Employers, training services, stakeholder representatives, parents and students of Years 9 and 10 attended an evening workshop on Wednesday 4th December. It was a unique opportunity to connect and gain information about School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships (SBAT) as well understanding Vocational Education and Training (VET) in general.
Mr Bernard Shaw, General Manager of the Glen Innes Severn Council, addressed the audience and explained Council’s aims to achieve a diverse workforce and to encourage all staff to reach their full workplace potential. He said that he found the evening very interesting and looks forward to working closely with our school in the future.
A big “thank you” to Ginny Fenwicke from the Educational Pathways Program, and Alison Dundon the School Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship Engagement Officer, who both explained the processes and systems to support students doing traineeships and were key to the organisation of the evening. Alison explained to the employers present how they could support students doing traineeships, by giving them paid employment as a part of the Traineeship package.
Past student Luke Pedlow reminisced about how in year 10 he really wanted to drop out of school, but instead, he completed a Certificate 2 in Business – a VET course at TAFE and this helped him see the relevance of education so that he was able to become more engaged in school. He has gone on to become a lawyer and works for Borthwick & Butler/Liston Legal.
Another past student, Khai Quin, talked about enjoying his School Based Traineeship at Smeatons Bakery, he has gone on to own and run the Deepwater Bakery while at the same time studying to complete his Bachelor of Paramedic Science.
Current year 12 SBAT students, Amalah Boney-Jerrard and Beth Arandale, explained their current courses and how they manage their time. Amalah has 12 months left to complete her Certificate 3 in Business Administration (Medical) while working at the Glen Innes Hospital – she is considering a move into the legal field in the future. Beth aims to complete her Certificate 3 in Surveying and Spatial Information Services while working with Mitchell Hanlon Consulting in Armidale, before doing a GAP year with the Defence forces, hopefully working in ocean surveying.
Adam McAllister is in Year 12 and talked about his Certificate 3 in Tourism. He is looking forward to doing Work Placement at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. In his GAP year he is hoping to complete a Certificate 3 in Event Management, before investigating his career opportunities.
The evening was very successful, and I’d like to thank everyone involved for coming and making it a wonderful event.
