One of the most daunting situations for a student leaving school is not having any idea what career they want to pursue. This can lead to feelings of confusion, frustration and even anxiety.
It’s also not uncommon for students to leave school and start studying for a certificate or degree, only to find that it’s not quite right for them.
As the saying goes, do what you love and you’ll never ‘work’ a day in your life – and for many students, this drives their study options when they leave school in Year 12.
For students, the trick often lies in finding a higher education course that suits their personality; because it means they’re more likely to enjoy it, stick at it and in the long run end up with a more successful career path.
To help young people across the state achieve this, the NSW Education Department has launched a new online career tool designed to enable students to link their passions and potential career paths.
The LifeLauncher tool asks a series of questions based on interests, abilities and school subjects before narrowing down and suggesting potential study and employment choices for life after school.
The platform combines information on over 3,700 careers and links to 1,534 vocational education and training and university courses, as well as statistical information on careers and their employment prospects.
The Educator spoke to Dr Geoff Lee, NSW Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education, about how the platform is likely to shake up how universities tailor their offerings to prospective students.
“When students choose courses that are aligned with their interests and skills, it creates a win-win situation for both the individual and their learning community,” Minister Lee told The Educator.
“Students are more likely to be engaged in their course work, because it plays into their natural strengths, and can increase the likelihood of them pursuing a career related to their study options.”
Minister Lee said the site is also a significant help to parents, teachers and careers advisers.
“They can use the platform to ensure students are supported in making these significant life decisions,” he said.
‘A promising year ahead’ for higher education
Minister Lee said the Department of Education has a promising year in store for 2020, pointing to an investment of 54.3m to make VET traineeships Fee Free for students.
An additional $46.2m will also be allocated to the existing Fee Free Apprenticeship initiative.
“The Education Pathways Pilot Program announcement this week will see the rollout of 10 initiatives over the year to make sure students pick the school subjects that will put them on their chosen training and career pathway,” Minister Lee said.
“At the heart of this is the government’s desire to improve career advice, increase school-based apprenticeships and traineeships and support disadvantaged and disengaged young people.”
The program will be initially trialled in selected schools in south western Sydney and NSW North Coast.
To access the NSW Government's new online tool, search for LifeLauncher in your relevant search engine.