A careers program for a changing world

Amanda Siva

Career Practitioner

Prior to recent events, an issue on many minds was the unprecedented pace of change in the world of work. While it can seem somewhat overwhelming to think about the jobs of the future right now, the key message is that young people will need to be adaptable and resilient as they respond to, and embrace, change. In many ways, the evolution of COVID-19 has forced us all to assess our change management skills and has provided many opportunities to show resilience. This is authentic, realworld learning in action.

Just like the world of work, the careers program at Carey is also changing, to provide better support to our students by increasing the opportunities for them to engage with their Career Practitioner. As of the beginning of 2020, all Year 10 students now have an individual career interview with their Career Practitioner early in the year, ideally face-to-face but, if need be, online. Year 10 is a complex year. Students have moved into the Senior School and are required to make some significant decisions regarding their subject choices and their Year 11 and 12 program. We firmly believe that holding this career interview earlier alleviates some of the pressure that can be felt by students in the lead-up to these big decisions. It also helps our students to build a relationship with their Career Practitioner, who will work with them through to Year 12. During these interviews, students discuss career ideas and receive assistance with developing a career research plan. We also look at subject selections and discuss the options of IB or VCE.

Our careers program is designed to give students the tools and outlook they need to be engaged members of our community. We aim to help in developing lifelong learners who are resourceful and skilled in managing their career beyond school.

The core focus of career education and development at Carey is to support our students to identify and understand their strengths, talents, values and interests and explore how these can translate into fulfilling careers. We assist students to set career goals for their future and to develop an action plan for achieving their goals. Just like our approach to curricular and co-curricular programs, our careers program is designed to give students the tools and outlook they need to be engaged members of our community. We aim to help in developing lifelong learners who are resourceful and skilled in managing their career beyond school.

A key feature of our Year 10 program has always been the Morrisby Profile. The Morrisby is a detailed career assessment tool that suggests careers based on the combination of aptitudes, personality and interests. It is not a crystal ball, but it is a useful conversation starter and can be a fantastic resource for students who are stuck for post-school ideas.

The Morrisby career profiling was intended to be completed as part of our Futures Day, scheduled for Tuesday 17 March. As we were not at school on this date, we decided to ask students to complete their Morrisby at home. Students were given access to their Morrisby profile as soon as they completed the testing. This was complemented by a range of online activities that provided some support for students to reflect on the information gleaned from their Morrisby Profile and explore potential career options.

Learning about future opportunities at the 2019 Careers Expo.

Another change to our offering at Year 10 was the Pathways Planning Day, which ran online on 22 June. This program was designed to give our students the time, space and resources to undertake some careers exploration and planning for their future. The day included sessions on the IB and VCE, and our teachers made short videos about their subjects to help students confirm their subject choices. As we were unable to run our annual Careers Expo, we reached out to tertiary organisations and asked them to present live webinars to our students. We were able to deliver 24 live sessions from a range of universities, TAFEs and even the Australian Defence Force, and students were able to attend three sessions of their choice. The topics were varied – from space science to psychology and commerce to paramedicine – to allow our students the opportunity to explore a broad range of options. We also reached out to members of our Old Carey Grammarian network who made short videos about their careers and also gave some advice to their Year 10 selves. Students could watch these short videos to explore a range of careers, and also access other career videos online. We will continue to grow this alumni resource for the benefit of all students at Carey.

While we are experiencing such unprecedented change to our usual teaching and learning programs this year, it is important to note that our career education and development programs at Carey continue to be responsive to students’ needs and guided by best practice. We are excited about the changes we are making this year and we will continue to improve and build on our programs to provide the best support to our students.

Career Practitioners at Carey are aligned with the Houses:

Amanda Siva: Cartwright, Dunshea, Moore and Tranter. amanda.siva@carey.com.au

Trevor Black: Fullard, Gadsden, Hickman, Newnham, Steele and Sutton. trevor.black@carey.com.au