Most year 12s will now be thinking about the new academic year, hopefully with enthusiasm. Enthusiasm to complete  formal education, to launch into a new stage of earning and learning in order to explore the possible careers that might be of interest. They might have already commenced some pre-reading of their texts, or indeed have had a bit of a start on their year 12 curriculum subjects late last year. But before they have anything much in their diaries, this would be a good time to think about another “subject”, and that’s Careers. That’s right, Career Education needs to be seen as a study topic and this is something that few students have learned about in school. Even if they do not intend to continue in formal education, we need to work together to establish what their career objective is. They may wish to plan a gap year and will therefore need support with job applications, and/or applications to overseas adventure camps and volunteering groups. They might like to find a traineeship, or apprenticeship with a local business so that they can gain some work skills and gain accredited Certificate level training.

Every one of my clients has a Career Action Plan that is either embedded in their Morrisby Online Career Assessment Report, or in the form of a Karen Your Career Coach hand-written Career Action Plan. Regardless of what year level, or age they are when they start career coaching with me, they will have an action plan, which is agreed upon and reviewed at their follow-up appointments. A student in year 7, their first year of secondary education, has a career action plan and there are moves towards creating career education programs for primary school-age students and this means that I will be devising career action plans for children from as early as year 1. This will be outlined later this year.

So if your child has yet to commence career coaching, it isn’t too late to start. However for year 12s, the sooner the better is my broad advice.

Year 12 is a short academic year that goes particularly quickly. My advice is for them to to check-in with me in terms 1, 2 and 3. This can be in a session during term time, or even during the school holidays.

By the end of the third 60 minute session your year 12 child will be able to:

• identify what, where and when are the key careers activities/events that will be useful in 2020.
• understand what training or study options are available after completion of year 12 and which might suit best.
• find out about further and higher education courses using the websites/platforms relevant to their preferences.
• navigate the essential career websites and use their embedded resources with confidence.
• identify the steps in successfully gaining employment.
• understand the course application processes for VTAC or other tertiary admissions centres, understand what SEAs and Scholarships are relevant/available and diarise the key dates for 2021 course applications.
• complete the application process(es) required for the courses of interest. It is essential that this is a process that the year 12 student is confident to carry out independently, as their log in information is confidential and they are responsible for their decision-making.

One-on-One Coaching

Please be advised that it is not the parent(s) who complete further education or tertiary course applications. Nor is it possible for parents to talk to institutions or with the admissions centres on their child’s behalf. They will only communicate with the student and this is why I carry out career coaching with them one-on-one so that they gain the career management skills themselves.

Exam Period

Term 4 is so short, and is for most students all about exams, such that I usually let my year 12 clients focus on their studies during late September to November. I will then see them again once they have finished the school year. This is the point at which I will check with them that they know what to do once they receive their exam results, if applicable, and their first course offer.

So I hope this blog has helped you to appreciate what needs to be done, career-wise in year 12 and when to start the career coaching process. Preparing early is really essential in year 12. In that way we can ensure there will be no nasty surprises or anxieties/stresses for your teenager and your family. As previously mentioned I can work with your teenager no matter what year level or during any term, so please don’t be unduly concerned if you are picking up on this mid-year or even in term 4.