool), and Assist Others (resources for career practitioners)

The My Future Website is a must do for all career educators and career practitioners.

Parents Help with Careers

Parents Help With Careers is a booklet for parents, carers and others responsible for helping teenagers in their later years at school. It outlines career pathways issues parents may think about and want to discuss with their children.

SDIEA keeps a small stock of these booklets and have found them invaluable when talking careers with parents. Alternatively you can download a copy by visiting:
www.dest.gov.au/careerdevelopment

School Based Australian Apprenticeships

School-Based Australian Apprenticeships enable school students to gain a national vocational qualification while continuing school studies. Schools and employers can access support from Australian Apprenticeship Centres at no cost. The Australian Apprenticeship Centres will advise employers, schools, students and their parents of eligibility for incentives.

SDIEA provides School Based Australian Apprenticeship support for Warwick State High School students under an arrangement. We have many resources available in our office describing in more detail how the system works. Please refer your students to Natalie Perrett in our office.

VET in Schools Factsheet

The VET in schools factsheet provides useful information about this popular and valid senior secondary school program including:

This resource is updated yearly. Visit http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/career development/policy issues reviews/key issues/Vocational Education in Schools/

Year 12 – What Next?

Students in their last semester at school need to seriously consider their options. They may have identified their first choice for study after school, but may re-assess their career direction in light of their results, or their changing interests. The Year 12 – what next? Website provides links for Year 12 students and their parents to explore the full range of post-school education and training choices. This resource also helps teachers to help year 12 students find the information they need at this critical time, whatever their post-school plans may be.
Visit: www.year12whatnext.gov.au