Belridge Secondary College eNewsletter

VET and Careers Corner

In Week 6 commencing Monday, 20 May 2024 a group of Year 9 and 10 students participated in a three day Try-A-Trade at North Metro TAFE, Clarkson. Students were fully engaged with the activities, which focussed on bricklaying, tiling and plastering with numerous TAFE trainers commenting on the quality of the students’ work and attitude. Congratulations to these students who have now taken the first steps in pursuing potential pathway options within the construction industry. All students will receive a certificate, which will be presented at the next year group assembly.

Please continue to check Connect for upcoming opportunities within the career pathways space.

VET and Workplace Learning

White Card Training

The end of term has seen an additional 17 students from Years 9 and 10 take up the opportunity to complete the White Card Training course at school. Delivered by Paragon Training, a total of 42 students have now completed this program which verifies they have completed basic Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) training. This qualifies them to work on construction sites, which is one of the first steps in pursuing a career in this industry. Congratulations to all students who have been proactive and their commitment to creating real pathway opportunities for themselves. Other students who are interested in this industry, and are yet to complete their White Card Training, are encouraged to look out for future Connect notices which will advertise further opportunities to complete the course.

Workplace Learning

The College had almost 60 Senior School students undertake their work placements during Weeks 7 and 8 of Term 2. The feedback from employers about Belridge Secondary College students was excellent, with many of our learners being offered part-time work and apprenticeship positions. Initiative, punctuality, and a strong work ethic were just a selection of the comments which came from employers spanning across many industries including education support, retail, business and administration, hospitality, sport and recreation, automotive, construction, health care and media. One of our Year 12 students, Charlotte Vinson, took the opportunity to go to WA Today – Channel 9 where she completed interviews, did investigative work and had three news stories published.

We congratulate all these students who fully embraced the opportunities that the Workplace Learning Program presents them. They represented the College impeccably and did themselves and the school proud. We look forward to them pursuing their second work placement in Semester Two.

Try-A-Trade

The College is pleased to report that 17 of our students have completed a Try-A-Trade Program during Term 2. Funded by the Construction Training Fund (CTF), our students ‘tried’ bricklaying, tiling and plastering over a 3-day period at North Metro TAFE, Clarkson. Many have now secured pre-apprenticeship positions for Semester Two with other students using this experience as the starting point in creating a pathway into construction. We congratulate them for completing this program, which will be certificated, and thank the CTF and NM TAFE for continuing to provide such wonderful initiatives for our learners.

Vocational Education and Training delivered in Secondary Students (VETDSS) – 2025 Course List released for 2025.

Vocational Education and Training Delivered to Secondary Students (VETDSS) is a program delivered to Years 10, 11 and 12 school students as part of the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE). Students enrolled in a VETDSS course attend either a North or South Metropolitan TAFE campus (subject to course offerings) one or two days per week to complete a Certificate II, III or IV in a field that they see as a potential pathway.

Both North and South Metropolitan TAFE offer a range of courses and pre-apprenticeships as part of the VETDSS programs in the following industries:

Sport
Creative Industries
Healthcare, Beauty and Nursing
Construction
Automotive
Education
Engineering and Mining
Horticulture
Hospitality

The full course lists have been published on the respective year group Connect pages. These VETDSS courses allow students to:

Develop industry-specific skills
Gain nationally recognised VET qualifications and units of competency while completing your Western Australian Certificate of Education
Develop employability skills
Gain an understanding of the world of work, providing you with valuable experience to assist with planning and pursuing your career pathways.

Any student from Year 11 that is interested in applying for one of these great opportunities is encouraged to come and speak with Mr Smith, Program Coordinator – Senior School Pathways, beforehand.

Adam Smith
Senior School Pathways

Year 10 Careers Expo

Close to one hundred Year 10 Belridge students recently attended the Perth Careers Expo, held at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on Friday, 17 May 2024, escorted by Ashley Mouritz, Adam Smith and Louis Cheeseman. The event was a feature of National Careers Week, which took place across the country between Monday, 13 and Friday, 19 May 2024.

