Please sign up for anything you are interested in on the Careers Notice Board outside the Careers Office in T Block. Information about open days and liaison visits happening in terms 2 and 3 is listed on the careers page. Also on this page great tips for picking subjects, information on getting prepared for next year and links to some useful web sites.

CAREERS NEWSLETTER — CAREERS ROOM - T BLOCK

VISITING THE CAREERS DEPT

Students at all year levels are welcome to make an appointment during interval or lunch or during a free period. Parents are encouraged to visit the Careers Room and to attend liaison visits, but are asked to please make an appointment first by phoning 765 6039 Extn 716.

Parents are also reminded that all visitors to school must sign in at the front office before entering any area of the school.

SCHOOL VISITS

These liaison visits are specifically for Yr 12 & 13 students, although Yr 11 students are invited to attend from time to time. Students wishing to attend liaison visits or Open Days MUST sign up on the Careers noticeboard in T Block before the event. Sign up lists are posted approx 2 weeks prior to the event.

Parents and caregivers are most welcome to attend any of these informative sessions – (check with the school on venue when signing in.)

OPEN DAYS COMING UP

PLEASE REMEMBER TO SIGN UP IN THE CAREERS ROOM PRIOR TO ANY OPEN DAY. There is a cost to students to cover travel to Open Days.

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON
MASSEY WELLINGTON Both have Open Days on Friday, 27 August and Mrs Milner will be travelling down with interested Yr 12 & Yr 13 students. Check www.vuw.ac.nz, www.massey.ac.nz, for further details.

AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY – Saturday 28th August from 9am to 3pm.

INTRODUCTORY VISITS

All universities, some Private Providers & the Armed Forces visit the school each year to provide "Introductory Talks" - these generally cover key information about courses at the University/Polytech/etc , entrance issues, accommodation options and general advice for intending students. It is important that you attend these sessions so that you have a clear idea of what is on offer from each provider.

COURSE PLANNING VISITS

• VICTORIA UNIVERSITY
• UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY
• OTAGO UNIVERSITY
• MASSEY UNIVERSITY

STAR COURSES

PRACTICAL 1ST AID - Full day - Fri, 19 Mar OR Fri, 06 Aug. Certificate required for Teaching & Nursing.

DEFENSIVE DRIVING -

• 1st Course - 3.45pm - 5.45pm on Tues/Wed 02 Mar, 04 Mar, 09 Mar &11 Mar.
• 2nd Course - 3.45pm - 5.45pm on Mon/Wed 16 Aug, 18 Aug, 23 Aug & 25 Aug.

YOU MUST ATTEND ALL 4 SESSIONS TO PASS & HAVE HELD YOUR RESTRICTED FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS.

TARANAKI CAREERS EXPO

Liaison staff from almost every university and polytechnic in the country will at the careers expo in the TSB Stadium in New Plymouth during August. This is a great opportunity for parents to investigate tertiary study options together with their student/s. Information on trades and apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeship courses, as well as careers within the Army, Navy or Airforce will also be available.

IMPORTANT DATES

Closing dates for courses of study.

TEACHERS COLLEGE - Please see Mrs Milner if you are applying for a placement in a teaching programme at any university. Teaching is not "open entry" and you must apply for selection into your choice of programme whether it be Early Childhood, Primary or Secondary. The ECE & Primary application process involves work experience in a school, reporting on your observations, getting one reference from school and two from elsewhere, getting passport photos organised and actually putting your application together - all of which takes time - so don't leave it till the last minute, this is your future!

PRE-SELECTION FORMS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE WEB - IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT YOU GET YOUR APPLICATION IN EARLY

NURSING & MUSIC - are other programmes that require pre-selection.

ART & DESIGN PROGRAMMES @ MASSEY - require a portfolio of work to be submitted by mid October. The College is interested in your ability to develop ideas as well as completed work - Portfolios should consist of good quality photographs, digital images or colour copies.

DESIGN @ VICTORIA UNI - No portfolio is required.

MUSIC @ OTAGO - Auditions close 01 September.

PHYS-ED @ OTAGO - 01 October.

ALL OTHER 1ST YEAR PROGRAMMES @ OTAGO - 01 December.

MASSEY - Open entry - January 2011.

WAIKATO - Open entry - December 2010.

HALLS OF RESIDENCE APPLICATIONS

Please note that all students intending to study at a University or Polytechnic next year must apply for their accommodation BEFORE they apply for a course of study for next year.

