Advancing Careers

University or academic study is not for everyone – we’re not all the same, we don’t all learn the same and not everybody is suited to university education.

We are encouraging young people to consider apprenticeships as their pathway to a career.

An apprenticeship provides on-the-job training, providing practical experience plus off-the-job training back at a vocational centre such as TAFE.  And a further advantage for the apprentice, they’re getting paid whilst they learn and work.  Prospective employers get to train future employees and receive the reward of their contribution to the workplace and are part of the skills shortage solution.

WHAT ARE WE DOING ABOUT APPRENTICESHIPS?

  • We want to show how VET education and training in schools is changing the lives of young people who are at risk of, or are already disengaged from school.
  • We want to show how VET education and training in schools is turning a light switch on for some students who just don’t fit into the school environment or academic study – they no longer feel isolated or inadequate and can see a direction for them after school that will provide them with a meaningful and gratifying career.

WHAT VET EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS DOES FOR EMPLOYERS AND BUSINESS:

  • It provides a direct way for industry to influence the skills training of high school students.
  • Apprentices become a valuable pipeline of skills for your industry.
  • Employing apprentices is a cost effective recruitment strategy.
  • Employers and apprentices get to try before they buy.
  • It provides a unique opportunity for professional development of supervising staff.
  • Work placement provides employers with the seeds to ‘grow their own’ and be part of the skills shortage solution.
  • VET education in schools produces great employment outcomes.

These video clips feature three of our host employers and focus on construction, hospitality,  business services and events.

Hear from Neil from FutureFlip (construction) who describes how he started out as a student on work placement at the age of 14 and ended up staying on with the employer becoming a skilled carpenter by the age of 18. Paul says he didn’t do very well at school and the workplace program has allowed him to run a very successful business. He finally realised he was good at something. He started his business at 19, is now 30 and says young people don’t understand how lucrative construction can be.

Neil loves how work placement allows him to give back to the community to meet the students, teachers and parents – he says it feels really good for him and has had well over 400 students work for FutureFlip over 10 years – approximately 2 students every week. He says VET education in schools is amazing and has come a long way since he was in school and thinks it’s really important for students to have that career driven focus at school because they don’t realise how important it is to prepare even from the age of 13 or 14.

Hear from Paul at Highfield-Feros Group (hospitality) who was filmed in the Botanical Restaurant where we can see some young chefs working in the open kitchen. Paul started his career in hospitality working in a family-run restaurant at night whilst still at school. He believes work placements strengthen the industry, says they have gone on to hire some of the students out of the work placements program and are trying to focus on being leaders in the industry at what they do – using young local talent and building the industry back up again – closing the skills gap.

He also talks about how great it is not having to worry about doing paperwork and that it is really easy to work with work placement providers. He believes work placement programs are an extension of what they do out in the community in terms of giving back and providing opportunities to young people locally.

Hear from Matt from Alderton Enterprise/BX (hospitality, business services and events frameworks) who was interviewed in his office at BX and hosts students in the hospitality, business services and events frameworks. BX is a networking and events business providing events training and education for small business’. He started using the work placement program 18 months previously and says he has had some really amazing young people come in and help him with his business from all areas of hospitality, business services and admin and in events management.

Matt talks about how great it is to have access to young people keen to learn new skills, how it has been cost effective for him and how for the young person it is a really good opportunity to get on-the-job experience.

If you are interested in hearing more about what we do please get in touch. We have work placement providers right across NSW as well as host employers and schools where we engage students.