Around 30 Cann River and Mallacoota P-12 college and Eden Marine High School students took a look into their future career options on October 17 and 18 with a careers event on the Sapphire Coast facilitated by the Gippsland East Local Learning and Employment Network (GELLEN).
Day one consisted of tours and talks at the Bega Valley Shire Council, the South East Regional Hospital, and Illawarra TAFE and University of Wollongong campuses in Bega, with the students learning about many different types of jobs and career paths, as well as study options and how to access these areas.
On the second day, which was based at the Bega Valley Learning Centre in Merimbula, several sessions were held. Rachael Murphy, of GELLEN, ran a ‘Dress for Success’ session, giving tips on presentation for interviews, while careers advisor at the University of Wollongong’ s Bega campus, Sam Morris, presented on choosing career paths.
The final session at the learning centre was a panel session, which consisted of Ben Smyth, from the Merimbula News Weekly, Kirsty Towill, of the Commonwealth Bank, Cassandra Margules, from Bega Valley Shire Council, Sergeant Cliff Scarlett, from NSW Police, Matt Proctor, from NSW Fisheries, Fay Cousins, from Marine Rescue NSW, and Chyena Markley and Penny Malone, from McDonalds.
The panel members spoke of their journeys, studies and experiences and provided some general tips and ideas for those who might be thinking of working in a similar field.
The afternoon was spent by Eden Marine High School students touring the facilities in relation to careers in hospitality, while the Cann River and Mallacoota students visited Svitzer Tugs in Eden and were shown around one of their fleet, learning about careers in the maritime field.
The majority of the students said they had discovered a new career option that they did not know about before.
“We saw this as a great opportunity to showcase the employment and further study opportunities available to some of our more remote and regional secondary school students – and to highlight that many opportunities are located across the border,” GELLEN project officer, Michele Fry, said.
GELLEN is a not for profit agency funded primarily by the Victorian State Government. GELLEN works with schools, tertiary institutions and businesses in the region.
“This event was our first cross border experience,” Michele said.
“We aim to improve job futures, make training accessible and to raise awareness of skills that lead to real jobs.
“For this event, we sourced funding from the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal (FRRR), which enabled it to be run without cost to the schools or the students.”
PICTURED: Students from Mallacoota, Cann River and Bega as part of the careers event.
