The school will embed the hands-on life and work readiness program into its curriculum in 2024, providing another pathway opportunity for students who enjoy a practical style of learning.
The program will initially be offered to Students in Year 10. These students will have the option to complete a formal VET qualification that provides two credits towards the VCE and VCE Vocational Major.
With Project Ready being an established and mature program that has been implemented in other schools, CAGS’s career adviser, Jade Drew, said it can be a fantastic stepping stone for students as they progress through the senior secondary years and transition into the workforce or further study.
“Project Ready’s greatest strength is its approach to student development. The program has a really strong focus on fostering a supportive and inclusive learning environment, Mrs Drew said.
“There has been positive feedback from students who have been involved in the program at other schools, mainly around the opportunities they get exposed to through industry, community groups and guest speakers.”
“These experiences have a huge impact on assisting with future aspirations and pathway planning.”
The program is broadly suited to all students. However, the students who would benefit most would be those who have not yet developed work readiness skills, are unsure of their pathway, or want to discover more about themselves and learn skills that will help them transition after secondary school.
One student who has applied for the program is Year 9, Gracie Rice. Harbouring ambitions of one day being a hairdresser, Gracie believes doing Project Ready will provide an excellent platform to help prepare her for life beyond the classroom.
“I basically just had a discussion with Jade Drew and mentioned that I want to be a hairdresser,” Gracie said.
“She recommended that I do Project Ready as an elective as it’s more a hands-on style of learning, which is obviously pretty relevant to hairdressing.
Fellow Year 9 student Ella Michelotti hopes to eventually join the police, and she spoke of her excitement at being involved with the new program.
“I think it’s going to be really helpful as we’ll be doing a lot of group work outside of the traditional classroom environment and embarking on different projects in the community,” Ella said.
Ms Drew is confident that Project Ready will help bridge an important gap between traditional classroom learning and the need to develop personal and professional skills that employers value.
“Not only do we believe the program will provide valuable skills and knowledge that is often missing from a traditional classroom environment, it will also assist students to develop the job readiness and life skills necessary to successfully transition from secondary school to work or further education,” she said.
“The program also contains the added bonus of allowing students to complete a Certificate II in active volunteering, which provides credits towards the VCE or VCE Vocational Major pathway.”
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