From year 7, you can encourage meaningful conversations and discussion in the classroom for students to start thinking about their working life after school finishes. Lesson plans for occupation spotlight videos can be found here on MyFuture.

Activities by year level

Years 7 to 8 - build awareness of careers and an understanding of working life

Have your students:

• explore their strengths and interests

• investigate industries and occupations that might be suitable

• learn about local opportunities for jobs, work experience or volunteering

• build early career awareness through activities, guest speakers or guided conversations in the classroom.

Years 9 to 10 - a time for focused exploration

Have your students:

• explore potential subject selection pathways

• compare potential career options

• research and investigate VET and apprenticeships

• prepare for work experience opportunities.

Years 11 to 12 - a time for focused planning

Have your students:

• research post-school pathways

• explore course, training and apprenticeship options

• prepare CVs, job applications and portfolios

• confirm their subject choices align with future goals.

The role of parents and caregivers

Encourage parents to take an active interest in subject selection and career pathways for their child. Discussions around transitioning to adulthood for young people with disabilities should be underway by year 9. See the section below for specific guidance.

You can promote the section on this website for parents by providing a link or copying information on the Parents & Caregivers page for them to start asking career questions of their children at home.

The Career Awareness page is a good place to start learning about potential pathways, terminology and options for young people today.

The page covers:

• what career awareness means

• work experience

• the definition of industry and types of industries

• what VET means

• ways you can do VET

• understanding qualifications

• school-based traineeships and apprenticeships

• university or post school VET options

• understanding pathways to jobs or careers

• choosing a career based on strengths

• skills employers look for

• real-life stories

This SACE resource can help guide you and your students through this compulsory subject. Students must achieve a C grade or higher.

The subject prepares students for their SACE journey and supports them to explore their aspirations. It invites students to extend their thinking beyond what they want to do, to also consider who they want to be in the future. The subject also invites students to learn more about themselves, their place in the world, and the connections to the world around them.

This SACE resource can help guide you and your students through this compulsory subject. Students must achieve a C grade or higher.

This subject builds on learning from Stage 1 Exploring Identities and Futures, and aims to foster in students independent learning and the skills of lifelong learning.

AIF requires students to take greater ownership and agency over their learning as they select, test, and explore strategies and perspectives to pursue a Learning Goal of their choice. They will develop greater awareness and understanding of their own thought processes, decision making, and organisation skills.

Doing work experience means a student spends at least a week in a workplace learning:

• what type of work people do

• what types of jobs there are

• how to do some tasks in a workplace

• how to follow instructions from the employer (the boss or your supervisor)

• what they expect from you - like being on time, listening and paying attention, and staying safe.

Work experience is also called workplace learning, or a work placement or a work trial.

By doing work experience, students learn about the world of work, their responsibilities and their rights. It also helps them get a job or start out in their career of choice. You can support students access learning in a workplace based on their learning and career pathway needs.

Legalities

Schools have some legal responsibilities around students' work experience:

• All workplace learning must be organised by schools, parents and students completing the Workplace Learning Agreement form.

• Work experience should be completed within regular school or business hours. It should reflect the general arrangements of the industry, with students working no more than 8 hours per day plus scheduled breaks.

• Structured workplace learning for VET is required for some students as part of their vocational education and training courses. During placement, students are trained and assessed against the competencies of their VET qualification in the workplace. This is negotiated between the student, the registered training organisation, and their school before placement. Some VET courses require students to complete several placements, so students are likely to need help arranging this.

• Work trials for an apprenticeship or traineeship are opportunities for students to demonstrate their readiness and engagement to a potential employer before they receive an offer of an apprenticeship or traineeship. Work Trials mean the employer can decide if a student is a 'good fit' within the culture and workplace. A work trial should be:

  • prearranged, for a limited time (for example between 1 and 5 days)

  • paid or unpaid, at the discretion of the employer

  • completed within regular school or business hours

  • typical of the general arrangements of the industry (for example no more than 8 hours per day plus scheduled breaks).

