By Natalie Jenkins - Skills and Customer Experience Manager
If you’re completing your HSC in 2021, you’re amongst one of the largest groups ever, with around 77,000 students set to sit their exams this year. You’ll also be making history, completing your studies under some of the most challenging conditions we may ever see.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, know that you are not alone. But you have already run the hard yards, with much of your assessment work completed last year when the pandemic hit, so hold on. Hold your head up high and take courage from what you have already achieved in the most trying of circumstances to carry on and cross the finish line. It’s certainly in sight!
But, we know that the challenge doesn’t end with completing your exams. You’re also being asked to make decisions about what’s next in a future that remains uncertain, and this is a tough ask! So today, I want to share some of the interesting and diverse careers that you may not have even considered.
A world of possibilities
You’ve undoubtedly heard a lot about university in your career guidance programs, and it can be a great pathway, but it’s not right for everyone. When students think of apprenticeships, they’re often seen as the option for those who don’t get into uni, but they are so much more than that! 9 out of 10 jobs of the future are likely to need vocational education and training (VET) qualifications, so it’s worth taking a look at what’s on offer.
Apprenticeship and traineeship careers cover more than 500 occupations, from traditional trades to professional services like management and IT. They also give you a great edge – a chance to get out from behind the desk and earn while you learn. So you’ll be developing real-world workplace skills and building your career from day one. What’s more, many people don’t realise that vocational education and training (VET) graduates, like apprentices and trainees, earn an average of $2,000 more than uni graduates in their first year.
Many apprenticeship industries, even traditional trades, really need HSC graduates because technology is now driving them. You only have to look at today’s cars, run by computers, to see that trades like mechanics need a whole new set of skills.
We’ve also seen an increase in female apprentices rocking traditionally male-dominated industries, shaking things up and building successful and interesting careers, so don’t be put off by thinking they are about ‘jobs for the boys’. And many of these women are the future in these industries, like VERTO apprentice Tyla, who is carving out her dream career.
Find a career you love – it may be outside the box!
Sound interesting? It could be time to think outside the box. At a time when study exhaustion is real, we are seeing more and more of you looking for what else is out there. So, we’ve introduced CareerGate, a free, online platform designed to assist you in matching your interests with careers you may not have even thought about.
Even better, you can start checking out opportunities in your area and get started on your pathway all in one place. We have had almost 700 apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities listed on the platform in the last year, so employers are out there looking for you!
You can check out your options at careergate.org.au. It’s free and only takes a few minutes, so you’ve got nothing to lose – but potentially a lot to gain.
Stay strong and carry on as you enter the home stretch next month. It might not feel like it now, but there is a wide world of possibilities out there waiting for you to explore it! If you would like some help checking out your options, get in touch with the VERTO team. They are a friendly bunch who know what you are experiencing – and they’re here to help! Get in touch on 1300 4 VERTO (1300 483 786),
