This document provides information and resources to support parents in assisting their children with career planning. It discusses the importance of parental involvement in children's career decisions and transitions according to research. It also outlines a variety of career development concepts including career fields and occupations. The document recommends different tools parents can use to help their children identify interests and skills, understand secondary and post-secondary education options, and develop job seeking skills. Resources are provided for career exploration and planning tools.

1. Supporting Your Child’s Career
Planning
Nancey Hoare, Career Counsellor
QUT Your Future Careers Team

2. • Overview of Career Development
• Thinking back
• Wearing different parent hats
• Self-assessment (influences on career decision-making)
• High school: Pathway plans, SET plans, QCE, QCIA, OP, Non-
OP, VET, SATs, University
• Post-school career options: Gap Year, Vocational Education
& Training (TAFE, Apprenticeships & Traineeships, Group
Training), University, Employment
• Job Seeking Skills
• Useful resources

3. • Research suggests that parents occupy a unique and critical place in
the transition networks of young people that is often unrecognised
by both parents and policy makers.
Brotherhood of St Laurence Research revealed that:
• 100% of parents think it’s important to be involved with their child’s
transition
• 80% of young people would like help from parents with making
decisions
• 20% of parents feel they have enough knowledge about options &
pathways

4. • How old were you when you left school?
• What did you do next?
• Who influenced you?
• Did you go onto further study or work?
• Are things different for young people now? If so, in what way?
• What two things would be helpful for you to learn about in these
workshops?

5. Career: the sum total of paid and unpaid work, learning and
life roles we undertake throughout our life.
Career Field: a broad group of occupations and industries.
Occupation: a group of similar jobs found in different
industries or organisations.
Job: a position in which we perform tasks for payment.
• No longer a job for life – young people leaving school expected to have an
average of 17 different jobs over their lifetimes
• Managing your own career – www.blueprint.gov.au
For more info see: www.myfuture.edu.au Go to > Getting Started>What is a Career?

6. Systems Theory Framework
By Wendy Patton & Mary McMahon
Career Influences

7. • Encouraging hat: Building confidence
• Listening hat: Seeking understanding
• Teaching hat: Building knowledge and skills for an
independent life
• Protective hat: Caring, protecting, and reassuring them
when they’re vulnerable
• Supportive hat: Providing support and/or assistance
when needed
• Firm Parent hat: Setting limits/boundaries for safety
and appropriate behaviour
• Playful/fun hat: Making time together enjoyable.

8. Challenge – knowing which hat the situation calls
for.
As a parent, we are often caught between….
• A rock: Making decisions for our child (we want
to protect them)
• A hard place: Letting our child make his/her own
decisions (we want them to become
independent)

9. • Sam is in Year 10 and he needs to create his SET
Plan (Senior Education & Training Plan), which
includes having some idea about what he wants
to do after he leaves school and picking subjects
for Years 11 and 12. However, Sam has decided
that he wants to leave school after Year 10 and
do an apprenticeship as an electrician.
• How do you think you would support Sam using
each of the 7 hats?

10. • To find satisfying careers young people need to know their own interests,
abilities and values.
• As parents we can assist them to identify who they are, so possible career
directions can be explored.
• Clues may be found in their
• Hobbies
• Collections
• Favourite TV Shows/ internet downloads
• What money is saved for and spent on
• Sporting interests
• Friendships
• Present requests
• Favourite school subjects
• Interests over a lifetime

11. • Practical or Mechanical
• Nature or Recreation
• Analytical or Scientific
• Artistic and Creative
• Helping or Advising
• Persuading or Service
• Organising or Clerical
P.16 of Handbook
• Realistic
• Investigative
• Artistic
• Social
• Enterprising
• Conventional

12. • Data Skills
– Logical intelligence: think, observe, analyse, evaluate, understand,
problem solve, organise work, perform complex operations, make
logical decisions
– Intuitive Intelligence: imagine, perceive, compare, innovate, be
creative, show global vision, make instinctive decisions
– Verbal Ability: read, comprehend, write, research, listen, document,
discuss, Instruct, communicate, explain
– Numerical Ability: figure, calculate, estimate, assess, track, record,
budget, analyse numbers
– Detail: follow directions, examine, standardise, proofread, audit,
measure, edit, adjust, balance, regulate
– Multidimensional Ability: interpret graphics, perceive depth, visualise
and understand relationships between spaces, discriminate between
colour and shade
• P. 18

