Let's Talk Careers!

Summer Holidays - Ah! yessssssss....

2008-12-30T18:59:00.000-08:00

Hello there!

As busy parents I know you have been running around frenetically just before Christmas and into the New Year.

In about 2 -3 days your children will be beginning the usual cry of ‘I’m bored!’
So what do you do with them?

Tell them to find the 5 top jobs that they would like to work in.

Here are the steps:

1) They can do this by googling the job title. This should lead them to pathways that will give them explanations of the careers, possible places to study and answer most of their questions. If they get overwhelmed with options www.myfuturecareers.gov.au or www.alife.net.au are always good places to start.

2) If there qualifications are university based then it is time to find out the HSC/UAI mark that is required to get into the university of their choice. They can do this by checking out www.uac.edu.au .

3) Go on any of the employment websites, such as www.seek.com.au and see of there are any of the jobs listed. The careers choice they have made may not be the type of job that’s advertised. If this is the case, get them to find the industry association - they are a wealth of information.

4) If they would like to find out more,ask them to check out who are the main companies involved and then get them toring the companies to see if they will offer work experience. - they might as well take advantage of the long days of summer and get an edge up on their school mates by starting the year with a sense of direction.

And then discuss their findings at dinner!

By finding out what your children are interested in early it will enable you

to support them to get to their goals and
work out whether you are going to be looked after by them in your retirement or will need to top up your super! (smile)

Have a wonderful holiday season and I will be back regularly in February 2009.

Till next time
Melody

Gone Fishing!

2008-11-26T02:06:00.000-08:00

Hello there!

Yep! Gone fishing!

Well not quite but I am away for a few days and when I get back we will be into the last weeks of the school year.

Exams are over, the summer holidays are looming and it's time to let your children learn about the big, real world of jobs.

Encourage them as much as possible to take on some part-time work or volunteering to a charity group that appeals. it will give them a few skills they are going to need like:

1) time management

2) self responsibility

3) focus on the world outside of themselves

4) managing money

5) communication skills

6) learning to work responsibly and respectfully with and for others

And you may see a little more maturity creeping into your children in a few short weeks - not bad huh?

Till next time

Melody

Looking Forward - Careers in the 21st Century

2008-11-21T17:03:00.000-08:00

Hello there

This week I was asked by a concerned parent
‘What are the careers for the 21st Century?’

Now this got me thinking and some would say this is not always a good thing but the more I thought about it the more I realised that many of the jobs we currently have will be severely diminished if not extinct within my lifetime.

These careers could include anything to do with the mining and petroleum industry and plastics manufacturing, the auto industries and energy utility industry as we know it and even food production, transportation and logistics will look very different 50 years from now.

We will have new jobs where technology and primary industries mesh, especially in the regions of food production, distribution and supply. Also how we keep food stuffs, cook and present food will all change as the world grapples with over population and limited resources in food, water and shelter.

Our energy supplies will need to be more efficient and possibly come from the endless and clean supplies of sun and wind. Our homes will be made of sustainable materials that can be recycled and reused and our dwellings will need to be more efficient in terms of space and use.

So how will we find these careers, how will they happen?

Well this is one of the reasons many developed nations are looking for people who have engineering, science or technology backgrounds along with problem solving capabilities as these are the skills considered necessary to solve these dilemmas. But what of the people inhabiting the planet?

What type of careers will we need to develop to cope with the speed and change necessary for humanity to not only survive but thrive in these coming challenges?

There is going to be a need for a much greater sense of community and the need to work collectively. Groups of people will need to work together across the globe to a specific set of values and integrities. These values will be the thing that unites them regardless of their race, colour, ethnicity, religion, gender or age. They will be in the careers of social ecology, social sustainability and we will need lots of them. We will need community carers across all age groups but particularly for the young, aged or defenceless and we will need not just peace keepers but peacemakers or peace builders.

The singular most important ingredient for balance, prosperity and sustainability of our world is PEACE.

And as our world shows us - this is something that we need to learn to do in the same way we need to learn to read, write or play a sport.
It is now time, not for a peace movement but for a peace industry - an industry that recognises the financial, social and personal career benefits for having peace as our core state from which all resources can be managed.

So what attributes would a career as a peacemaker or builder require?

