Career Pathways
The St Mary's College Career Development Program aims to provide students with up-to-date information, guidance and support to help them excel in their chosen path.
Career development is an ongoing, lifetime process of interaction between the individual and the environment that surrounds them. These interactions will shape people’s learning requirements and their levels of mastery of the career competencies in different ways and at different times in their lives. The goal of career development work is to assist our young people to develop the skills and knowledge to effectively manage their careers in the 21st century (ABCD, 2010).
St Mary’s College Career Development Program focuses on assisting students to gain the knowledge, process and skills necessary to navigate career transitions and identify career opportunities through two stages. The middle years, Years 7-9 and the senior phase of learning, Year 10 and the next two years of education and training (the compulsory participation phase).
Career development is important for individuals of all ages, with proven economic and social benefits for the entire nation. These include:
Effective learning: If individuals make decisions about what they are to learn in a well-informed and well-thought-through way, linked to their interests, their capacities and their aspirations, and informed realistically about the opportunities to which the learning can lead, then they are likely to be more successful learners. Additionally, the huge sums of public money invested in education and training systems are likely to yield much higher returns.
Effective labour market: If individuals construct career paths and secure employment which use their potential and meet their own goals, they are likely to be more motivated and more productive, and therefore contribute to enhancing national prosperity.
Social equity, equal opportunities and social inclusion: Career development services can raise the aspirations of disadvantaged groups, giving them access to opportunities that might otherwise have been denied.
Individuals need explicit help to develop their career management skills. St Mary’s College in partnership with universities, training institutions, workplaces, and support services has an important role to play in developing students' career development knowledge and skills.
We offer the following services to our students:
- School Based Apprenticeships & Traineeships
- Careers Counselling
- Career Testing
- Assistance with tertiary and scholarship applications
- Resume and job application support
- SET Planning
- Subject Selection
- Information sessions with major Universities and other organisations, including the Australian Defence Force