13. • People Skills
– Leadership Ability: manage, supervise, organise, lead, entertain, train,
evaluate, encourage, negotiate, cooperate, solve problems
– Motivational Ability: motivate, energise, persuade, inspire, sell, teach,
interpret, exchange, influence
– Interpersonal Ability: connect people, understanding, caring, show
empathy, advise
–
• Practical Skills
– Manual Agility: make, repair, fabricate, process, test, manufacture,
assemble and operate various products/machines/tools
– Physical Ability: handle, carry, lift, move, balance, coordinate, support,
drive, transport, load, run, play

14. • MyFuture: www.myfuture.edu.au Sign up (free) and click on
My Profile to complete various self-assessment activities and
then explore career options related to your profile
• The Job Outlook website: www.joboutlook.gov.au Click on
the Career Quiz
• Alife: www.alife.net.au Click on ‘Need Direction?’ for a quick,
free quiz that leads to career videos.
• Job Guide www.jobguide.thegoodguides.com.au Click on
Search the Job Guide to explore lots of different occupations

15. • Job Guide
www.jobguide.thegoodguides.com.au
• My Future
• www.myfuture.edu.au

16. • Wrap up
• Next session
QUESTIONS?

17. • Year 10: Students will complete a Senior Education and
Training (SET) Plan which will assist them to make choices
about their future education and/or training pathways and
plan their personal and learning goals for the future.
• Students can use their SET Plan to build on their own
strengths and to work towards the Queensland Certificate of
Education (QCE), Queensland Certificate of Individual
Achievement (QCIA), Senior Statement or Certificate III or
Certificate IV vocational qualification and/or a viable work
option.
• http://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/27033.html

18. • Queensland Certificate of Education QCE
• The QCE is Queensland's senior school qualification, which is
awarded to eligible students usually at the end of Year 12. The
QCE recognises broad learning options and offers flexibility in
what, where and when learning occurs
• Queensland Certificate of Individual Achievement – QCIA
• This certificate recognises the achievements of students who
undertake individualised learning programs. To be eligible,
students must have impairments or difficulties in learning that
are not primarily due to socioeconomic, cultural or linguistic
factors.

19. • Students can seek tertiary entrance by obtaining an OP rank.
To be eligible, they must study 20 semester units of
*Authority subjects, including at least three subjects for four
semesters each, and sit the QCS Test (see also OPs and FPs for
more information).
• Students must also choose courses that meet the subject
prerequisites for their tertiary preferences. Students who
satisfy the prerequisites are then selected for particular
courses based on their OP.
• Students with the best OPs are offered places first. In some
cases institutions need to differentiate between students with
the same OP by using FPs.
• *Authority subjects http://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/670.html

20. • In cases where it has not been possible to separate applicants
for the same course by using the OP followed by the FPs as
the primary means of selection, QTAC will use the Australian
Tertiary Admission Rank as a final discriminator.
• In Queensland, all students who complete Year 12, not just
those eligible for Overall Positions (OPs) are considered
tertiary-eligible.
• In other states, only students who get the equivalent of an OP
are considered tertiary-eligible and receive an ATAR.
Therefore only OP-eligible students in Queensland get a
nationally recognised ATAR.
• http://www.qcaa.qld.edu.au/27044.html

21. Qualifications Framework
Bachelor degree 3- 4 yrs
Honours 1-2 yrs
Graduate certificate 6 mos-1 yr
Graduate diploma 1 yr
Master's degree (research) 1-2 yrs
Master's degree (coursework) 1-2 yrs
Master’s degree (extended) 3- 4 yrs
Doctoral Degree 3- 4 yrs
Note: Time frames estimates relate to full-time
study
Certificate I 6-12 mos
Certificate II 6-12 mos
Certificate III 1-2 yrs
Certificate IV 6 mos-2 yrs
Diploma 1-2 yrs
Advanced diploma 1.5-2 yrs
Associate degree 2 yrs
Note: Time frames estimates relate to
full-time study
[Source: Australian Qualifications Framework Council (2013). Australian Qualifications Framework (2nd Ed.). Retrieved from www.aqf.edu.au]