Students spent the afternoon navigating their way through each exhibitor’s stand. Students benefitted from the opportunity to directly source tertiary course information from a range of TAFE, university and private training providers; as well as directly network with some of Australia’s well-known government and private employers. It was great to see so many of our students confidently ask for information, advice and access resources to take away with them for future reference. A number of students enjoyed the opportunity to win prizes and collect a range of ‘goodies’ from the exhibitors as well!

Attendance at the event is designed to support and promote the very important career pathway planning and Senior School subject selection processes that Year 10 students will be involved in. At the end of the event students were reminded of the importance of making informed career related decisions and to continue to seek out resources they can use to develop and pursue a suitable and meaningful career pathway on completion of their secondary studies.

Year 9 Career Taster
Construction Futures Centre

A female only Year 9 Career Taster took place on Friday, 3 May 2024 involving 41 students interested in finding out more about career opportunities in the construction industry. Career Practitioner, Mr Mouritz and Middle School Head of Student Services, Ms Currie escorted students to the Construction Training Fund’s purpose-built Construction Futures Centre (CFC). The Construction Futures Centre (which is funded by the state government) has been designed to educate and encourage students to learn about the range of construction career options through immersive experiences. Approximately 40% of the entire Year 9 female student population attended the event. Considering the construction industry is made up of 87% males, it was impressive to see attendees enthusiastically get involved on the day. It was also great to see how many of our Year 9 students are interested in exploring non-traditional career opportunities.

During the excursion students participated in a range of hands-on activities, with the opportunity to explore construction-based opportunities in the commercial, residential, mining, and civil sectors. The construction industry is very diverse, and students explored a range of trade based, professional and para-professional opportunities that they can pursue on completion of their studies. Students also received information about the importance of exploring and planning their career pathway journeys by being involved in future College based events, such as specific construction and trade-based career tasters, applying for Vocational Education Delivered to Secondary School Students (VETDSS) TAFE certificates for Years 10 to 12; as well as participating in construction safety training (White Card), ‘Try-A-Trade’ programs and Workplace Learning, once they are in Years 11 and 12. Towards the end of the excursion, CFC staff reiterated that construction – and other employers – are seeking to employ female staff, as often females demonstrate highly developed communication and teamwork skills, as well as attention to detail when completing tasks. The career taster opened student’s eyes to the many trade-based pathways they can follow once they complete their studies at Belridge. Attendees are now encouraged to continue exploring their career pathway options and to begin making career development-based decisions.

Year 9 Career Taster
Events

Nineteen Year 9 students were recently involved in an 'Events' based Career Taster, held at North Metropolitan TAFE’s Joondalup campus on Friday, 24 May 2024. The excursion was part of the Year 9 Career Taster Program, which has been designed to provide students with exposure to industries and workplaces of interest. Attendance was based on an expression of interest basis, with numerous students unfortunately missing out on the event, due to a lot of interest in the Events field.

Once the day’s itinerary was explained, students were introduced to their lecturer, Anne, who instructs Certificate III in Events and Diploma in Events Management to TAFE students. Events is an important qualification, that enables people to plan and organise functions for both government and private workplaces. An Events qualification enables young people to develop and demonstrate skills in financial management, communication, organisation, and problem solving. Many of these skills are transferable to other industries.

During the day, students were instructed about the important roles played by Events staff and managers. Students got the opportunity to plan a mock event and source companies to support their initiatives. Students were also provided with the opportunity to plan and design a catered event. Students worked in groups for this task and did a great job catering for their fictional customers. The Diploma of Event Management provides students with a range of events administration and operational skills, knowledge of event industry operations, sound knowledge of event management processes and a broad range of skills to coordinate event operations. Events are diverse in nature. An Events qualifications provide a pathway to work in events in a range of industries including tourism and travel, hospitality, sport, cultural, and community sectors. All students contributed positively to the excursion. At the end of the day students were aware of the careers they could pursue if they gained an events qualification, and the many employment opportunities.