Well for me, Peace is a quality within that once taken root emanates outwards into the world. Peaceful actions can be learned but the state of peace is innate. This reminds me very much of Creativity. We are all capable of creative acts, but those of us with more natural talent will develop greater sensitivity, trust and development of our creativity and spend more time wishing to express it. I think the same can be said of peace.
So what does creativity and peace have in common?
1) Talent – the natural desire and ability to express a state - be it peaceful or creative. We all have it, we express it in different ways and what we need is a map to be able to read and understand the differences.
2) Skill – we are able to recognise skills and abilities once the ‘map’ is in place and from here we start building the skills to create competency. We study and practise to make the skills strong and effortless.
3) Motivation – It is in the third step that we often falter, we are hard at the grindstone not yet seeing the benefits of our efforts and we often lose our passion here. This is where we need the teacher, the coach or the mentor to help us keep going.
4) Productivity – a creative person produces a lot – much of what they produce may never see the light of day, but nevertheless they write or paint or practise their violin for hours. They learn to love deeply and appreciate fully the gift they have been given and the work it takes to master it. Peace when it is loved, desired and appreciated fully becomes the work and the gift.
5) Knowledge – Over time with effort, practise, diligence and constant upgrading of one’s knowledge we master the expression of peace. Our knowledge grows of ourselves, others and the requirements necessary for peace and our peaceful ‘being-ness’ is a natural state.
6) Collaboration – Peace more than any other state within the human expression thrives most effectively when it is agreed to and motivated by the collaboration of the group. When each person is listened to, acknowledged for their contribution and recognized as a person of value, then peace can develop and grow into a strong root that enables prosperity and sustainability of the community, nation and world.
7) Marketing – No creative artist can be recognised in the world without the assistance of a patron, a business or marketing team or process that gets the idea in the world for others to appreciate and value. Peace is no exception to this rule. Each act of peace no matter how small is organic. It flies like the seeds of a dandelion head on the breeze of the marketing spiel and rests in the heart and minds of men and women ready to bloom when the time is right.

The time for Peace is now. Those who will be the leaders and work in the Peace Industry are already being called forward to take their places. The rest of us are also being called to bear witness, to act with as little harm as possible and to take responsibility for our own inner peace.

The 21st century will be a challenging and yet exciting and fulfilling time to live on Earth. The journey to Peace and the careers necessary to sustain it are seedlings as we sit in 2008 and your children will be the trailblazers for this new world.

Until next time,

Melody

Meet Lynelle Barker - Entertainment Manager at the Sydney Royal Easter Show!

2008-11-12T16:39:00.000-08:00

Hello there!

During the time of the blog I will occasionally introduce you to people who love the job they're in. It will give you a chance to see how they got to do what they are doing and a little bit about their job.

So for today's blog I am introducing you to: Lynelle Barker, who works as the Entertainment Manager at the Sydney Royal Easter Show which is a division of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW

How did you get to this job?

I have been employed by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW for the past 23 years.
As a student, many, many years ago (1984 -1986) I commenced casual employment with the RAS of NSW throughout the school holidays and then over Easter period working on the largest event in the Southern Hemisphere the "Sydney Royal Easter Show".
In 1986, I completed my HSC and commenced full time employment the following week.

Throughout my career with the RAS of NSW, I have been fortunate to work within a variety of departments and manage a range of projects.

Sydney Royal Easter Show
Entertainment Manager September 2003 – Present
Arena Events Manager (Horse & Cattle Sections) October 2002 – September 2003
Special Events Manager November 1997 – October 2002
Livestock Administration Manager May 1996 - October 1997
Horse Events Manager July 1993 – April 1996
Personnel Assistant to the Horse Registrar October 1986 – June 1993
Casual Employee for the Royal Easter Show 1984 & 1985 & 1986

Agview – The Family Farm Show
Project Manager 1996
Assistant Project Manager 1995

Breed Societies
Registrar, The Australian Saddle Pony Association August 1987 – July 1988
Secretary, The Australian Pony Stud Book Society November 1986 – August 1987

Business Operations:
Beverage Supervisor 1994 – 1996
Bar Person 1991 – 1993

What do you love about your job?

