Also in This Newsletter Edition

Year 12 VTAC Applications

A virtual parent information session covering the VTAC application process was held during the Parent/Student/Teacher Interview Evening on Wednesday 2 August. A recording and slides are available for parents to access via PAM, along with key dates for Open Days and Tertiary applications.

An information session for students was held during Lesson 3 Pastoral on Tuesday 15 August. Slides and details have been emailed to all Year 12 students and are available also on SIMON. Any student intending to apply for Semester 1 2024 courses at TAFE or University will need to create an account and should be in the process of considering their course options and the order of these for their VTAC preference list.

SEAS and Scholarship applications can also be submitted through the VTAC application with key dates for these listed below.

The details of course applications submitted by each student is confidential and no information can be provided by VTAC or OLMC to anyone except the student themselves.

Please diarise the dates listed below.

Key dates for 2023-2024 applications

I will be available to support students throughout the Change of Preferences period after their results are released on Monday 11 December. Details will be made available closer to this date on how to access this one-on-one support.

SEAS (Special Entry Access Scheme)

Students who have had their academic results affected due to personal circumstances are encouraged to submit a SEAS application through their VTAC account. Based on the assessment, aggregate point adjustments may be applied, improving the Selection Rank calculated for courses at participating institutions. The four categories for SEAS are:

• Category 1: Personal Information and Location
• Category 2: Disadvantaged Financial Background
• Category 3: Disability or Medical Condition
• Category 4: Difficult Circumstances

Students who feel their educational results have been negatively impacted due to financial disadvantage, a disability or medical condition or difficult personal circumstances they have had to cope with either short-term or long-term, are encouraged to carefully consider applying for adjustments. For SEAS applications relating to Category 3 or 4, students will need to write their own Impact Statement and ask an appropriate person to provide a Statement of Support. For Category 3, it is preferred that a medical or allied health professional provide this Statement of Support and students are encouraged to book appointments well in advance of the Friday 6 October deadline to ensure these requirements can be met.

Tax File Numbers

To enrol in their tertiary courses early in 2024, all students will need a Tax File Number (TFN) so now is a good time to apply if your Year 12 student does not have one. TFNs can only be obtained through the Australian Tax Office.

Upcoming Events

An updated list of events, workshops, tours and various other career and tertiary activities running in the coming weeks are available on SIMON and PAM for students and parents to consider, especially those in Years 10-12.

Industry Insight Series Breakfast Q&A Panels

Launched during Careers Week in May 2023 and running every Tuesday morning since, our Industry Insight Breakfast Series will have welcomed more than 50 professionals to OLMC by the end of this term, many of whom are alumni. Whilst the winter mornings saw a bit of a decrease in our audience numbers, our panellists and attending students have found these sessions to be so valuable, with many of our returning past students commenting on how much they’d wished they’d had such an opportunity when they had been students at OLMC.

This week saw OLMC alumni Chiara Di Girolami (Class of 2001) and Lauren Caffyn (1999) speak about their experiences in the Defence Forces and Corrections whilst joined by current member of Fire Rescue Victoria, Briody Walker. Their insights and advice was welcomed by students keen to learn more about careers in emergency services.

Our final two panels for this year are focused on Design and Humanities and interested students are invited to register via the link on SIMON. Parents too are welcome to join us for these sessions if interested.

As we turn our attention to building on this careers initiative further in 2024, we ask any parents, past students or local community members who are interested in sharing their professional career journey with our students to contact OLMC Careers Coordinator Melinda Williams via email mwilliams@olmc.vic.edu.au.

Monash Scholars Program

Every year, Monash University offers high achieving Year 10 students an opportunity to join the Monash Scholars Program, an extension program aimed to support them as they complete their senior secondary school studies and transition successfully into tertiary education. This year, we congratulate two Year 10 OLMC students who were successful in their application to this program: Chantel G (10MMWI) and Amelie B (10AHRA).

After attending their first welcome event to the program, the students offered this reflection:

Monash Scholars is a program where students are selected to attend special events at Monash and become familiar with the campus, courses and tertiary life as a whole. Our first event involved a team-building session in which we were able to explore some of the amazing facilities at Monash Clayton and meet like-minded individuals and bond through various activities and challenges. We hope this program will enable us to explore a range of different courses and careers and gain knowledge that will further benefit our transition into university.

Year 9 Real Industry Job Interview Program

The Year 9 Pastoral program in Term 3 has had a very practical focus in supporting students make sense of the formal job application process. We know that many Year 9 students have or will very soon be looking to apply for their first job. This can be an exciting time as it marks an increase in independence and maturity but it can also be a daunting time filled with uncertainty and trepidation as a young person is pushed out of their comfort zone.

With this in mind, OLMC has partnered with the Banyule Nillumbik Local Learning and Employment Network for the Real Industry Job Interview (RIJI) program, which aims to provide students with the knowledge and tools to confidently enter the job market. The program involves students submitting a mock job application and culminates with their participation in a mock interview with experienced local business owners and recruitment professionals.

The fortnightly lessons this term have seen Year 9 Pastoral Teachers provide students with resources, activities and samples, all aimed at demystifying the written application elements of a cover letter and resume. Having been provided with a choice of job advertisements, students have selected one of these to apply for, crafting their cover letter and resume, and participating in an interview early in Term 4.

The mock job interviews will take place on Thursday 19 October offsite at Bellfield Community Hub. As we get older, interviews for all manner of reasons become a normal part of lived experience, be it for job opportunities, academic programs and initiatives, or support and review conversations. Being able to consider, prepare for and participate in these activities with a sense of readiness and confidence is an important life skill which can have a positive impact on our lives. The more practice and exposure to these scenarios we can create for young people, the more likely they are to develop this readiness and confidence. We look forward to supporting our Year 9 students as they prepare for their job interview and hearing their reflections on the value gained from this experience.

Melinda Williams
Careers Coordinator