The Educational Pathways VET Ambassadors hit the road on May 17 to visit the Southern Highlands cluster of schools for one of several VET Ambassador Road Shows that our Ambassadors have embarked on during Term 2, 2023 .

Ethan Zammit, Jackson Robards, and Mellanie Sutton spoke to 250 students and parents about VET pathways over two days, sharing their own stories and insights into their career journeys. Students from years 7 to 11 got the opportunity to ask to learn more about each of the Ambassadors’ industries , and to hear stories about finding professional success using vocational education.

This VET Ambassador Road Show also marked the first sessions that Jackson has delivered as a VET Ambassador. After winning SBAT of the Year at NSW Training Awards in his region in 2017, Jackson’s career path has continuously grown and evolved, and he was excited to join the ranks of the Educational Pathways VET Ambassadors. Jackson reflected on the experience engaging with the students in the Southern Highlands region as incredibly rewarding and meaningful for him.

The students from Mulwaree and Goulburn High Schools each got to spend a period with the Ambassadors and their School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships Engagement Officer, Pauline Leighton, to learn more about the VET options available to them right now and the areas of demand in their region.

To compound the learning during the day, the students split into groups to reflect on their own interests and what study choices they could make while in school to help them onto their pathways of choice.

Some of the career interests that came out of the group work session closely aligned with the experiences of the present Ambassadors, which allowed for further meaningful conversations about specific industry experiences and the skills required to excel in these career paths.

On the evening of Wednesday 17 May, they rallied to attend a Parents and Students Information Night at Goulburn Country Women’s Association, where guests heard from a current SBAT student, Isla Rae, the Back in the Game provider for the Southern Highlands region, Jennifer Kennedy, Head Teacher Careers, and Pauline Leighton, SBAT Engagement Officer. It provided parents the opportunity to learn more about the diversity of VET courses available, the options available to students while still in school, and to get a true sense of the practical aspects of school-based VET qualifications.

The Educational Pathways VET Ambassador Initiative continues to demonstrate the importance of having young people sharing their stories with current high school students to demystify the process of early-stage career progression. As the Educational Pathways VET Ambassador cohort continues to grow, more roadshows, in more regions, that represent a wide range of industries are in the works. Stay tuned for more success stories and new faces representing what VET can do in NSW.

Find out more about the Educational Pathways Program (EPP).