Careers Spotlight @ SSC

Year 10 Encounter Program – Career Encounter

It has been a busy few weeks at the College as we wrap up Term 4 and Year 10 students have just engaged in the Encounter Program. As part of this program, 80 students elected to undertake the Career Encounter which involved participating in seven days of work experience. Students observed what it was like to work in a diverse range of workplace settings such as law firms, hospitals, architecture and interior design firms, banks, medical and dental clinics, early childhood centres, couture fashion labels, not for profit organisations, event management companies among many others. Students not only gained insights into various career paths, they also developed important transferable skills that will assist them in the future. Thank you to all of the wonderful organisations from our broader community that took students for work experience, your time and willingness to support our students as they begin to explore possible career paths is invaluable. Below are some reflections from Year 10 students who attended work experience.

The highlight of work experience for me was to be able to work on a real architecture house project in an architecture firm environment. I was able to have access to so many resources including the 3D printers, model making materials and equipment, 3D modelling softwares like Rhino and SketchUp as well as basic architect equipment like tracing paper and proper felt tip pens. This just added to the experience and it felt like I actually did learn a lot about being an architect. It also felt like I was an architect for the week and I was surrounded with architects, people who shared the same interest which was also a major highlight of my work experience for me.
Caitlin Leong – Architecture firm

Three key learnings that I took from my time on work experience was that doing any task is much better than sitting around and doing nothing as not only does it fill in time it also provides key learning opportunities. Furthermore, I also learnt the importance of communication and how essential it is to communicate effectively with both customers and other staff. Lastly, I also learnt how to better self regulate as well as how to become more self motivated to do more. The highlight of my work experience was getting to learn about how to process scripts via a computer program as well as listen to all the experiences and stories staff have had on the job as well as their lives.
Amelia Don – Pharmacy

During my work experience, I learned how many law firms operated with an advance team and a litigation (recovery) team. The work experience allowed me to observe the relevant legal places, such as the Supreme Court and a barrister’s chambers. I learned more about legal processes, too; how to engage with clients, notify people of defaults and propose an offer to settle between the two parties.
Gabrielle Indra – Law firm

The highlight of work experience was being able to observe and assist in patient consultations, as I was able to learn a lot about the medical field, as well as how doctors and nurses support patients. I learned that teamwork is crucial in the workplace; effective communication and collaboration between nurses and GPs as well as administrative staff, is essential in order to manage patient care and maintain a smooth and efficient workflow. Furthermore, I learned that attention to detail is vital as it ensures high quality care and prevents errors. Finally, I learned that time management is essential, especially in fast paced workplaces like a medical environment, as it ensures the team is organised and patients receive the care they need.
Genevieve Williams – Medical centre

Year 10 Encounter Program – Future Proofing Workshops

On Friday 29 November and Monday 2 December, students engaged in a series of Future Proofing Workshops designed to prepare students for life beyond school and teach them important life skills. From financial literacy to self defence, entrepreneurship, car maintenance, mock interviews and a careers expo, students recognised the value of these workshops for their future. Below are some highlights shared by Year 10 students:

The workshop that was the highlight for me was the University Expo, as I had many questions that I wanted to ask about which institutions offer pathways to medicine, and what these may involve. Consequently, it was an immensely insightful opportunity for me to be able to compare the pathways offered by different universities in regard to their cost, duration and additional benefits, as I have only received select information from specific universities in the past. The three most useful things that these Future Proofing sessions have taught me include how to manage my superannuation funds using a High Growth plan to generate the most profit from them, allowing me to have a large sum of money set aside for my retirement, strategies on how to remain safe at all times on the roads, particularly on long car trips, by having the knowledge of how to change a car tyre, and avoid being taken advantage of by sellers through conducting all of the appropriate checks of a vehicle before purchasing, and the importance of ‘selling yourself’ in an interview, even when asked a question such as ‘What is your greatest weakness?’.
Charlotte Salameh

For me, the car maintenance workshop was the highlight because it was the most relevant to me currently and taught me the most about a topic I had no prior knowledge about.
Harper Harris-Roxas

