Winter 2007

Careers and transition

Learning to earn

Kirwan State High School is a regional city school in North Queensland. It is a vibrant school, offering students many opportunities to both university and vocational pathways. Elena Hawkins reports the success of the VET program.

The vision for Kirwan State High School (KSHS) students is to provide ‘Educational excellence for tomorrow’s citizens’. It is a school fortunate enough to have enthusiastic and dedicated staff who are willing to go the extra mile to enable the students to embrace opportunities that will help them in their future careers. With over 60 senior subjects on offer, and a focus of excellence in academics, vocational education, sport, information technology, the arts, and student welfare, this school has embraced its vision with balance and foresight.

The VET program at KSHS is multi-faceted and one aspect of the school’s success. It covers a range of areas including:

• delivery of industry recognised qualifications at Certificate I, II, and III level (16 Certificate I, II, and III courses)
• work experience program
• ‘School-based Apprenticeship and Traineeship’ (SAT) program
• ‘Skilling Queenslanders for Work Traineeship Program’
• courses in skills shortage industry areas
• celebrating successes in VET
• VET staff professional development
• community involvement.

The students are offered a wide range of opportunities to kick start their careers and they can undertake several certificate courses throughout years 11 and 12. Investigations in the delivery of Certificate II in horticulture and Certificate III in fitness continue, as both of these areas are skill shortage areas for qualified persons.

We are investigating ‘fat’ courses, similar to senior colleges in Tasmania, whereby courses are allocated additional lessons, thus allowing certificate courses to be completed in one year instead of two. This provides the added flexibility to include years 11 and 12 students in the one class, an ideal situation where student numbers may be low.

In addition to the courses we deliver on campus, we have a successful partnership with Barrier Reef TAFE. Students spend one day per week at TAFE and are expected to do one less subject at school.

Work experience program

The work experience program at KSHS is an integral part of the career building process. This involves sending up to 600 students into a variety of workplaces annually and includes years 10, 11 and 12 students. This experience will either affirm student career decisions, or discount career paths under consideration. Many of our students who undertake work experience pick up part-time jobs as an added bonus, and even school-based or full-time apprenticeship opportunities. Indeed, prior to any student signing up for a SAT program, it is mandatory for students to undertake a minimum of one week’s work experience with the employer. SAT cancellations have reduced significantly as a result.

Work experience also targets students at risk of not completing school through disengagement and absenteeism. It provides a focus and goal to work towards for these students, and provides them with an opportunity to pursue a tangible career pathway. Four walls and a classroom do not suit all students. It is our job to place students in career pathways that will allow them to realise their potential and encourage them to pursue their career goals.

School-based Apprenticeship and Traineeship program

The SAT program has been operating at KSHS since 1998. We now average between 70 and 75 school-based apprentices/trainees each year. During this time KSHS has had over 250 students undertake SATs.

The program at KSHS includes a process of close monitoring and support for these apprentices/trainees. This process has ensured a very high success rate in the number of students who have completed or converted to full-time traineeships or apprenticeships. The quality of our school-based trainees and apprentices have been recognised in them achieving awards at both the state and regional levels.

Skilling Queenslanders for Work Traineeship Program

The school has also been involved in the ‘Working For You’, ‘Breaking the Unemployment Cycle’, ‘Skilling Queenslanders for Work Traineeship Programs’, which give past and present students and other Townsville youth the opportunity to undertake school-based or full-time traineeships at KSHS. Since 1999, we have been able to source funding (over $300,000) to employ over forty full-time and part-time (school-based) trainees to undertake Certificate II and III qualifications in horticulture, library and information services, sport and recreation, education, business, retail, hospitality and information technology.

SAT success has been achieved through a three phase process.

1. Sourcing/advertising SATs through a number of channels including training companies, websites, work experience; part-time work, regular employment, etc., and advertising by registering with the VET department using email, school newsletter and VET notice board, etc.
2. Pre-signup to increase prospective SATs success, giving students access to resources on website, video, DVD and discussion with all stakeholders.
3. Ongoing monitoring to increase success through effective communication with stakeholders, regular monitoring through monthly feedback and public recognition of individual SAT.

Courses in skills shortage industry areas

The school works closely with industry groups, including Construction Training Queensland and Bricklaying and Pavers Association, to provide candidates to meet the apprentice needs in the region, through the introduction of Short Courses. KSHS has also developed a strong network of over 550 local employers, who value the level of interest and support that the school is providing for the apprentices and students on work experience in areas of skills shortage. Over the last three years, more than a dozen of our students have completed or are in the process of completing Certificate II in animal studies with local vet clinics and we are negotiating with key organisations to develop partnerships that will allow our Indigenous students to gain industry training in childcare if they choose this pathway.

Celebrating successes in VET

In 2003, the inaugural KSHS Annual Industry Training Awards was created to highlight the successes of the school-based apprentices and trainees, as well as the outstanding students from each of the VET courses. This night celebrates the commitment, achievement and successes of our VET students. It promotes VET to the school and wider community, and also lifts the VET profile. Hospitality students prepare and serve the food, while tourism students register and seat the dignitaries. Music students (Big Band) provide entertainment before the proceedings commence. Art and contemporary craft students design the awards and information technology students design the invitations and program.

VET staff professional development

Qualified VET staff are an integral part of the success of the VET program. Staff are given the opportunity to obtain their Certificate IV in assessment and workplace training, and also equivalent or higher industry qualification to the level that they are delivering at KSHS. Each fortnight all VET staff undertake a 30 minute professional development session on VET related issues. The sessions have both operational and strategic focus and ensure staff are kept up to date.

Community involvement

The VET courses delivered at KSHS require the students to undertake industry placement. In addition to this, the students undertake on-the job-training within the community to the benefit of the community. This includes the childcare students who design and implement day care activities for a group of Indigenous children, hospitality students who help out at the agricultural field days, sports (coaching) students who help coach and referee community sporting groups, information technology students who provide hardware, software and network support to surrounding primary schools, construction students who have helped build playground equipment at a preschool, tourism students helping with registrations at NQ Trades and Careers expos, etc. Not only are the students practising the industry skills that they have learnt, but they are helping the local community in the process.

We continue to develop lasting and meaningful partnerships with our local industry and business community to the benefit of our VET students. It has taken a lot of enthusiasm and commitment from all stakeholders to maintain the success that we now enjoy.

We ARE making a difference!

Elena Hawkins is head of department, vocational education and training, at Kirwan State High School in Queensland.

The author owns the copyright in this article. For information related to the reuse of this work in any form please contact the publisher denise.quinn@curriculum.edu.au