I have been very fortunate to work with amazing international and national professional talent and community groups, all of whom have a major influence within the SRES Entertainment "Show Family".

I enjoy being creative, through developing productions (main arena productions incorporating livestock to extreme sports shows, stage shows, fashion parades and street entertainment.)

I am so proud of my cast and crew as we have received world recognition for our Man from Snowy River Productions and Xtreme Korruption showcased at SRES. The dedicated “Show Family” are deserving of such recognition, having worked long and hard to develop these truly world class crowd pleasers.

I travel nationally and internationally sourcing talent, always on the look out for the next "Wow Factor."

My biggest buzz though, is watching viewers exiting any of our venues, and hear them say "Wow", wasn't that great!".

So there you have it.

Till next time,

Melody

Girl Power!

2008-11-11T15:55:00.000-08:00

Hello there

Your daughter is your family pearl and you want the world to be her oyster, right?

That means allowing her to have the opportunity to follow her dreams and career goals. It also means finding support in part-time work and career preparation tools.

http://girl.com.au can offer this and more. Why not check it out and hook your daughter up?

While she is getting 'all the goss' on her latest screen heart throb she will also be able to find out some good stuff that will help her with her future directions.

Till next time,

Melody

Fashion Futures

2008-11-11T15:23:00.001-08:00

Hello there

Do you have a budding fashion designer under your roof?

Are you wondering how they will get to be the latest 'hot new thing' in a fashion industry that is highly competitive, difficult to enter successfully and keep business going in a global market ruled by the trends of overseas?

Or are you simply dreading the possibility that you will have to have your creative child live at home for ever?

Fashion designers like most creative endeavour-ers have a hard road to hoe.

It takes, guts, determination, a single-minded belief along with excellent business and marketing skills. While the student might get qualifications, support and learn some of the basics at TAFE or a private Registered Training Organisation(RTO) or college it is much harder to survive, never mind thrive in the fashion world once you are qualified.

So where do you go for help?

Well Helen Sattler at Frock Fashion Online has helped many a local designer get their designs seen by the frock fashionistas.

In three short years Helen has managed to get her Northern Beaches Fashion events to the eye of the national media, which is no small accomplishment!

Check her out at http://www.frockfashion.com.au/

Till next time

Melody

How to get in-depth information about an industry - Part 2

2008-11-10T17:46:00.000-08:00

Hello there

So leading on from our last blog. You have found an industry that your son or daughter is interested in. Congratulations! This is a great first step.

Now you will need more details about how your child is going to reach that goal. Do you immediately enrol your son or daughter in a university qualification or are there other routes into the industry?

One of the ways to get this kind of information is to visit the website of one of the 11 skills industry councils in Australia. If you google ' industry councils australia' you will get the websites listed.

Here is just one of these: Innovation and Business Skills Australia www.ibsa.org.au

The IBSA Careers site provides fact sheets for a variety of careers that include information about tasks performed in the occupation, training options, what training may involve, where training can be undertaken and links to other useful websites.

New to the site are the excellent videos, produced by SkillsOne, that have now been embedded into specific industry links.

For more details, please go to www.ibsa.org.au/content/careers/index.html.

Currently you will find videos in the following industries:

Business Services

Education

Entertainment

Screen and Media

Financial Services

Information and Communication Technology

Museum and Library/Information Services

Music

Printing and Graphic Arts

Telecommunications

Visual Arts, Crafts and Design

Why not check them out?

Till next time,

Melody

How to get in-depth information about an industry - Part 1

2008-11-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

Hello there

I am always surprised when I speak with students or their parents about careers choices.

So many students make choices on a few meagre facts about the industry and then wonder why they don't like the work or study when they are in it!

Let's Talk Careers! is about helping you and your child have more information on their chosen field and help then be in the position to make really informed choices.

A very good resource that gives interviews, qualifications, pathways and talks to people who are in the field can be found in any of the 3o odd books published by Career Faqs Publishing.

Will Santow the director of the company has his own story to tell on how he began this company. He was looking for career information himself and finding none available with Australian content, he decided he'd fill the market with the right resources. Careers Faqs is the result.

You can check it our at http://www.careersfaqs.com.au/

Until next time,

Melody

End of Y10 ordeals!

