Career Development
Career Development at Whyalla Secondary College strives for an individualised approach that is underpinned by the DOTS framework developed by Bill Law and Tony Watts DOTS Theory (1977, UK) where by the following milestones are referred to as a progressive guide for students Year 7-12:
Progressive Steps to Follow for Career Exploration
1. Get to know yourself
Start increasing your self-awareness to help you decide what kind of job or career might be right for you. This will help you to backwards plan your school subjects. Questions you could ask yourself in support of being self-aware:
- What skills do I have?
- What are my likes and dislikes?
- What am I good at and enjoy doing?
- What are my development needs?
- What would I not want to spend all day doing?
- What are my values and preferences?
- What barriers might I need to plan for to achieve my goals?
- What options are available to achieve the same destination?
2. Explore different careers
Once you have identified the skills, interests and preferences that might influence your career choice, you can start exploring what careers are out there and find out more about them at For schools | Student Pathways (Access for students Year 9-12 and Staff only).
3. Make some decisions
In your Personal Learning Program (PLP) subject you will complete a Career Action Plan in support of starting to explore and making decisions about your post school pathway and career. You will update your Career Action Plan throughout Year 11 and 12 throughout your MIND line.
Throughout Year 7-12 in your Care Group/mentoring time you will complete a subject grid each year in support of your post school pathway and career. If you would like to discuss your options, or you still have no vision about a career, consider speaking to a member of your sub-school or the Student Pathways Senior Leader.
Explore – post school pathways
Experiment – with workplace learning / employer emersion
Engage – with staff, students, parents and community
Expand – knowledge, understanding and skills for 2030+
4. Your Career, what’s next for you? Transition
As you prepare to finish your final year of school, the next phase of your journey will be full of interesting and exciting opportunities. You will discover new passions and develop new skills and knowledge. We know that this transition can sometimes be challenging. With changes to the education and workforce landscape, you might be wondering if your planned decisions are still a good option or what new options are available and how to pursue them. There are lots of options for education, training and work to help you further your career.
The following information kit has been designed to help you understand what those options might be and assist you to choose the right one for you in line with your career planning over the years at Whyalla Secondary College.
Leavers guide from National Career’s Institute: School Leavers Information Kit.
Career Development Education Year 7-12
Year 7-8
Career development embedded in curriculum and caregroup program
Year 9-10
Career development line for a semester, per year
Year 11-12
Mentoring program with individualised approach not linked to assessment and an option for a SACE elective subject, Workplace Practices and/or Business Innovation
There are many new and emerging jobs and industries in Australia that didn’t exist in their current form a few years ago. Early identification of these new opportunities by students are important to ensure that their subjects are building the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to fulfil these jobs in the future.
To find a career and subjects that really suits a student, there are a number of factors to consider, including their skills and interests, industry needs, work experience, values and motivations. Researching career roles and exploring available options will help students reach an informed decision with options.
Inspiring Possibilities
