A sense of purpose. A vision for the future. Suzy Varley Leader of Pathways and Partnerships
Forming quality partnerships has never been so important to our young people as it is in today’s world. With the ever-changing landscape of work and the myriad of choices that are available to students in a post-school context, strong partnerships can help them to navigate their world beyond the safety of Scotch College. The world is changing, and traditional work roles are evolving and developing in response to this change. Similarly, post-school options are far more diverse, interesting, and engaging than they have ever been in the past. This is a challenging space for our boys and their parents to navigate. Ways of entering post-school study, the courses available and styles of teaching and learning in tertiary institutions continue to be reimagined in response to the demands of industry and the evolving work landscape. Entry requirements for university are everchanging, there is the issue of pre-requisites,
Scotch College hosted the annual Combined Schools Tertiary Expo. A great source of information for our Senior School students.
how to source an apprenticeship, what subjects to study to make sure an application is competitive. The list goes on and on and it is no wonder that this confuses not only our boys, but their parents as well. Research shows that individuals who have a strong sense of purpose and meaning in life tend to have better mental health, sense of wellbeing and cognitive functioning compared to those who lack purpose. Having a vision of what their future may look like and setting goals to work towards can help our students achieve a sense of purpose. To help our boys make their decisions and find their purpose, it is important that we encourage them to be curious. It is too easy for them to pick the safe option and travel down the well-worn path of other students who have also chosen the comfortable route rather than to challenge themselves and think outside the box. Throughout the year we facilitate opportunities for the boys to engage with post-school providers, through lunchtime visits, enabling them to ask questions and find out information firsthand. Our Pathways Breakfasts provide a forum for the students to network with leaders from a variety of industries of interest. We also host the annual Combined Schools Tertiary Expo, which includes exhibitors from local and interstate universities, TAFE, apprenticeship support agencies, employment agencies, the Defence Force, aviation companies and agents who work with US and UK institutions. Encouraging our students to attend these
events, ask questions and do further research can help them to develop a more informed vision for their future, for when they leave the safety of Scotch College. As the new Leader of Pathways and Partnerships at the College, I am always looking to build relationships with people and organisations who can provide opportunities to the boys that will enable them to envision a clearer purpose for their future. What this may look like is individual but can include a willingness to address the students on career and pathway related topics, mentoring or the ability to offer the students placement options to gain real life experience. If you would like to join me and be involved with building the Pathways and Partnerships space, then I invite you to get in touch with me at Suzy.Varley@scotch.wa.edu.au so that we can discuss how you can contribute and help our students to navigate their postschool journey.
If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose. Bishop T.D Jakes