2008-11-03T18:37:00.000-08:00

Hello there

Those of you with Yr 10 students are probably in a state of stress as your child goes off to their exams during the month of November.

Some of you will already know that you have a child who is struggling at school and who seems to have disengaged from the education process.

Please know that ALL is not LOST!

Let's look at this scenario and see what options are available.

Option 1:

One of the options you may like to look at is changing your child's schooling from a school based education to a TAFE based education. This will enable the student to complete their HSC and get valuable practical skills as well. Some students find the more self directed learning environment of TAFE a better option than school. Check out your state's local TAFE for details.

Option 2:

If your child is intent on leaving school you might like to look at an apprenticeship (usually 4 years) or a traineeship (usually 2 years) in an industry that interests your child.

In an apprenticeship or traineeship some work is completed at 'school' i.e. TAFE or a Registered Training Organisation and the rest of the time is spent in the workplace. In some cases the training is done completely on site with assessments conducted throughout the time of the apprenticeship or traineeship. Apprentices receive a training wage which increases annually as they complete each year successfully. Some industries have also introduced a fast track learning system for those who wish to be qualified in less time than the apprenticeship model. For information on this check out the industry association in the industry of choice.

The general public have a very misguided idea of what is takes to be a tradesman. This is because of an old fashioned attitude that suggests you need to be more intelligent in academic pursuits than the more practical trades.

Today's world is much more complex that this set of beliefs holds. Most trades people are also very successful business people. They had gone on to further study in business (often at university level) and are required to have a good understanding of technology in as much as it impacts on their particular skills set.

Thus a trades person requires technical, theoretical and practical skills. The mode of learning is applied rather than theoretical.

This suits many young men and women who have energy to burn and who find concentrated thinking without action a difficult form of learning.

Your child is not a failure or less than a more academic student - he or she simply have different strengths.

During my time as a career adviser I have seen over and over the impact of choosing a learning environment that suits a person's strengths - they simply bloom.

They become engaged, thinking, active and excel in their fields of endeavour and most importantly - they love what they are doing.

What more would you as a parent want for your child than that?

There is a lot of information available about apprenticeships and traineeships.

A good site to begin is: http://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/

Option 3:

Your child may engage better at school if s/he is more stimulated at home. By this I mean working part time.

If your child has not yet got a part time jo then now is the time to get one.

While you may not need to have your child working it is a really good developmental time for students to learn about the working environment.

Research has shown that students that rely on their parents for an allowance and their needs often lack the skills and attitudes necessary to survive in the world and make a good employee, or business owner later.

Letting your son or daughter get a part time job helps them discover

self esteem

initiative

prioritising work and friends

negotiating

self management

time management

money management

loyalty as it refers to work

team skills

respnsibility

maturity

And guess what?

Most of these attributes are what employers are looking for in students once they have finished there training and are ready for full time work in the work force - these are the basis of employability skills that you hear banded around in the media.

Till next time

Melody

Converging Science and Technology

2008-11-03T17:56:00.000-08:00

Hello there

Firstly my apologies. It has been rather hectic over the last few weeks and I have not managed to get the blog entries up I had hoped - so you will get a few all together!

So today we are looking at where science and technology converge - here is the scenario:

Your lovely Yr 9 son or daughter arrives home one day and out of the blue says

'I think I want to work in Nanotechnology, Mum!'

Where do you go to find out what nanotechnology is and what career pathways are open to it?

Well here are a couple of websites that can start you off on your search!

1) This site gives you some background articles to the industry in Australia.

http://www.innovation.gov.au/Section/Innovation/Pages/Nantechnology/Publications.aspx

The reality is that while we have a burgeoning nanotechnology industry in Australia we do not invest the funding for projects and research in the way that countries overseas do and your Yr 9 student may eventually head overseas to expand their career.

2) This site lists the universities in Australia that offer nanotechnology

http://wwww.science-technology.net/australia/nanotechnology_australia.htm

3) And the very important Ygen question - how much do nanotechnologists earn?

http://www.nnwn.org/ninn_careers.html

On this site there is a guide. Please keep in mind that the figues are a few years out of date and are for the US market. I was unable to source data for Australia.

Finally we are a nation of innovators, inventors and researchers - our own CSIRO has been at the forefront of many of those innovations.

http://www.csiro.au/

If you contact them you can find out more about what they are doing and what is open to the public to take your science expert to!

