Future Pathways/Careers

Deciding which pathway to take is a personal journey. Some people know exactly where they want to head and others don’t have a clue! Through understanding ourselves, what we like, what we are interested in, what we are good at, and what we know, we can start to navigate that journey. Research and informed knowledge are the keys to having a good understanding of options that are available.

You will find lots of resources and information including how to make a CV, interview techniques, scholarship applications and job searching on the schools’ Careers Website.

The Careers team are here to help you navigate that journey through a number of ways:

CAREER ADVICE: Learners may have a clear idea of their pathway and want to talk this through or have no idea at all and feel quite stuck.  The Careers team is here to offer one to one advice to help with a range of areas such as subject selection, exploring pathway ideas as well more specific support like university entry requirements, interview techniques and CV checking. It can be a drop in at lunchtime for a quick question or piece of information through to a full careers interview to explore lots of ideas and possible pathways. To book an appointment just email the team: [email protected]

GATEWAY: The Gateway programme is designed to strengthen the pathway for senior students to progress from school to the workplace or tertiary study. It provides students with structured workplace learning, across a range of industries and businesses, while they continue to study at school.  Students are given the opportunity to test-drive their career choices, while gaining real and valuable experience. Gateway gives the students confidence to make a smooth transition from school to work or further study. The Gateway programme requires that students complete an average of 20 industry based Unit standard credits.

STAR: Short courses which align with a student’s career interests are offered. Short courses can help to build a student’s portfolio of skills, and add to their Curriculum Vitae. Many of these courses have opportunities for students to gain NCEA credits.    

WORK EXPERIENCE: Work experience during high school offers students a chance to explore their interests, develop crucial skills, build professional connections, and gain valuable insights into the world of work. It sets a solid foundation for their future academic and professional endeavors, preparing them for success in the competitive job market.

CAREER EVENTS: We hold a number of events throughout the year to help expose students to employers, training and education providers, industries and support services.  These include our Vocational Career Expo, guest speakers in the classroom, University presentations, visits to businesses and many many more.

USEFUL WEBSITES:

• careers.govt.nz (broad range of Careers information)

• nzqa.govt.nz/ncea (NCEA information)

• youthguarantee.net.nz/start-your-journey (fees free information)

• moneyhub.co.nz/scholarships-nz.html (university scholarship information)

• school-leavers-toolkit.education.govt.nz (finding your way after leaving school)

THE CAREERS TEAM:

Jo Ager, Head of Careers: [email protected]	Rachel Best, Careers Advisor: [email protected]	Abbe Milne, Gateway Coordinator: [email protected]	Anna Logie, Careers Advisor (currently on Maternity Leave)
Jo has been with Rolleston College since 2020, previously working at Darfield High School and Ara Institute of Canterbury and as a Careers Advisor in the UK before that.  Working with young people to help discover their pathways has been a passion of Jo’s for many years and the highlights of her role are when learners find pathways they are excited by.	I joined the team at Rolleston College in 2023 after twelve years working in the Careers Department at Avonside Girls’ High School. I have a passion for working with students in the careers space, having spent most of my career tutoring, facilitating careers education and leading workplace learning experiences. I have completed a Career Development Diploma and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in psychology.	I joined Rolleston College in 2021 as part of the Admin and Careers Team.  I look after Gateway, STAR, Work experience and events.  I have spent 15 years working in Hotels after taking up an opportunity to move to Omarama, where I started in reception and progressed overtime and recently finished working as the Operations Manager for a Hotel in Auckland's Viaduct Harbour. I have been very lucky that this pathway took me to Omarama, Christchurch, Tekapo, Perth, Brisbane and finally Auckland. I am looking forward to working with our learners to help them on their career pathways.	I joined the team in 2022. Most recently I've worked in the tertiary space at Lincoln University, but am delighted to be back at school working with young people again. My focus will be working with junior learners helping them to formulate their initial ideas and provide guidance for future subject selection. I will also be spending time with dual enrolled learners at the senior level on each of their individualised programmes.