ore Western Australian school students will get a taste of the world of work during Term 4, with a range of career experiences to be delivered in regional and remote schools as part of the McGowan Government’s $22 million Career Taster Program.
Students in the most geographically isolated parts of WA will have the opportunity to participate in the Year 9 Career Taster Program through a series of incursion workshops.
Supporting and Linking Tradeswomen Inc. (SALT), a not-for-profit organisation, will deliver 20 trade careers workshops to around 400 Year 9 students from 22 regional schools.
The 4.5-hour workshops will showcase a variety of trades through hands-on activities, demonstrating various trade career pathways to local Year 9 students. They will also benefit from collaboration with local tradespeople and the Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry to highlight regional industries and provide information on local career pathways.
The School of Isolated and Distance Education’s (SIDE) industry roadshow plans to visit schools in the Pilbara region from 1-4 November.
The roadshow, delivered by industry representatives together with the SIDE Career Practitioner, removes location as a barrier so regional students have the opportunity to engage in practical activities that are relevant in real workplaces.
The Career Taster Program gives students access to career information while helping them identify their existing skills and highlights how these are transferable to a range of potential careers.
Launched late last year, the program was developed to spark Year 9 students’ ‘career curiosity’ and provide an understanding of career pathways to assist students with making decisions about their subject selections for Year 11 and 12.
Up to June 2022, more than 4,900 students from 66 schools have participated in Career Taster Program activities.
WA TAFE colleges have delivered tasters to more than 2,430 students from 52 WA schools covering 40 industry areas.
More than a third of students come from priority cohorts including Aboriginal students, students with disability and students considered at educational risk.
The SALT workshops will be delivered to students at the following schools:
- Leonora District High School
- Meekatharra District High School
- Newman Senior High School
- La Grange Remote Community School
- Derby District High School
- Halls Creek District High School
- Roebourne District High School
- Dongara District High School
- Jurien Bay District High School
- Narembeen District High School
- Bruce Rock District High School
- Bridgetown Senior High School
- Jerramungup District High School
- Esperance Senior High School
- Christian Aboriginal Parent-Directed School
- Kambalda West District High School
Satellite schools:
- Mt Magnet District High School
- Yiyili Community School
- Wagin District High School
- Gnowangerup District High School
- Leinster Community School
- Laverton College
For more information on the Career Taster Program visit:
As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:
“These workshops are delivered by passionate professionals who offer hands-on practical career taster experiences and it’s exciting that around 400 school students in regional and remote WA will have the opportunity to participate this term.
“Early engagement of young people through fun and practical career exploration activities provides them with the tools they need to make decisions about their future.
“All young people deserve access to career education, which is why the McGowan Government is making the investment to ensure all students get insight into opportunities available to them.
“Importantly, these workshops will ignite students’ career curiosity while making connections between education and post-school pathways and the opportunities available in their region.”
