The term career incorporates everything we do in life – what we learn through participating in cultural activities, work experience, education, parenting, sports and hobbies, voluntary and paid employment, as encapsulated in our central aim of “learning always”. A successful career depends on how we manage all the contributing experiences and opportunities.
In the CBC contemporary learning model, students develop the critical skills most valued by employers: communication, creative problem solving, analytical thinking and collaboration. These skills are essential preparation for the future of each of our students as they face a rapidly changing world and will need to navigate a new work mindset where flexibility will be the key.
Parents usually want no more for their children than they find work that makes them happy. However, success and happiness take more than good luck. Through the Career Development experiences CBC provides, students learn to value the full range of their experiences and to manage their learning and work into the future.
How does Career Development work at CBC?
Career Development skills are integrated into the curriculum from Years 7 to 12. By secondary school, young people are constantly making decisions about their future in the context of their learning – what they enjoy or are good at, how they like to work and learn, what subjects they will choose, what part-time job they might seek, what educational opportunities are available when they finish school. Career Development at CBC St Kilda aims to provide opportunities for students to reflect on these issues, and to broaden their outlook whilst learning to make sound decisions.| Year | Development Stage |
|---|---|
| 7 & 8 | students begin to understand themselves and the influences on them, build their experiences and achievements and develop their capabilities through individual and team projects. |
| 9 | students explore their career interests and develop job-seeking skills, learning to build a resumé and taking part in mock interviews. They undertake the Safe@Work program in preparation for Work Experience. |
| 10 | students undertake a comprehensive program to develop their educational and career aspirations through the renowned Morrisby assessment. They experience a Work Placement, subject selection preparation, a careers expo and, through individual careers interviews, refine their plans for their senior years. |
| 11 & 12 | students settle in to their VCE, VCAL and VET programs (if chosen) but are able to access individual counselling for subject changes and fine-tuning of their career plans. Students are prepared for their VTAC applications for tertiary study and assisted to apply for apprenticeships, cadetships, scholarships and tertiary access schemes. |
Careers Services at CBC
Careers Counselling
Students have access to a qualified and experienced Career Development Practitioner (Careers Counsellor), whose role is to assist students with all aspects of their Career Development and Management. Information and assistance on all career-related topics is provided to help students develop the optimum personal pathway plan. It is not a matter of simply matching a person to a career, but rather assisting students to sort out issues such as flexible career choices, subject and tertiary selection to prepare our students to thrive in a fast-changing future.
The CBC Careers Website
This is a virtual Careers Room, where students can access job and course information, videos, a calendar of careers events, the fortnightly newsletter and other useful publications and links, along with a personalised career planning area with including quizzes, games, resumes and career planning tools.
CBC Careers News
Published fortnightly, CBC Careers News keeps both students and parents informed about career events and opportunities like Open Days and Career Expos, tertiary courses and institutions, applying for courses, career experiences and profiles of new and interesting career options.
The Careers Centre
This has all the resources, both on-line and physical, that students might need to research careers, employment, pre-apprenticeships and apprenticeships, school-based apprenticeships, gap years, University and TAFE courses, access programs, cadetships and scholarships, accommodation, finances (including HECS-Help and Fee-Help), testing programs, study skills, open days, careers expos, information sessions, exchanges, overseas and interstate study, work experience, VET and Pathways courses, University enhancement studies and more! Students are also able to investigate pay and job trends and learn about young peoples’ rights at work.
