Investigating post school options

Has your child finished school and is still deciding what they would like to do? Skillset’s Youth Connect program can provide school leavers with free career advice to plan and achieve the training and career goals that are suited to them. If you are looking for free, customised career advice, make an appointment with our career consultants here.

Below we have listed a range of short and long term options to help your school leaver make their next move:

1. Find a paid job

At the moment, economic and workforce conditions in this region and across Australia mean there are countless job opportunities available for school leavers. In fact, many businesses and organisations across regional NSW are struggling to find applicants for roles.

Using the latest labour market data for the Central West, job ads have increased by approximately 150% between March 2020 and September 2022, and almost 1 in 5 jobs advertised (17%) in September 2022 were in the Skill Level 5 band. This means candidates need to have completed a minimum Certificate I or secondary schooling to apply for these roles. This result confirms there are plenty of jobs on offer for school leavers.

If your child is looking for a job in their local area but doesn’t know where to start, Skillset currently has a range of roles available. For more information, click here.

2. Consider volunteering

Volunteering is a great way of getting work experience in a particular job or sector whilst also giving back to the community. Organisations who use volunteers generally don’t require past experience and are keen to capitalise on an interest or skill volunteers may have. This makes volunteering a fantastic option for school leavers and people with limited work experience, with the added benefit of being able to include this volunteering in a CV or resume if related to a future job opportunity. Volunteering also helps with improving self-confidence, developing social connections, and enhancing soft skills, such as team work and time management.

Opportunities for volunteering can be found throughout our community. The following links may help find an opportunity for your school leaver:

• Volunteering Australia – Volunteer positions across Australia
• SEEK Volunteer – Volunteer opportunities across Australia
• NSW Volunteering – Volunteer opportunities across NSW
• RSPCA – Volunteer opportunities at the RSPCA NSW
• Go Volunteer – Volunteering roles in the Bathurst region
• Go Volunteer – Volunteering roles in the Orange region
• Bathurst Meals on Wheels – Volunteer roles in Bathurst for this meal delivery service for seniors
• The Neighbourhood Centre, Bathurst – Volunteer roles in the Central West, Orana and Far West
• Food Rescue Central West – Volunteer roles for Food Rescue across the Central West.

3. Undertake a course

Your school leaver may still be contemplating what additional study or upskilling they would like to complete to gain entry into their job of choice. To further assist this decision, the following websites may help:

• CompareED – this website run by the Social Research Centre and funded by the Department of Education allows users to explore different areas of study and compare all courses offered by universities and higher education institutions
• TAFE NSW – find information on vocational education and training opportunities available through this government-funded registered training organisation.

If your school leaver is interested in upskilling in a particular area relatively quickly, they can also enrol in a microcredentials course. Microcredentials are super short courses from university or TAFE that are delivered online and/or in person. At the end of the course, students receive a certificate of completion which can be included in a CV or resume. These courses can also be credited towards a future qualification. A new national framework introduced by the Australian Government in late 2021 stipulates that microcredentials must be industry-relevant, which means they are required to focus on skills needed by the workforce.

To find out more about approved microcredentials courses, click here.

It may also be worthwhile investigating the range of courses available online from universities and well-known industry leaders, such as:

• FutureLearn
• Open Universities Australia
• Coursera
• edX
• Google Digital Garage
• Microsoft Digital Skills
• Linkedin Learning

4. Think about an apprenticeship or traineeship

If you haven’t already considered it, an apprenticeship or traineeship may be the perfect option for your school leaver. Undertaking an apprenticeship or traineeship means your school leaver can learn industry-relevant skills whilst earning money at the same time.

The NSW Government is currently paying the course cost for 100,000 new apprenticeships and 70,000 new traineeships in identified industry areas that need more qualified workers. There are also a number of payments available to apprentices and trainees to help with the costs of undertaking an apprenticeship. These arrangements mean there are few financial barriers to undertaking this career pathway.

Skillset has a number of apprenticeships and traineeships available throughout the Central West. For more information, click here.