Both Arcadia and Mark knew they had skills and interests that sat outside the traditional school subjects, (Mark was running his own lawn mowing business at the age of 14!). But knowing you have a craving for more hands-on, real-life experience is one thing. Acting on it is another.
“Sometimes you just have to take the leap,” encourages Arcadia. “If you know what you’re passionate about, talk to your Careers Advisors and explore your options.”
Arcadia graduated high school in 2019 with two Certificate III’s on top of completing her HSC. She is now pursuing further VET while completing her Certificate III in Sport and Recreation.
“Lots of my friends are now stuck at that post-school crossroads and don’t know what to do”, says Arcadia. “Completing a school based traineeship gave me a head start.”
Mark Doughty, a few years ahead of Arcadia, is now leading a team of five at Sydney Olympic Park after completing his Certificate III in Horticulture (Parks and Gardens) in 2017.
“I knew early on what I wanted to do,” says Mark, who while at school was doing voluntary landscaping for local parks, his school grounds and St Vincent De Paul in Mt Druitt.
“I wouldn’t have been able to get the practical skills and real-life experience that the school based apprenticeship provided me in a classroom,” he goes on to say.
Mark is now continuing his learning and studying a Certificate III in Irrigation.