Careers and pathways planning

The careers program at Northcote High aims to embed into the wider curriculum, the skills and knowledge that our students will need to navigate the future world of work, and to understand their own narrative within their wider systems.

Developing career management skills is a lifelong journey that begins with:

• understanding oneself and your place in the wider landscape of the world you live in
• learning to understand and manage influences relating to career planning and lifelong learning
• developing skills, knowledge and capabilities to make career decisions, by examining risks and planning for contingencies
• learning to deal with uncertainty through adaptability, seeking feedback, experimenting, resilience and perseverance

We provide careers education, rather than simply giving advice. It is our role to support young people in developing their self-awareness, and build the skills they need to research and explore their options, so they can make informed decisions about their own future.

Our career development activities are guided by a professionally qualified Careers Practitioner, who provides comprehensive career information to families and students on options for their future. All students are supported through the transition from school to further study, training or the workplace.

Staff at NHS, with the support of families and the wider community, work closely with students throughout their school life to provide them with the understanding and information they need to make informed decisions about their education, training and employment options.

Online resources

Students have access to up-to-date, timely and helpful careers resources on Teams, including career exploration; tips; news; updates and information on the tertiary application process. Families can access this information via the Compass platform, under School Documentation.

Career education activities

Our teachers work closely with our Careers Practitioner to run varied career education activities and information sessions throughout the year. They to support students to build the skills, knowledge and capabilities to commence their career pathway and develop a rewarding career and life experience.

We keep students at all year levels informed via Teams announcements, about co-curricular opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills; through special events/programs; working and  volunteering. We encourage students to take up as many of these opportunities as possible.

Years 7 and 8

Students at junior levels participate in activities and events which aim to help them to develop self-awareness and encourage exploration of culture, family, friendships, education and all the influences and systems that impact one’s career journey. 

Students reflect on their learning and develop a Career Action Plan using the My Career Portfolio system. This is shared with Connect tutors and parents each semester.

Years 9 and 10

In Years 9 and 10, we start to focus more closely on future planning and exploring future career and study options. All students are asked to complete their Career Action Plan each semester and share it with their Connect Tutor.

Year 9 students participate in the Morrisby profiling assessment, which is followed up by an individual interview with an external careers practitioner to unpack results.  Students explore the world of work and begin to plan their Year 10 experiences, including possible advancements (VCE subjects).

We provide our Year 10 students with more intensive careers and pathways planning, mostly through our Connect Program. At Year 10, every student completes a detailed Career Action Plan each semester, and they refer back to this plan throughout the year in response to guided reflection on how to plan, evaluate and adapt their career and study goals.

Students participate in the Real Industry Job Interview (RIJI) program, which is a work readiness program that helps students develop good job search, resume writing and interviewing skills.

All Year 10 students participate in a Careers Day, which includes careers workshops with guest speakers who help students explore aspects of various career pathways. Students are encouraged to start visiting tertiary institutions and exploring vocational options to broaden their study experiences. The opportunity for all Year 10 students to undertake one week of work experience is embedded into our curriculum planning. 

Years 11 and 12

In the senior years, we offer students the opportunity to more closely investigate the options available through tertiary studies or alternative pathways. Students continue to complete a Career Action Plan each semester and they are encouraged to share this with their Connect Tutor. 

Information sessions are delivered over the course of the year and are designed to brief students on transition material and key dates. These sessions also assist families to work with their young person and the school to develop appropriate pathways for their studies. Information sessions are provided in response to key tasks and timelines for career/transition planning. 

Year 11 students participate in a series of careers sessions in Connect which aim to build their career knowledge as well as their capacity to make appropriate choices. Year 12 students also attend La Trobe University, where the focus includes preparing for achieving their best in their final year of schooling.

Students in Year 11 and 12 are taught how to use the VTAC site and tertiary institutions’ websites to research and check their options, and Year 12 students are supported throughout the tertiary application process.

Careers counselling

Students and families are welcome to make private appointments with our Careers Practitioner, to discuss specific course and career choices, and make sure they are on track to achieving their goals for their work and study plans. Appointments can be made via Calendly.

Work experience

Experiencing the workforce is one of the most effective ways to gain insight into specific professions and the nature of work in our culture, which can help young people make decisions about their own future plans. Research also tells us that people who have already worked are more likely to gain further employment.

At Northcote High School, we encourage all students to undertake work experience, and it is an important part of our Year 10 program. One week in May is set aside for work experience, and all students are expected to participate. Additional placements at times outside this week are able to be undertaken through an application process.

In addition, all students who take a VET subjects are encouraged to undertake Structured Workplace Learning (SWL) placements. These are industry-based placements that allow students to gain on-the-job skills in the industry related to their VET studies. These placements can be a vital steppingstone towards meaningful employment in that industry.

All VCAL students undertake SWL placements one day a week as part of their VCAL program. VCE students in Year 11 and 12 are also supported if they wish to do work experience during term breaks as part of their pathway planning.

Our students do these placements in a wide range of industries and workplaces.