Australia, the Lucky Country, is one of the international success stories of the past 50 years. With record low unemployment numbers, we are almost the victims of our own success.

Overseas skilled workers are lining up to enter Australia to fill the huge skills gap that our country is unable to fill. The Federal Government recently announced that they are planning on letting between 160 000 to 200 000 skilled workers migrate to Australia in the next year to fill this skills gap.

This is wonderful news for our students at Glasshouse Christian College as they are positioned in one of the highest growth areas in the country with many varied opportunities. If they can plan well, they will be able to tap into the boom that is in progress.

The Sunshine Coast is especially blessed with tremendous lifestyle opportunities, natural beauty, fertile soil, master-planned communities that are creating new jobs in industry, services and Information technology as well as thousands of jobs for tradespeople. We are also one of the very few places in the world where the International Submarine Internet Cable enters Australia in the new Mooroochydore CBD. This CBD project alone is projected to create 15 000 new jobs. The forward planning of the Sunshine Coast Council envisions that the Sunshine Coast will become Australia’s most sustainable region: Healthy. Smart and Creative. Our region is also projected to grow to a population of 580 000 by 2041.

With such amazing prospects, the question remains how our students can access the opportunities that are all around them.

Character

Being a person of good character is probably one of the most important aspects of being a good employer or employee. A person who can be trusted, who is dependable and has a strong work ethic with good relational skills and a strong sense of responsibility will quickly be offered more opportunities to excel and trusted to take on more tasks that will aid them on their career path. The GREAT values which we promote at GCC are designed to grow the values of Godliness, Respect, Excellence and Teachability which has created many opportunities for our students as they are preferred employees in many local businesses.

Innovation

Those employers and employees who are good at being flexible and finding creative solutions to problems are highly sought after. Learning the skills that encourage this kind of innovative thinking is not easy. In order to teach our students these skills, we have designed the DeLorean Project to walk students through the steps of taking an idea from concept to viable product through a process of self-reflection and problem-solving. A student at 15 or 16 years old cannot really see how these skills can benefit them but it has led to several of our students receiving awards and special recognition including the LED plates,  Loving Hope Bears, Go Tell Media and many others. Please encourage your child to apply these skills in their daily lives.

Pathways

Our Year 10 students will have completed their SET-Plan meetings with Mrs McKee to plan potential career pathways for themselves in order to start a conversation on which direction they may see their further education heading.

Traditional Pathways

The pathways of TAFE, Trade Schools, Apprenticeships, Traineeships and University are well-known pathways that are more familiar to the general population. Each of these pathways will require some form of further education in order to acquire the skills that are needed to work in the required field that the student may pursue. Having a look at the Government’s Labour Market Insights website may give you some idea of the future prospects of that career choice.

Entering the workforce is also a traditional choice that some students make after completing their schooling. This pathway creates a secure income with a regular routine. If that is what suits your child best, this may be their pathway. If you are concerned that your child may stagnate, you can encourage them to work out a pathway inside the business they are working for or to engage in some further education.

Non-traditional Pathways

Many young people dream of instant success through YouTube, Instagram, Crypto, Online Trading or E-sports. These careers are very desirable but require an incredible investment of time and resources to be able to be monetized effectively. Out of the billions of users internationally, only about 15 000 people worldwide have been able to attain wealth through being an influencer or selling merchandise via YouTube and Instagram. Only in very exceptional circumstances, with lots of luck and an incredibly great work ethic will this pathway be successful.

For the 2.5% of the population who are entrepreneurs and have the capacity to handle the hardships, risks and failures of running your own business, the rewards may be worth it. Many small businesses who survive do quite well and the rise of online buying and selling has created many new opportunities that have never been available to previous generations. If your child has these qualities, they can be nurtured in order to hone their entrepreneurial skills and knowledge for a greater chance of success.

As a College, we want to support every student to find a pathway that is right for them. This is incredibly challenging as young people do not always know themselves, what they really like and what they want out of life. This leaves parents and teachers at wit’s end at times. With patient support and guidance, each student can make a success if we instil the right values in them.

We love to hear stories of the success our alumni experience in the real world and we would appreciate it if you could share these stories with us so we can show our current students what is possible.

Bert Kasselman, Head of Senior School