糖心vlog官网

Originally a Novocastrian, Matt started his career as a PDHPE teacher out west at Coolamon Central School before moving back to Newcastle. Delivering a class on transitions while working at Cooks Hill Campus 鈥� in which students were supported with transitions into apprenticeships and traineeships 鈥� sparked his interest in careers education.

鈥淪ometimes people go on about university as if it鈥檚 the only option, but you can be successful in so many ways!鈥� says Matt.

鈥淯ni is a great option but so is employment, TAFE, apprenticeships and traineeships. Sometimes in schools there are kids that don't yet have the skills to move into employment at the end of year 10, but want to. So, I decided that I wanted to work with these students to build their capacity to go into employment and be successful.鈥�

After delivering the transitions class for a couple of years, Matt decided to retrain as a careers adviser, with 2023 now his second year in this role at Lake Macquarie High School. From the onset, building connections within the community was a priority for him, whether via social media or going out to meet employers.

鈥淭here are lots of things I鈥檇 like to implement soon 鈥� stage 4 initiatives to get students thinking about their options early, transition days, a mini careers expo,鈥� says Matt.

鈥淏ut, at the core of everything we do, is the community.鈥�

An established initiative that鈥檚 really taken off with the students is 鈥楥reating Futures鈥�.

鈥淲e do one lesson per fortnight in which the year 10s build their careers portfolios,鈥� explains Matt. 鈥淭hen towards the end of term four, we conduct an interview day for them with panels. The students don鈥檛 have classes that day, they come in dressed in their appropriate interview clothes. They sit and chat with prospective employers, show their portfolios, it鈥檚 very professional. The students love it.鈥�

Last year, the school鈥檚 Creating Futures interview day occurred not long after their EPP Job Readiness workshop, allowing the students to put their newly acquired interview skills to the test.

With Lake Macquarie High School located only a 3-minute walk from Marmong Point Marina, Matt has been able to foster relationships with several local lakeside businesses in order to expand the schools networks, and the possibility of future SBATs.

鈥淚t can be challenging though,鈥� says Matt. 鈥淭here are four or five schools within a 10-minute drive of us, and only so many employers and industries. It can be a delicate balance sometimes 鈥� finding the right student for the right opportunity.鈥�

When it comes to including parents in the careers conversation, a variety of approaches are often necessary, according to Matt. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a spectrum. You have some parents that are really involved and committed, and others where it can be tricky to get the parents on board,鈥� explains Matt

鈥淥ur deputies here really see the value of including a careers lens in the conversation, so I鈥檒l be included in discussions on wellbeing and behaviour with students and their parents from year 10 onwards. It鈥檚 about building that culture around careers education.鈥�

And that culture seems to be flourishing. Matt鈥檚 proudest accomplishment in his role so far are the relationships he鈥檚 been able to build with students.

鈥淲hether it's a year 8 student looking for their first job who needs help with their resume and cover letter, or whether it's the kid looking to do medicine at university. The students are constantly reaching out for support, and to catch up, and to get advice.鈥�

Matt makes sure not to take this level of engagement for granted.

鈥淚 feel really lucky that I鈥檓 at a school where the students take the opportunity to book an appointment where we can sit down and do resumes and cover letters. And for me, that's such a huge part of the job 鈥� being able to spend time helping the students.鈥