Video for Subject selection advice when considering an SBAT

Subject selection is an exciting time in high school. It's your opportunity to choose the combination of courses that you want to study and start to build your future. But with so many options to choose from, where do you start?

The subjects you choose in year 11 and 12 can be the building blocks of your career. Start by honing in on two to three careers you might be interested in after school. Do some work experience to make sure those careers match your expectations. Consider your School Based Apprenticeship or Traineeship options.

Think about what subjects you like and what you're good at. Remember, you'll spend a lot of time studying these subjects, so it's important to choose ones you enjoy.

Meet Claire. She wants to study nursing when she completes high school. To give her a head start on the nursing pathway, Claire’s careers adviser told her about the opportunity to complete a School Based Traineeship in Years 11 and 12. This means Claire will include her VET course, a Certificate III in Health Services Assistance in her pattern of study, which will take up two units of her HSC.

Claire has to study English, and selecting Maths and Science subjects will help her build a foundation for further nursing studies.

When selecting her courses for year 11, Claire chooses English Standard, Biology and Mathematics Standard. She also chooses a subject she is interested in and good at, PDHPE. To make up her final two units, Claire selects Industry Based Learning, which means the on-the-job training component of her SBAT will be counted as two units, bringing her total number of units to 12.

Now, let's look at Sam. He's got a strong passion for cooking. And after completing work experience in a local restaurant, he wants to be a chef. Sam applies for a School Based

Apprenticeship. This VET course, a Certificate III in Hospitality, Commercial Cookery will take up two units of his HSC.

As well as English Standard, he chooses Mathematics Standard and Food Technology to support his study in hospitality and includes Geography because he enjoys it.

Like Claire, he also chooses Industry Based Learning as his final two units, bringing his total for year 11 up to 12. With these choices, Claire and Sam have met the requirements, included subjects they like and selected subjects that complement their SBAT and align with their career goals.

Remember, these are just two examples of possible patterns of study. Talk to your careers adviser about what might work for you.

Here's some of our top tips:

Remember to check the prerequisites and recommended studies for careers you might want to pursue.

If you're doing an SBAT, select subjects that complement your pathway. Make sure you meet the unit requirements to be eligible for the HSC.

Avoid choosing subjects just because your friends are doing them.

And don't forget, English is compulsory.

As always, your careers adviser can answer any questions you have along the way.

With an idea of your future in mind and a bit of research behind you, a well thought out pattern of study can help you get one step closer to the career of your dreams.

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