22. • VET = Vocational Education and Training
• VET is provided by Registered Training Organisations
(RTOs), which Technical and Further Education (TAFE)
institutes, Adult and Community Education (ACE)
providers, agricultural colleges, private providers,
community organisations, industry skill centres,
commercial and enterprise training providers and some
universities.
• Most high schools also provide VET so students don’t
need to wait until they finish high school to commence
tertiary study

23. • VET in schools allows students to complete a vocational certificate
whilst also completing their Year 12 Certificate.
• At the end of the Year 12 students will receive their Year 12
certificate and may receive an ATAR score, as well as a vocational
certificate, usually at certificate II level (providing they have met all
the work requirements of the certificate).
• VET is available in a wide range of vocations, and each school offers
a variety of VET courses to its students.
• In most states, students are informed in year 10 of the VET subjects
available for completion during Year 11 & 12.
• VET courses provide the student with practical learning both on and
off the job, an additional qualification at the end of their Year 12, as
well as possibly contributing towards the ATAR.

24. • SATs = School-Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships
• Available to all Year 10, 11 and 12 high school students in QLD.
• Allow students to commence an apprenticeship or complete a
traineeship while at school.
• Combines paid work, training and school; as well an industry
recognised national qualification you will gain credit towards
the QCE.
• Employers must provide a minimum of 50 days full-time paid
employment for each year of the school-based apprenticeship
or traineeship.

25. • Work and training may take place:
– one to two days per week, attending school on the
remaining days
– for blocks of time in the workplace
– on weekends, school holidays or after school.
• Training organisations deliver off-the-job training and oversee
the on-the-job training provided by the employer.
• The training organisation may be a TAFE institute or private
training organisation.
www.apprenticeshipsinfo.qld.gov.au/school-based/index.html
www.apprenticeshipsinfo.qld.gov.au
http://www.aatinfo.com.au/Career-Resources/Job-Pathway-Charts-Link/Job-Pathways-
Charts-PDF

26. • TAFE = Training and Further Education
• E.g, Cert III, Cert IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma
• Duration : can range from 8 wks – 3 yrs
• Classes: Day or evening
• Mode: part-time, full-time, oncampus, online
• Courses in many areas, including training for
apprenticeships.
• TAFE courses can be used as a ‘pathway’ into university
(‘articulation’) and may earn credits towards degree
www.tafe.qld.gov.au; www.skillstech.tafe.qld.gov.au

27. • OP- the usual pathway for Year 12 students to gain tertiary entrance
• Non-OP eligible students can apply to QTAC for a selection rank
based on "schedules”
• QTAC uses schedules used to assess students who have
International Baccalaureate, AQF Certificate III, Certificate IV,
Diploma, Advanced Diploma, music, dance, and speech and drama.
• Queensland Core Skills (QCS) Test results can be included in QTAC
schedules, so non-OP students encourages to sit QCS
• QTAC also administers the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) -
a two-hour aptitude test that assists applicants to demonstrate
their potential for tertiary study and helps tertiary institutions make
their selection decisions.

28. CRICOS No. 00213J a university for the real world
R
• Resume Writing
• Cover Letter Writing
• Interview Preparation

29. • Survival Jobs
• Positional Jobs
• Entry-Level Career Jobs
• Transition Jobs
• Dream Jobs
a university for the real R
world CRICOS No. 00213J

30. CRICOS No. 00213J a university for the real world
R
• Locating job vacancies
• Researching the job
• Preparing your application documents
• Attending an interview

31. CRICOS No. 00213J a university for the real world
R
• Employers
• Friends and relatives
• Newspapers
• Centrelink
• Career advice services
• Employment agencies
• Notices
• Internet

32. CRICOS No. 00213J a university for the real world
R
Relevant contacts
 The company – what do they do?
 The position – tasks and duties
 The position skill and ability
requirements
http://www.myfuture.edu.au/occupations