Till next time,

Melody

Jobs Fair Success!

2008-10-09T18:24:00.000-07:00

Hello there

I bet you have been wondering where I've been for the last few weeks, yes? Well I have been taking a little rest after the great success of the inaugural Northern Beaches Jobs Fair.

And what a success it was!

45 businesses (all with local interest) offered in excess of 600 jobs to a large number of job seekers. We know that at least 500 turned up because that was the number of job seeker packs we had printed but how many came through the door after that? - well we have no idea. The Dee Why RSL (where the event was staged) believe the number was close to 700!

On offer for Job Seekers was help with resume writing, courses for further study with the local TAFE and careers advice from yours truly!

The whole morning buzzed with the noise of businesses and prospective employees meeting, greeting and finding out what was possible in the region.

Many parents brought their sons and daughters with them on a fact finding mission that included looking for part time jobs, finding help with other careers options and to see what apprenticeships or traineeships were available.

For those looking to fill in their gap year with the Defence Force there was also the opportunity to talk to personnel from the DFA recruitment centre.

If your region ever offers a jobs fair I strongly suggest you take up the opportunity to have a look - you will be surprised what you may find in terms of work right in your own back yard.

Till next time

Melody

Entertainment Choices and Changes

2008-09-12T01:40:00.000-07:00

Hello there

One of the very 'real' skills a person in the entertainment industry requires is flexibility and the willingness to change, grow and learn new skills.

It is such a 'fashion driven' industry that a performer needs to be able to reinvent themselves as they follow their 'star'.

For the last couple of years the Australian Government has run a National Careers Development Week to bring the focus on all careers available to work age and ready people.

As part of this year's NCDW Mark Furze was 2008 NCDW Celebrity Ambassador.

Check out the Podcast interview aired on Kyle & Jackie O Show on Radio 2day FM Thursday 28 August.

The podcast starts with Mark performing "Paralyzer" (song title) by Finger Eleven (artist) and then an interview about his change in direction from acting to music - stick with it as Jackie then introduces NCDW and both Mark and Kyle talk about career change. You can listen to the Podcast at https://zipper.australianbusiness.com.au/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.2dayfm.com.au/shows/kyleandjackieo/listen/podcasts (The Kyle and Jackie O Show - Thursday August 28 2008).

Until next time

Melody

Innovative Options for Recruitment - 2008

2008-09-09T02:20:00.000-07:00

Hello there,

In the Northern Beaches where I work as a Regional Industry Careers Adviser we are holding a Jobs Fair (19 September 2008 9.00am-12.00pm@ Dee Why RSL, for those who are interested to have a look).

This is an innovative approach to assisting business in the region to meet with local jobseekers and make a work-match!

The region suffers from chronic skills and labour shortages brought about by many businesses sitting ' under the radar' of most jobseekers due to a perception that there are no good jobs in the region.

To date the committee has registered 42 businesses and these companies between them are offering over 150 jobs.

These are from all industry sectors and range from entry level school based traineeships,
traineeships, apprenticeships and cadetships, mature age retraining jobs and university qualified jobseekers in middle management.

There is something for everyone.

Your child is in an enviable position as s/he moves through to their first work choice. There will be many more positions available to work in than there will be people to fill the positions due to the retirement of many of the baby boomers (those hitting retirement age) over the next few years.

If you child likes where you live and wants to stay in the district one of the ways of finding out what's happening is to attend events like the Northern Beaches Jobs Fair. At present this is an innovative approach to recruiting but keep your eyes and ears open, there will be many more before we hit 2012, as business try to keep there doors open and attract young people into their companies.

Innovation along with a known brand name in business is what will attract your child to check out the company.

Your child's peer group will have a lot of sway when it comes to work, so be prepared to offer very good reasons as to why working with a less profiled company has benefits.

If you can offer reasons such as

more flexible learning opportunities
opportunities to move ahead more quickly
get a broader level of experience sooner

These reasons should work wonders!

This is where your understanding of the workplace can shine.

Till next time,

Melody

The Juice on Jobs!