Applications for accommodation for first year students at all universities close on 1st October 2010. STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO APPLY ON-LINE. Check out the university websites for the application process. Students are requested to have a "Common Confidential Report" compiled by Stratford High School as part of this process. Please download this form from the university website when applying for accommodation, fill in and sign the first page, and give to Mrs Milner for completion. This report is posted separate to your own application and is "confidential" to the school and the university. It requires input from every teacher each student has, so we ask that students see Mrs Milner as early as possible to avoid any problems! The cut-off date for Confidential Reports to be with Mrs Milner is WED, 15 SEPTEMBER, but please endeavour to do it well before this date.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Keep a check, later on in the year, on scholarships as they come to hand in the "Scholarships 2011" box in the Careers Room. Entry Level/First Year Scholarship and Awards booklets for the following universities will also be available at a later date.

• The University of Auckland
• Victoria University of Wellington
• Massey University
• Otago University
• Canterbury University
• Lincoln University

• www.taranakicareers.co.nz - scholarship section
• www.careers.govt.nz - funding section
• www.takoa.co.nz/
• www.maorieducation.org.nz and the websites of the university or polytech you will be attending next year for 1st year undergraduate and entrance scholarships.
• Massey University
• Victoria University of Wellington
• Canterbury University
• Lincoln University
• Otago University
• Waikato University
• University of Auckland

Please DO NOT take the scholarship booklets out of the Careers Room - Mrs Milner will photocopy anything you wish to apply for.

USEFUL WEBSITE

This site has careers information and guidance at your fingertips! It is NZ's most comprehensive source of online info and is available free for anyone with access to the internet. Use this website to explore career and training options, to learn about industries and jobs, and labour market trends. Use the on-line tools to match subjects and skills to jobs! Use CV4ME to create your own CV! This is an amazing resource for students and parents alike.

SEEK THE PATH THAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU!

Students should be choosing subjects according to what they like and what they’re good at. Some subjects may have direct career links, especially those such as woodwork, engineering, technical training and art.
English, Mathematics and Science to the Year 11 level provide the foundation of numeracy and communication skills. Students who do not study these subjects at this level restrict their occupational choices and job opportunities, especially in the scientific and technical fields. Students who cannot manage full Mathematics or English should study an alternative Maths or English programme.

Senior students not interested in the science-based or technical fields should choose subjects on ability and interest as well as English. The inclusion of Mathematics will increase occupational choice and opportunity.

SCIENCE
Students considering science-based or technical careers should include maths with stats and/or maths with calculus, chemistry, physics and/or biology and English. Biology is a popular subject, but IT IS NOT ENOUGH BY ITSELF for most science careers. Students should take several separate sciences, which includes chemistry (as it underpins the biological sciences), with either physics or biology.

COMMERCE
For students with an interest or ability in calculating and computing there are a range of subjects like maths with stats and/or maths with calculus, accounting, and economics.

SOCIAL SCIENCES
Students with an understanding or working with people may consider subjects like English, Maori, a foreign language, history or art history, geography, economics and maths with stats.

ARTISTIC/CREATIVE
Those wanting to use their creative talents may consider English, history, geography, economics, music, art history, practical art, graphics, design, photography, or workshop technology.

PRACTICAL
Those with practical interests and skills may consider taking subjects such as home economics, clothing and textiles, workshop technology, agriculture or horticulture.

MATHEMATICS
Students wishing to pursue careers in scientific and technical occupations should study maths to at least Yr 12 level but preferably Yr 13 level. Maths at this level is important for careers where the link may not be obvious, such as psychology, physical education and physiotherapy.

ENGINEERING
Entry to Engineering differs slightly between Canterbury and Auckland, but students should look at reaching a minimum of 14 credits at level 3 in each of maths with calculus, physics and chemistry.

With the first half of the year almost complete, I thought it might be a good time to share the most common issues that students have had difficulty with in previous years regarding subject selection for subsequent years and also with University Entrance criteria. A copy of “Best Preparation for University 2007” from the University of Canterbury website is included and is a general guideline for useful subjects while at school. If your student is unclear about their future they could make a booking at the Careers Office to use the CareerQuest Guidance Tool which generates career ideas matched to student interests, skills and study interests.

UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE
To gain entry to a New Zealand university, students will need to have a minimum of 42 credits at Level 3 on the National Qualifications Framework. This requirement is often misunderstood as being 42 credits from anywhere at Level 3, where it is in fact 14 Level 3 credits in one approved subject, plus 14 Level 3 credits in another approved subject, plus 14 credits in any other two approved subjects or any two NQF domains. Students need to think in terms of ‘14+14+14’, not ‘42’. Also, some university courses have a higher entry standard than this.

In addition to this students need a minimum of 14 credits at Level 1 or higher in Mathematics and a minimum of 8 credits at Level 2 or higher in English or Te Reo to show that they have reading, writing and numeracy skills.

Here is a little exercise – “Who will be going to university – Tom or Susie?” Tom has gained NCEA L2 but Susie was 10 credits short.

Tom has gained NCEA L3 but does not meet the entry criteria for university. Susie will be going, and even though she has fewer credits than Tom, she has now gained NCEA L2 and has ‘14+14+14’ L3 credits.

I strongly urge students to consider doing at least 3 approved subjects at NCEA Level 3 to increase the likelihood of getting 14 credits in each of 2 approved subjects. Universities have no discretion whatsoever over the entrance standard, so students missing UE by even 1 credit unfortunately will not gain entry.

A large number of students and parents still seem to believe that the achievement of the NCEA Level 3 is sufficient for University Entrance. This is not the case. As students progress through school, they should check that they are on track to gain their entrance qualification. They should aim to achieve well above the minimum standard. Doing well at school will help to ensure their success at university level study. Gaining university entrance alone does not ensure university success.

Level 3 subjects offered at Stratford High School from the Approved Subject List include – Accounting, Agriculture & Horticulture, Art (Design, Painting, Photography), Biology, Chemistry, Computing, Drama, Economics, English, French, Geography, Graphics, History, Maths with Calculus, Maths with Statistics and Modelling, Media Studies, Physical Education, Physics, Te Reo and Technology.

USEFUL WEBSITES FOR CAREERS
www.kiwicareers.govt.nz - Career advice, Courses and Training, the Labour Market, Scholarship, Jobs and subject guidance at your fingertips.
www.careers.govt.nz - National career information, advice and planning services.
www.taranakicareers.co.nz - Regional careers and scholarship information.
www.studylink.govt.nz - Student Allowance, Student Loan information.
www.modern-apprenticeships.govt.nz - Apprenticeship information
www.careerjet.co.nz - Careerjet gives the job seeker access to a massive selection jobs that are compiled from various internet sources.

.YEAR 13 STUDENTS going to university next year need to be aware of application dates and closing dates for courses. These can be found on university websites, from the Careers Office, or in university newsletters which are in a folder in the Yr 13 lounge. Accommodation booklets will be available soon and applications for Halls of Residence at any university close on 01 October. Applications are a lengthy process for students and for the careers and teaching staff, so this means that students need to attend to this as early as possible.

A large number of institutions make themselves available to the students at our school.
Several are listed below:

Auckland University of Technology (AUT)
Career Services
Massey University - Palmerston North
NZ Army
NZ Navy
Otago University (Open Day Information)
Pacific International Hotel Management School (PIHMS)
Practical Education Institute (PEI)
Southern Institute of Technology
StudyLink
Victoria University - Wellington
Waikato University - Hamilton
Western Institute of Technology Taranaki (WITT) - New Plymouth
Taratahi Farm Taster Courses April 22nd and October 5th

Open days and other opportunities for visiting the universities of New Zealand have finished for the year. Students intending to attend university should have completed their accommodation applications and these should be returned to Mrs Milner in the Careers Office by the 1st September each year.

MASSEY UNIVERSITY:
 Check out their website – www.massey.ac.nz

VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON (VUW):
Check out their website www.vuw.ac.nz

These visits from the liaison officers from the various universities are to inform students about how life works at the university. This information will cover acadmeic as well as social, sporting and cultural acitivites. It is a good idea for students who think they might attend a tertiary institution to attend a liaison visit.

Please sign up for anything you are interested in on the Careers Notice Board outside the Careers office. Most liasion visits have been completed but always check the notice board for other visits by useful contacts eg: StudyLink

StudyLink is the place where students can find out about student loans and allowances and how to use it. Students who are over the age of 18 are eligible for funding. Mrs Milner usually arranges a visit by StudyLink staff to assist students who will be attending teritary education next year.