Workplace learning program - Goodooga Central School
Goodooga Central School introduced a workplace learning program supporting students transition from school to work. This program involves providing advice and career education to assist young people to make decisions that enable them to make successful transitions from school into employment as part of lifelong learning.
School context
Goodooga is an isolated rural centre located in the northwest of New South Wales on Yuwalaaraay Country. Students are drawn from the immediate township and the surrounding area. The school's location and isolation lead to a high turnover of staff and few job opportunities for students beyond school. To counteract the obstacles the school has firm links with TAFE and is a member of the Northern Borders Senior Access program which provides a broad curriculum for students in year 11 and year 12. The goal of Goodooga Central School is to provide quality education in a safe and stimulating learning environment and in so doing encourage students to be respectful and responsible learners.
How does Goodooga Central School support student workplace learning?
Students start transition activities in Year 8, building pathways knowledge and job readiness leading into Year 10. The school partners with businesses in Lightning Ridge and Dubbo to provide a range of workplaces. Students are allocated places across the region with teachers or parents chaperoning during the work experience.
All Year 10 students to start a traineeship or apprenticeship from term 2.
Quote:
“I encourage all Aboriginal kids to go to a careers class cause you could go a long way in school, teach you a lot of skills and help you where you wanna be when you grow up”.
Tyreese, Goodoga Central School student.
PowerPoint presentation Goodooga workplace learning program (13.8 MB pptx)
- Empowering our youth to dream big, developing skills, values, and capabilities,
- Preparing students for work readiness, growing confidence and cultural identity, and
- Targeting careers classes for stage 3 to improve transition.
Bring transition conversations into early high school years.
Cultural, personal, and professional barriers within the community influence the capacity of employers to support young people. If young people are disengaged, lack routines and
structures and are disconnected from their culture it is challenging to provide support in a
way that can be accepted.
1. Spend time building relationships with young people / individuals
2. Incorporate learning opportunities in social and community activities
3. Work with families and not just young people
4. Acknowledge existing strengths and interests in the community
5. Find local mentors and role models within communities
6. Strengthen partnerships between agencies
7. Start the transition to work program earlier: term 4, Year 8
8. Develop a clear timeline for students, Year 9 to Year 12
Reflection questions for leaders
1. How can we create, promote, and support:
a. a school wide culture that supports our students to engage with businesses in our local and wider communities?
b. careers learning across the curriculum?
2. What steps can we take to:
a. integrate pathways learning into our school excellence plan?
b. encourage teacher uptake of professional learning in integrated careers learning?
c. engage the community and parents in workplace learning and entrepreneurial pursuits?
3. How can we measure the impact of a cross curricular approach to careers learning?
4. How can we develop relationships with local businesses, government services and community groups to enhance our student's ability to access apprenticeships and traineeships?
Reflection questions for teachers
1. How can I integrate:
a. careers/pathways learning into my programming and scope and sequence?
b. learning about traineeship and apprenticeship pathways into my KLA?
2. Where can I complete professional learning to support:
a. my understanding of workplace learning?
b. the creation of links between learning and pathways?
3. How can I make real world connections between the learning in my classroom and meaningful post school pathways?
4. What resources do I need to support the integration of pathways learning into my curriculum?