We don't have the class time to explore the program with them, so it works well for us because it’s so easy for students to navigate independently.
The Next Big Thing
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01
What kind of challenges do you face at Canley Vale?
I find that many students struggle to step out their comfort zone. They stick to the conventional top 10 professions, like doctor, lawyer, accountant, engineer, etc. We are focusing on building their knowledge of what other careers exist, even things that you've never heard of within certain faculties, they just need that exposure. It's just a lack of awareness, that's literally all it is.
We do have an agenda to build careers and embed it across the whole school. It's just a longer-term plan because we're also very restricted on time this year.
CASE STUDY
Speaking with Nivanthi from Canley Vale, she expressed her enthusiasm for TCD's student-friendly and engaging features. They appreciate the platform's extensive functions and resources, which allow them to tailor the experience based on their students' needs.
Champions: Nivanthi Ratnayake & Renee Hurst, Careers/Transition advisors (job-share)
SNAPSHOT
State
NSW
About
Government, Metro
Enrolment
1400
Active Teachers
2
Active Students
400
Focus
Careers Exploration, Skills Training and Pathway planning
02
What attracted you to The Careers Department?
I had been introduced to it at my previous school, and the part I was really drawn to was that it’s particularly student-friendly and engaging. I really like the career exploration functionality, it’s something the students can log into and simply explore be it, in class or outside. So being able to do that career exploration and the virtual work experience sold it for me.
I think the number of functions and resources it provides; it allows you to pick-and-choose as to what you use because it’s so vast.
03
How do you run careers at your school?
In years 11 and 12, one of their core modules is called ‘My working life’ and it’s about getting them to start their career exploration journey. To start, we encourage some self-exploration through The Careers Department’s Profiling tool. This allows them to assess their skills, their strengths and their passions and to see what would match that. Nine times out of 10, the kids say, “Wow, that really matches what I would have thought”.
The program also aligns very well with our senior work studies program too. We teach a class called ‘Work Studies’ and the curriculum aligned well with the tasks available in The Careers Department.
04
How do you introduce the platform to your students?
We only have short 15-minute interviews with students, so we try and minimise that chit-chat time and explain what The Careers Department is. We basically give them the link, tell them to create an account, and then it's up to them to delve into all the functions and have a play around and use it. We don't have the class time to explore the program with them, so it works well for us because it’s so easy for students to navigate independently.
05
Are you using The Careers Department with year 12 students?
Yes, they’re particularly engaged, they get a lot out of the program. In our post-school planning interviews, we have one-on-one interview sessions with all year 12 students and one of the steps that they must complete before meeting with us is to create an account on The Careers Department and complete the profiling tool. We regularly have our students complete their resume and I love that it has spell check, and it is so customisable. We're using this tool a lot with the year 12 cohort as part of their career planning process.
The student exploration of ‘what do I want to do’ and ‘who am I’ is incredible; that is where The Careers Department really shines. We see this across all years.
06
What TCD features or tools do you use most often?
I often use the teaching resources; they are helpful to send to other faculties to highlight subject-specific content. I’ve been promoting The Careers Department regularly to other teachers as I’d like to create a whole school approach and discuss how we can embed careers in subject classes but this is still a work in progress.
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SNAPSHOT
State
NSW
About
Government, Metro
Enrolment
1400
Active Teachers
2
Active Students
400
Focus
Careers Exploration, Skills Training and Pathway planning
CASE STUDY
Speaking with Nivanthi from Canley Vale, she expressed her enthusiasm for TCD's student-friendly and engaging features. They appreciate the platform's extensive functions and resources, which allow them to tailor the experience based on their students' needs.
Champions: Nivanthi Ratnayake & Renee Hurst, Careers/Transition advisors (job-share)
