The Department of Training and Workforce Development has developed the Year 9 Career Taster Program (CTP), aimed at giving Year 9 students experience of work and post-school opportunities.
Minister for Education and Training, Sue Ellery said the Program would support Year 9 students to become “career curious” and extend their thinking through practical activities and meaningful experiences with the world of work.
“The Program will give schools the flexibility to design career exploration experiences that allow students to learn about different industries, current and emerging occupations and career pathways,” Ms Ellery said.
“The CTP will give secondary students the tools to make more informed choices and position vocational education and training as a viable alternative to university,” she said.
Ms Ellery said the Program would begin in Term One, 2022 and run for four years and, once fully rolled out, would be delivered to around 17,000 Year 9 students annually.
“As part of the Program, an online career taster portal is being developed to provide a one‑stop resource for students, schools and industry including career taster events, activities, resources and information,” she said.
The Minister said that, for some time, industry and employers had wanted to have stronger links with schools and opportunities to expose students to the world of work as early as possible.
“This is a new and innovative Program that will help achieve this, designed to challenge students’ thinking and make connections between education and post-school opportunities,” she said.
“The Program will inspire students to explore the many career options available post-school and assist them to plot out a pathway to achieve their goals,” Ms Ellery said.