2008-09-03T22:08:00.000-07:00

Hello there

The Australian Government has funded a lot of websites to assist your child to find out just what they would like to do as the first of their future careers. (Remember your son or daughter is likely to have as many as 5 complete careers changes and quite a few more jobs as they train and grow.)

One of these is www.jobjuice.gov.au.

But don't just let your child have a look at it - there is a lot of information here for parents, careers advisers and career mentors

http://www.jobjuice.gov.au/news-and-events/Resources+-+For+Career+Counsellors+and+people+that+work+with+young+people.htm

And yes there is even a section for you if you wish to get back into the workforce yourself!

http://www.jobjuice.gov.au/extra-assistance/employment-preparation-for-parents.htm

Till next time

Melody

Y9-10 Video Competition with Cisco Services – Get ready to upload on YouTube!

2008-08-25T04:22:00.000-07:00

Hello there

Cisco Services are a leading networking company with a passion for engaging youth in their industry – not just as end users but as employees bringing new technologies into the world.

This year they are running a careers based competition for Yr 9 and 10 students across NSW.
Students are to work in teams preparing a 3-5 minute video looking at the many faces of people in the information and communications technology industry.

There are prizes for the students and school and the videos will be uploaded on YouTube.

For details check out http://www.cisco.com/ or get in touch with your child’s school.

Until next time

Melody

Cut, Style, Bob! - Hairdressing as a career!

2008-08-25T04:18:00.000-07:00

Hello there

Have you ever wondered how someone becomes a hairstylist to the stars?

If they are a trained hairdresser from Australia they will most probably have completed a Certificate III in Hairdressing as part of an apprenticeship.

Further training may have been completed in small business management or business at a TAFE or university while other complimentary studies in beauty therapy may also have been undertaken.

Hairdressing is classified as a skills shortage area, as the result of an increased interest in the beauty and personal services industries from Y gen clients and as many baby boomers retire from the industry.

Options for training are also changing with some students being able to fast track their learning through colleges offering full time 'salon-ready' hairdressers who have completed an intensive year’s study.

Students who are interested in hairdressing but do not wish to take on an apprenticeship may find this model more to their liking.

If you have a budding hairstylist in Yrs 10, 11 or 12 interested in competing for a scholarship to attend Pivot Point International’s Sydney campus and begin their pathway to becoming a hairstylist to the stars -

Please contact jsoady@pivot-point.edu.au

Until next time

Melody

Experimenting with Science - Why choosing science in senior years pays off!

2008-08-05T19:24:00.001-07:00

Hello there,

Talk to many science graduates and they will often say the same thing – they were thought of as the ‘nerds’ of school. These were those brainy individuals that loved studying more than sport, drama and the opposite sex!

But names hurt you less when you have a successful career in a science based occupation under your belt.

Many students are not choosing science at high school and the results are showing in our skills shortages across all industry groups in Australia.

Some of the many job opportunities that call for a science background include:

agricultural engineer, aquaculture technician, cardiac technologist, dietician, environmental health officer, forensic scientist, geneticist, health services- hospital manager, marine scientist, sports psychologist, plastic surgeon, nuclear medicine technologist, civil engineering designer or draftsperson, gemmologist, air traffic controller, electronics engineer or technician, computer engineer

Australia may have developed an enviable reputation as a nation of innovators but if our students are not taking up science, and information technology we are not going to grow that reputation into the future.

Did you know that many industries are offering scholarships and cadetships in the science fields to attract quality candidates?

The university of your choice should have a comprehensive list of scholarships and cadetships available. Check out their websites for details.

The Australian government sites such as Geo-science Australia may also be of interest.
www.ga.gov.au/jobs/cadetships

So if your child shows interest in sciences and innovation you need to be thinking about developing that interest to help them get over the ‘nerd’ handle and into the ‘kool’ handle. Some websites that might assist are:

www.osmr.nsw.gov.au - Science X - posed

www.careersinscience.gov.au – Cool careers in science

www.ansto.gov.au - Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation

Till next time

Melody

Everyone Knows Something about Careers!

2008-08-05T18:04:00.000-07:00

Hello there.

Everyone knows something about careers - This is also a truth!

If you are working currently then you will have some knowledge of your own field. If you are a stay at home parent, think about your skills in time management, budgeting, conflict resolution, negotiating etc.