Year 9 Career Taster
Pretty Little Cakes

On Thursday, 6 June 2024 seventeen energetic Year 9 students attended North Metropolitan TAFE’s Joondalup campus to participate in the ‘Pretty Little Cakes’ cupcake decoration event. Students selected the excursion to gain an insight of what working in a commercial kitchen at TAFE is like, and what is involved in decorating cupcakes and desserts. The excursion was part of the Year 9 Career Taster Program, which has been designed to provide students with exposure to industries and workplaces of interest. All attendees stated that they had enjoyed the cooking and meal preparation they had completed at home and during their time at Belridge Secondary College, prior to the event.

Once the day’s itinerary was explained, students were escorted to one of the site’s commercial kitchens and introduced to their lecturer, Martina, who instructs Certificate III in Commercial Cookery - the qualification apprentices complete to become professional chefs. Students were attired in clothing suitable for the kitchen environment, including long pants, enclosed shoes and long hair tied back, they were also provided with a hair cover and plastic apron. Students were informed that they would be baking, glazing, and decorating cupcakes during the day and they were excited to undertake the task in hand, but were mainly motivated by the realisation that they would be able to eat their delicious creations at the end of the day!

Students were taught about the importance of kitchen hygiene and instructed in the proper use of a range of kitchen utensils and machinery, including the commercial ovens, which required significant instruction to operate. They also had the opportunity to purchase food from the nearby café, which is stocked by meals prepared in the commercial kitchens at TAFE. Students worked in pairs to prepare their cupcakes and with their communication and collaboration skills put on great display. At the end of the event students cleaned their workspaces and were then rewarded with tasting their amazing cupcakes. They were plenty of leftovers for their friends and family to enjoy once they got home.

Year 10 Excursion to Accenture
ABCN - Interview 2 Impress Event (I2I)

On Wednesday, 29 May 2024, Adam Smith and Ashley Mouritz escorted a group of Year 10 students to an Australian Business Community Networking (ABCN) coordinated excursion to Accenture, located in the CBD, for the ‘Interview 2 Impress’ (I2I) event. The I2I Program aims to build student confidence and interview skills. This half-day program is designed to equip students with the practical skills needed to engage in employment options beyond school. Interview skills are an essential tool in successfully pursuing post-school employment options and careers. While students are taught about interview preparation during their secondary studies, the opportunity to explore this topic and learn from a corporate employees, from Accenture, adds considerable value. Mentors sharing their own career journeys and challenges can make an enormous impact as students consider their options for the future.

The day involved students working in small groups, supported by Accenture staff, who acted as mentors. Accenture is a multi-national Information Technology consultancy and outsourcing company, with over 700,000 employees, across all continents. with many different areas of specialisation. Students benefitted from working with Accenture mentors, as they were keen to share details of their own career journeys and challenges. Students participated in mock interviews with attendees preparing for their interviews, by developing detailed examples they could provide in response to a range of behavioural based questions. Students were all provided with detailed and meaningful feedback regarding their individual interview performances.

The event was a great success, with excellent feedback received from both students and mentors, as highlighted below.

STUDENT EVALUATION SUMMARY
INTERVIEW 2 IMPRESS PROGRAM

The following are summarised student response results which demonstrate the percentage improvement from start of the program to end. (Note: the rating scale is a 1 to 7 measure, with 1 being lowest through to 7 being highest rating. i.e. 5 to 7 is agreed to strongly agree.) These results demonstrate that Belridge students really benefitted from being involved in the program.

Rating Area	Before I2I Rating 5-7	After I2I Rating 5-7
I understand how to prepare for a job interview	40%	95%
I am confident to participate in a job interview	40%	95%
I am aware of the skills that employers are looking for	35%	90%
I understand how to answer interview questions based on my strengths and previous experiences	40%	90%
I intend to complete Year 12	95%	100%
I intend to undertake further education such as TAFE, university or other courses	65%	80%
I am aware of a wide range of career options and pathways	45%	85%
I feel comfortable connection with and developing relationships with new people	75%	80%
I can see myself in a workplace like the one my mentor works in	45%	55%