Megan O'Connell Consulting

I’ve just entered year two of my portfolio career and am thrilled to see issues I passionately care about being progressed. I get to work with amazing educators, practitioners and thinkers and to feel the winds of change on the horizon.

I optimistically believe we are on a positive pathway of change for young people. Beyond ATAR, released late last year, continues to influence thinking around what the outcomes of schooling should be, and how we can measure these, to support all young people to find their way from school to a post school pathway and to embrace a life of learning.

I am super excited to start at RMIT and contribute to their innovation agenda. I was thrilled to facilitate a session at  for the RMIT Shergold Pathways Review forum, and to hear from teachers, academics, employers and key thinkers that change is crucial, and a desire to work together to achieve a common vision.

A highlight was hearing from students from RMIT’s Urban School that change is happening, young people are accessing a blend of VET, higher education, community work and micro credentials and finding where their strengths and passions lie.

This week I have witnessed more change in action. I’ve followed the journey of 11 NSW schools undertaking new models of workplace engagement. It has been thrilling to see what a little seed funding, and some bravery from workplace learning coordinators, has achieved.

A range of projects were undertaken, from a permaculture garden in school to a student directed video of a large workplace. Across the projects, students were highly engaged.

The challenge of delivering an authentic product was hard and scary but students built and recognised their own capabilities including communication skills, resilience and teamwork and a result.

For some students projects were life changing. They provided a positive first taste of work, and support to get to the next step of work experience.

One of the workplace learning coordinators described seeing her students dressed in professional clothes, undertaking interviews and their huge lift in self esteem as the best moment of her teaching career!

The projects show workplace learning has a huge impact in young people, particularly when they are invested in it and have agency.

A challenge is making this happen within curriculum areas – how can we engage subject teachers to build in workplace engagement to make student learning come alive?

This can’t just be the role of careers teachers, as it needs to happen for all students at multiple year levels.

Data from the project, soon to be published by DET NSW, shows young people across different ages have different workplace learning needs.

Year Seven students want to know more about  jobs and the world of work. They want information to broaden their horizons. In contrast later years students want more targeted advice about courses and getting a job, and actual experience in work.

The full breadth of careers education, from industry talks and exploration to industry informed  projects, workplace visits and work experience is important to all students sometime in their learning, and for many students it is a circular process as they identify, and later change, aspirations.

So the challenge remains, how do we ensure all young people have access to information to broaden their horizons, and support to trial and test the pathways they may want to pursue post school. And what tools can we create to support young people on this journey?

My interest in this is now somewhat vested, with a son in year 7 and another to follow I am more keen than ever that we get this right.

Change is possible, and happening in pockets.

Now is the time to remove barriers and scale up across the system!