As an exercise have a look at your own field of work.

- What are the jobs in your industry?

- What qualifications do you require to do the jobs in your company?

- How many of your co-workers hold qualifications either from university or a tertiary provider?

Look at your circle of friends, what career paths are they following....

Ask them to share with you how they got in to the jobs they do, what are the pros and cons etc

If appropriate ask them to share this information with your children.

These forms of informal learning are as important as the more formalised searches through industry associations, career websites and sessions with careers advisors at school or privately.

Here is a great website that is a good place to start your child on their career pathway - why you may even find out information for yourself! Check with your local school as careers advisers often hold classes for parents in how to make the best use of this site.

www.myfuture.com.au

Till next time

Melody

Anyone for ICT?

2008-07-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

Hello there

This week is National Information Communications Technology (ICT) Careers Week.

It is the inaugural ICT careers week.

Now, why is the IT industry interested in talking to students and the community about IT?

Well for a start
· very few people understand the complexity and diversity of the industry
· there is a shortage of IT engineers across all spectrums of work
· the IT industry does not just mean the IT programmers, product designers and problem solvers but many other opportunities for marketers, communicators, network developers etc

Our Y generation children are so computer savvy that they can run rings around most other age groups. They are truly the ‘computer and internet’ generation and they use technology to navigate their lives.

If we compare this with other times in history, our children were like us in regard to telecommunications or our grandparents in the time of industrialisation or our ancestors in the time of the agrarian revolution.

Each generation brought with it new ways of doing things, new language and in most cases a completely different lifestyle as well.

It is clear that as each generation progresses we need to keep up with these changes if only to navigate our way in the world with more ease.

Go find out more about what is happening in careers in the world of ICT by checking out www.aiia.com.au/nationalictcareersweek

You will be surprised what you find there!

Till next time

Melody

It's never too early to learn about careers!

2008-07-27T23:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is the truth.

While your child may only be in Y7 it is time to learn about what type of careers are in the world of work. You can help by getting them thinking about what careers are out there and taking a fun look at what’s happening around you.

For example let’s look at construction sites
· What kinds of jobs are connected with the site?
· What type of qualification is needed for the different tasks?
· Do you know anyone who is involved in the trade?

Look at the whole picture from an empty lot of land to the final building being used and tenanted.

It will include some of the following:

town planners, real estate agents, conveyance lawyers, architects, engineers, construction companies, builders, bricklayers, concreters, electricians, plumbers, tilers, floor covering specialists, landscapers, roof tilers, building suppliers, fabricators, manufacturers, transport carriers, insurance brokers, banks, telecommunication companies, interior designers etc

In terms of qualifications it will include university degrees, apprenticeships and trainees and licence holders. Some of these people will have gone to university while others will have gone to TAFE or a private college provider.

Some schools offer school based apprenticeships and traineeships or vocational courses as part of Y11 and 12 – check out your child’s school for details.

In just this one industry the career opportunities are enormous.

The Housing Industry of Australia’s website www.bigplans.com.au has a wealth of information on how to get involved in the industry for you and your child to look into or for other opportunities and information check out their home website www.hia.com.au .

Until then,

Melody

Introducing.....

2008-07-23T00:31:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my blog!

This is a blog for parents who want to help their children make the right training and career choices once they leave school.

I hope to help you find some answers to your questions and open your mind to just what sort of careers are out in the big wide world your child is growing up into!

Parents are still the number one source of career information. Unfortunately many of us feel under-equipped to be of any real help or our ideas about the industry or career are outdated. By coming on to this blog you will find some links and information that will help you help you loved ones and even possibly yourself.

And how can I help you?

Well I have spent the last few years working with industry, schools, businesses, students and careers advisers to help get the message across as to just what is happening in the world of work.
I have done this while being a Regional Industry Career Adviser with the Australian Government's initiative - Career Advice Australia program (www.careeradviceaustralia.gov.au) and now I am here to advise you where to get the information you need for free.

Each week I will review some aspect of an industry, a career pathway or website that can help you find what you need.

Furthermore I am happy to hear from you via the blog comment box any questions you may have about careers, I will tackle these in future blogs.

I am looking forward to introducing you to the world of careers.

Till next time...

Cheers

Melody