A careers education program with a unique difference was rolled out in Moree this week, with 100 school students from Moree Secondary College and Boggabilla Central School venturing out in the community for some real, hands-on experience.
Rather than making careers education all about chatting with exhibitors on school grounds, students this week engaged with local businesses and prospective employers.
As part of the interactive Moree Careers’ Expo held at Moree TAFE College, students were split into groups suiting their career interests.
Each group took different pathways and visited local businesses, including Café Gali, Tait Auto Group, Woolworths, Kenway and Clark, Hutchinson Builders at the Moree Hospital redevelopment and Grace Lutheran Pre-School.
The expo’s interactive visits included health and community services, early childhood education and care, hospitality and retail, agriculture and farming, and trades and construction.
Students completed a Careers Passport, with questions about what they learned from each visit.
The interactive Moree Careers’ Expo, an initiative of the Educational Pathways Program, aims to link students with industry, generate curiosity for career choices, reinforce the local workforce and skills shortages and facilitate work experience opportunities for students.
Educational Pathways Program head teacher of careers Laura Peisley, from Boggabilla Central School, said innovation was key to the program’s success.
“One of our roles as part of the program is to innovate the way we do things,” Mrs Peisley said.
“We wanted to make it a little more authentic from previous years by adding the concept of travelling around town and going to businesses to help students see the real workplace,” she said.
Year 9 and 10 students from Moree and Boggabilla were split into smaller groups with a maximum of 10 participants per group.
“We surveyed the students as well, to see what areas of industry they were interested in most, and we split them up accordingly,” Mrs Peisley said.
“We’ve had groups visiting the health industry at places like the hospital and Whiddon, as well as an early childhood group visiting pre-schools.
“There are also groups visiting Café Gali and Woolworths, as part of the hospitality and retail sectors,” she said.
Moree TAFE College hosted the Careers’ Expo for students, teachers, parents and job-seekers to engage with businesses in the community.
“Visiting exhibitors set up at TAFE, and if the kids weren’t on a rotation at various businesses, they were in groups at the college, where they were also provided with some hands-on activities as well as involvement in construction, early childhood and hospitality,” Mrs Peisley said.
The program heads to Walgett Community College High School on Thursday.
“Hopefully, next year in Moree we can get students down from Mungindi and up from Narrabri, now that we’ve given it a successful pilot run this year,” Mrs Peisley said.
Kenway and Clark general manager, Peter Burey, said giving students hands-on experience in the workplace is the right approach.
“Initiatives like this are great,” Mr Burey said.
“Bringing kids to the workplace gives them the opportunity to understand what it looks like, and what it feels like before they apply for a job.
“We do a lot of work experience as well, with participants from schools in town or families with kids home from boarding school,” he said.
“We put them in the workshop and yard, and they kick a bit of dirt and learn and understand what it’s all about.
“It’s nice that students can come and spend a week with us – they can understand what it all looks like and where it might take them,” he said.
Mr Burey said staff recruitment was always difficult, and initiatives like the Educational Pathways Program helps employers as well as prospective employees.
“It’s very difficult, but it’s not just our industry,” Mr Burey said.
“We are all struggling attract kids to the industry, and trying to get people to come west of the Great Dividing Range.
“It seems to be getting harder, and is probably one of the biggest, single threats we have to our business.
“But having students spend time with us and learn about possible careers in our industry helps alleviate those concerns,” Mr Burey said.
Moree Secondary College Year 10 student Harry Smith wants to pursue a career in agriculture.
He also works with his brother, Angus, who owns Angus Smith Mechanical at Ashley, about 20 kilometres north-west of Moree. Harry has also undertaken work experience with LSH Mechanical.
“I grew up around agriculture, and really enjoy the mechanical aspect of it – fixing tractors and that sort of thing,” Harry said.
“I’m hoping to become a heavy diesel mechanic, and days like this give me an insight to it all – a step in the door.”
Year 9 student George Kirkby also wants to be involved in the mechanical side of the farming and agriculture industries.
He works part-time in Moree as part of school-based workforce training.
“I’m working at Agriware two days a week and want to continue working in agriculture when I leave school, especially the mechanical side of the industry,” George said.
