By Ethan Benedicto
The annual careers day at Berwick College was in full swing, as the neighbouring Leisure Centre filled with eager students from Years 9 to 12 on Monday, 12 May.
Institutions, organisations and a swathe of other groups gathered around with their booths, equipped with booklets, souvenirs, and most of all, answers to many a student’s question about their future.
The college’s principal, Josie Millard, said that having annual events that expose the youth to future opportunities is “incredibly important”.
“Students don’t know what’s out there until we expose them to the world, and the best way to expose students to all of the pathways that they have is to bring them in and show them at school.
“I just had one student say to me that he realised he’s not doing enough work in school because of what he’s seen in there, because he knows that by engaging in the curriculum, in the teaching and learning programs, it will give him more options when he finishes.
“And what he sees today is that there are a lot of options, so this will change the way kids engage in their education,” she said.
Booths from the Australian Defence Force, Federation University, Swinburne University, Richmond Institute, Monash University and more were present, and hardly any of the volunteers had time to take a breath.
“This changes the way students think about the subjects that they choose and their pathways,” Millard said.
“But, it also impacts on the way that we deliver education, the world’s a big place, and an expo like this and the preparedness of the universities and the tertiary providers to come and show the kids changes the way they study.”
The school’s four captains were also present, taking time to engage fellow students while also interacting with the booths.
Addressing the Student Representative Council’s importance, Millard said that they were integral, even considering that she has only held the role in Berwick for six months, she relies heavily on the group for advice.
“How is this school suiting the needs of our current students? How is this school challenging them in their learning, but also how is it a safe and happy place for them to be at?” she said.
“The student leaders, and in fact the whole SRC, provide me with a lot of information about what’s happening in each year level, and how we can increase their agency.
“So we absolutely rely on that agency, and the student leaders are leading the way in building that across the school.”