Specialist work experience resources for schools

• The Department for Education workplace learning procedure applies to all government (public) schools.

• The Workplace Learning Agreement form must be used for all workplace learning arrangements and requires the school principal (or delegate) to provide the final approval via signature for the placement to go ahead.

• These resources may also be helpful:

  • workplace learning monitoring report

  • information for workplace learning providers

  • workplace learning provider checklist

  • Information for parents and caregivers.

• Catholic and independent schools manage their own workplace learning policies and procedures. So that employers and families have a consistent experience, the Department for Education, Catholic Education South Australia (CESA), and Independent Schools of South Australia (AISSA) have agreed to use the shared Workplace Learning Agreement form. The form allows space for a school logo and features logos from all sectors.

• Catholic and Independent schools may also use any of the resources provided to public schools in line with their own policies and procedures.

• Detailed, specific and step-by-step career education and career planning guidance through the main landing pages:

  • Career Awareness

  • Career Pathways

  • Career Planning.

• Aboriginal-specific career, training or study options.

• Disability-specific career guidance for schools.

• Help for students to connect with employers.

• The Resources for School Leavers printable document for students in their final year of school.

• Access to a collection of helpful videos that will be useful for your students.

• Information for parents and families to help their children with career decisions.

All public school students and teachers can access MyCareerPortal.

MyCareerPortal is enhancing career education in schools, helping students to:

• understand themselves and reflect on their ambitions, interests, strengths, and abilities

• build an understanding of career options, pathways, the labour market, and employment across a wide range of industries and occupations

• plan and make informed decisions about their learning and work options.

Resources available through MyCareerPortal

• Comprehensive, interactive career journey education activities that support student career exploration and discovery.

• Career action planning that supports students to record their development of career management competencies and set career learning goals and milestones.

• A career investigator tool to allow students to research different careers and record their learnings.

• A career diagnostic tool, AchieveWorks, to assess traits such as personality and learning styles to deliver tailored career suggestions and information.

• A virtual job experience activities and information that immerse students in a specific job without attending a workplace.

• Access for teachers to:

  • manage and monitor students' MyCareerPortal activity

  • lesson plans searchable by year level, subject and topic

  • career exploration tools and skills quizzes to use in class

  • find curriculum-aligned teaching resources.

All students can access career education and helpful job-seeking resources on the Australian Government's myfuture website.

Transition program (for school leavers)

The Transition Program provides eligible students with career education tailored to their needs. It connects students to the essential services needed to successfully transition from school to a pathway of meaningful employment, further education or training.

The program's goal is that students will:

• be connected with a pathway of employment, further education or training

• connect with employers and participate in industry immersion activities

• gain work preparation, work readiness skills and work experience

• have learning recognised and contributed to their SACE completion

• be supported to access National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) capacity-building employment assistance supports.

Eligibility - for students in the final year of completing their SACE who are:

• seeking a transition to employment, further education or training

• enrolled in a public school, and who have at least a 70% attendance record (individual circumstances of attendance under 70% can be discussed)

• receiving or seeking NDIS supports

• travelling independently or have the capacity to develop independent travel skills

• enrolled in SACE (including assisted) and on track for completion.

Structure - delivered from locations in Noarlunga, Adelaide and Elizabeth:

• by teachers, assisted by specialised disability support staff

• requiring students to attend 1 day a week for up to 40 weeks

• with class sizes capped at 12 students.

Refer

To refer a student to the program - please contact their school of enrolment. If the student is already enrolled at your school, contact the program using the details below.

Referrals are open until week 5 of term 2. Referrals for the following year open in term 3 of the current year. If the program is full, students will be placed on a waiting list.

Contact

Disability Pathways Transition Programs
Phone: 8226 2074
Email: education.transitionprograms@sa.gov.au