The highlight for me was the mock interview session as it was interesting to hear an outsider’s perspective about me and what I can do to improve my communication skills especially when going for job interviews. I learnt how to present myself in interviews and how to ‘advertise’ myself to possible employers. I also learnt how to make more money from the financial literacy session and that there are multiple universities and paths after highschool from the careers expo.
Lucy Cordony-Jones

Year 11 Work Experience Reflection

Not only have Year 10 students attended work experience recently, a number of Year 11 students have also taken the initiative to seek work experience opportunities in recent weeks and over the upcoming holidays. Below is a reflection from Valantia Antonakopoulos in Year 11 who has just completed a work experience placement in construction and project management.

During Week 8, I had the opportunity to participate in a 4-day work experience program with the John Holland Group (JHG), a Tier 1, Australian infrastructure and construction company. JHG specialises in large-scale engineering and construction projects, including rail networks, highways, and iconic buildings across Australia and New Zealand, employing over 5,000 people.

My motivation for this experience stemmed from my interest in the design and construction process, driven by my passion in one of my chosen subjects, Design and Technology. I was eager to gain more exposure and hands-on experience in this field.

The experience allowed me to explore various aspects of JHG’s operations, where I discovered the many fields that influence the construction process, from sustainability and community engagement to the design process. This made me realise that the construction industry involves more than just the design and building process. There are numerous roles, including commercial, contractual, and legal aspects, contributing to the final design.

I was also able to collaborate with students from other schools, engaging in practical activities such as cost planning by analysing floor plans and speaking with professionals from different areas within the company. During our time with John Holland, we were invited to two offices, JHG Headquarters and their Milsons Point Office where John Holland, Stantec and KBR are partnering with Sydney Water to deliver the North West Treatment Hub Growth Program, a brownfield treatment program.

We also had the opportunity to visit one of their project sites in Waterloo, where they are constructing the Waterloo Metro Quarter. This onsite visit was an invaluable experience as we were able to see the concept come to life and recognise the different jobs there are within the construction process as well as speak to labourers and safety professionals.

Valantia Antonakopoulos
Year 11

Year 12 update

Early offers have now been issued by most universities and I am pleased to report that many of our students received an early offer. Below is a summary of the early offers made:

UTS – 70 early offers were made
Macquarie Uni – 53 early offers were made
Western Sydney Uni – 28 early offers to date have been made with more rounds of offers expected in December and January
ACU – 25 early offers were made
UNE – 11 early offers were made

Congratulations to all students who have received an early offer. Year 12 IB results will be released on Tuesday 17 December and HSC results will be released on Wednesday 18 December. The ATAR and IBAS will be released on Wednesday 18 December at 9:00am and 10:00am respectively. We look forward to celebrating the achievements of all Year 12 students at the Results Morning Tea on Wednesday 18 December.

The key dates for changing preferences through UAC are found here and Year 12 will be sent an email with further information and reminders regarding accepting offers in the coming week. They are encouraged to email me should they have any questions.

While results are being released, universities will also be running Information Days to help students in making their final course selections. Below are the dates for the major universities:

Macquarie Uni – 17-21 December
ACU – 17-18 December
USYD – 18 December
UNSW – 18 December
UTS – 18 December
Notre Dame – 18 December

Upcoming Careers Events & Volunteer Opportunities

The holidays are a great opportunity to do some further research on career pathways and explore some of the options students may have recently discovered from the Careers Expo. I encourage students to continue conducting research over the holidays and explore the resources available to them on the Careers Years 10-12 VO page. Many students may also be wishing to complete some volunteer work to boost their resume and applications for university over the holidays. The following websites are a very helpful starting point to find relevant volunteer opportunities available over the summer break:

Seek Volunteer – you can search by area, age and category to find suitable volunteer opportunities. Many opportunities are available over the Christmas break and only require a short time commitment.

Do Something Near You – type in your postcode to find organisations near you that may offer volunteer opportunities. You can also narrow your search by fields you are interested in.

Please see the document linked here for careers events and opportunities over the holidays.

Wishing students and families a blessed Christmas and New Year break.