33. CRICOS No. 00213J a university for the real world
R
A covering letter is to ensure that the reader
will be interested enough to read your
resume

34. CRICOS No. 00213J a university for the real world
R
• Use The Person’s Name
• Tell Them Why You’re Writing
• Tell Them Why You’re Interested in them
• Tell Them Why You’re Suited – your skills

35. • Contact Details Only (check your email!)
• Education and Training
• Employability Skills
• Work History
• Activities and Interests
• Referees
a university for the real R
world CRICOS No. 00213J

36. CRICOS No. 00213J a university for the real world
R
• Employment / work experience, part time
jobs or casual work
• Volunteer Experiences (holiday work,
community work)
• School Life (Projects at school, Student
Group involvement)
• Licences / Training /Certificates
• Achievements/Awards
• Extra Curricular Activities (Sport,
Associations, Societies)
• Leisure (Interests and Hobbies, member of
a team)

37. CRICOS No. 00213J a university for the real world
R
Help the employer by giving examples
of your skills and abilities:
USE THE S.T.A.R PRINCIPLE
• The Situation/Task
• The Action you took
• The Result achieved

38. • Microsoft Office
• My Career Resume Advice
• Job Guide Resume Builder
• Career One
• Youth Central (VIC)
• Education Queensland
• Resume Guide – Myfuture
a university for the real R
world CRICOS No. 00213J

39. CRICOS No. 00213J a university for the real world
R
http://www.myfuture.edu.au/Occupations
• For careers and labour market research information got to Job
Outlook - a site to help you decide on your future career
http://joboutlook.gov.au/pages/alpha.aspx
• Job Guide – for details of jobs
http://www.jobguide.thegoodguides.com.au/occupation/search

40. CRICOS No. 00213J a university for the real world
R

41. • At different stages
• Via many means of communication
• Different places and situations
• Different number of people involved
a university for the real R
world CRICOS No. 00213J

42. CRICOS No. 00213J a university for the real world
R
• Research the company
• Practise answering interview
questions
• Prepare some questions for the
interviewer
• Consider your appearance
• Plan your journey
• Organise a portfolio/ folder to take

43. • Traditional
• Resume
• Behavioural
• Situational
• Case
• Presentation Approach
• Off-the-wall What
a university for the real R
world CRICOS No. 00213J

44. CRICOS No. 00213J a university for the real world
R
• So tell me about yourself?
• Why do you want to work here/in this job? What are your goals?
• What are your skills?/Subjects you enjoy?
• Give an example of a mistake and how you corrected it? Weaknesses?
• Why should we hire you? What can you do that other candidates can’t?
• What three positives would your teacher/boss give about you?
• What pay are you seeking?
• Anything else you’d like to tell me?

45. Social Media – How this
can help or hurt – Do’s:
• Google search yourself
• Set social media to ‘private’
• Ditch the party pics
• Use LinkedIn
• Follow/connect with Mentors
• Proofread everything public
*1 in 4 employers will search
the internet* - Don’ts:
• Post politics/religion/drama
• Post offensive material
• Post login details
• Post unprofessional pics
• Abandon social media accounts

46. Agencies and Services that assist with job searching
• Centrelink
• Job Services Australia JSA’s
• Training Supplement
• Transition to Independent Living Allowance
• Employment Pathway Fund
• Disability Employment Services (DES)
• Private Career Practitioners

47. Career and Transition Programs
• Youth Connections
• Partnerships Brokers
• The New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS)
• Australian Apprenticeship Access Program
• Green Corp
• The Language, Literacy & Numeracy Program
• Personal Support Program (PSP)

48. First Job – What every Young Worker Should Know
• Awards and Conditions
• The Fair Work Ombudsman
• Superannuation
• Unions
• Workplace Bullying/Workplace Violence
• Workplace Discrimination
• Young Workers Advisory Service (YWAS)

49. CRICOS No. 00213J
a university for thereal world
R

50. a university for the real R
world CRICOS No. 00213J
s
Your Future Careers Team
QUT Caboolture
Building J
Tel: 07 5316 7666
Email: yourfuture@qut.edu.au
www.bridgetostudy.com.au