St Augustine College students interested in a career in health will benefit from valuable insights and connections after a Health Gateway to Industry Schools partnership was signed this month with CheckUP Australia.
The program will allow the College to build important networks with health-related organisations within the community, as well as increase student knowledge and access to up-to-date industry resources to help prepare students for a future in the health sector.
As one of the first schools to join in Queensland, St Augustine College Principal Graham Meertens said, this is an exciting opportunity.
“Many of our current students are already taking up the offer of vocational education programs within the school, including a Certificate III in Fitness and Certificate III in Health Services Assistance,” Mr Meertens said.
“The partnership will allow us to work with industry to promote the many roles available within Queensland’s growing health sector and make connections with local health providers to open up work opportunities for our students.”
“Students completing a certificate currently benefit from work experience and excursions to tertiary health campuses, aged and disability care centres and gain practical knowledge in the areas of medicine, paramedicine, physical exercise and more,” he said.
“Being part of this program will mean we can provide our students with the opportunities to not only engage in real world experiences within the classroom but also increase their experiential learning opportunities with industry professionals and services providers.
“There will be the opportunity to form meaningful partnerships, for example, with students looking forward to working in our local hospitals – we will have better access to help them achieve these goals.”
The program will also pave the way for our teachers and Vocational Education Teachers (VET) to further their professional development, gain resources and support.
Health VET Teacher at St Augustine’s College Kylie Thomas said, “everyone can benefit from a connected industry – the students, staff, tertiary education, as well as the service providers and industry itself in terms of meeting the growing workforce demands.”
“For our students completing their two-year certificates, this is a program that will be a huge support both during and post-schooling,” Kylie said.
Unity College in Caloundra, Carmel College in Thornlands and Trinity College in Beenleigh are other BCE schools who have also recently joined the program.
In addition to CheckUP, the Health Gateway to Industry Schools project is in partnership with Queensland’s Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (DESBT).