Case Study – Churchlands Senior High School, WA

Churchlands Senior High School is a public school in Western Australia that is consistently rated in the Top 5 government schools.

Every person’s career journey is different. Some young people have their path mapped out from an early age (sometimes by their parents) but others have little idea as to what that path may look like. For these young people (and their parents) this may lead to anxiety and lack of direction as they approach their Senior School Years or as they transition to the post school world.

No ‘Career Matching’ tool is perfect, but at Churchlands Senior High School we use Career Voyage as a stimulus for discussion.a starting point for an adventure into the mind boggling world of career choice, course selection and goal setting for the future. For some the program provides a confirmation that the path that they had been contemplating ‘matches’ their way of thinking. For others it may be an opportunity to consider career options that they may not have otherwise thought about. Sometimes the results also make it clear that the student has not yet matured enough to really know that they want.and that is OK.

Students have the opportunity to access the program both at school and from home. Year 10 students use the results to complete Career Investigations as part of their transition to the Senior School and to help them with their course selections. Students in other years may use it to instigate a discussion with the Career Advisor or some research into career pathways. Being able to access the accounts of students that complete the program is a significant advantage to the Career Advisor.

We encourage students to sit down with their parents to discuss their results. At a time when decision making can be a stress for the parent/child relationship, the completion of the Career Voyage Program may act as a starting point for conversation and an opportunity for students to discuss what career path they may like to follow which is sometimes different to the path their parents thought they might take or expect them to take.

Combined with opportunities to visit our annual Career Expo, participate in one to one Career Counselling sessions and to listen to successful students talk about their own career journey in High School, the Career Voyage program is a very useful resource for the Career Advisors tool box.

Clare Slodecki
Career Adviser
Churchlands Senior High School