Careers

The Careers Department team are:

Ms Lauren O’Reilly (HOD Careers, Careers Advisor)

Mrs Kylie Read (Gateway Coordinator)

Mrs Kerry Gilmour (Careers Administrator)

  

The Careers Centre is resourced with current material on the Universities, Polytechnics and Industry Training Organisations (ITOs).   Students are able to “drop in” to the Centre to have their questions answered or to make an appointment if they require a longer consultation. 

Information about career events such as University Liaison Presentations, University Information Evenings, Open Days, Holiday Short Courses and the annual Careers Expo are displayed on noticeboards throughout the school, in the Careers Office, and in classrooms.  Students and parents are notified of these events in the Daily Notices, the School Newsletters, Facebook (FDMC Careers) and via the parent portal on Kamar.​​​​​​​

 Useful website links

Gateway

A new gateway to careers for young people

FDMC is now funded by The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) to provide GATEWAY for our students.  Gateway delivers hands-on practical learning that leads to nationally recognised qualifications.  It opens a new pathway from school to the world of work.  Gateway helps students build skills for employment, working in real workplaces on real tasks.  It gives opportunities to try out potential careers and build links to Industry Training Organisations, modern apprenticeships and workplaces. Learning is assessed in the workplace, counting towards national qualifications relevant to their chosen trade / career. Gateway is designed to prepare students for a meaningful pathway to employment.


Benefit for Students:

- Apply skills and knowledge to the workplace

- Gain insights into working life

- Gain skills in specific industry areas

Trades Academy

Taranaki Trades Academy is a vocational qualification while still at school.  Students can remain engaged in education, be assisted in transition from a secondary to tertiary learning environment, and gain credits towards NCEA Level 2 and a tertiary qualification.

​​​​​​​Practical Hands-On Learning:

While at the Taranaki Trades Academy students learn in a practical and hands-on environment using industry standard equipment and technology relevant to their chosen career path.  They will also develop the foundation skills they need to progress on to further study opportunities or move directly into employment. Trades Academy is timetabled as a subject one period per day.

Benefits:

  • A head start on a Trades career while still at school and while achieving NCEA
  • Study at WITT / Taratahi one day per week (depending on programme)
  • More choices for students to include vocational pathways in their range of study options
  • ‘Work Ready’ young people

​​​​​​​Trades on Offer

Agriculture,  Animal Care,  Automotive,  Beauty & Makeup Artistry,  Build a Bach,  Business Innovation & Technology, Carpentry,  Cookery,  Creative Arts/Computer Technologies,  Electrical,  Engineering Level 2,  Engineering Level 3  Forestry,  Hairdressing,  Healthcare,  Mechanical Engineering,  Plumbing,  Policing,  Restaurant Service,  Salon Skills, Sport & Fitness,  Welding & Infrastructure​​​​​​​.

STAR

​​​​​​​STAR stands for Secondary Tertiary Alignment Resource

This course is a full year course that consists of individual programmes through distance learning that deliver Unit Standards towards NCEA and other National Certificates in the chosen industry.

STAR is timetabled as a subject one period per day.

Examples:

Agriculture,  Automotive,  Building,  Business,  Fitness, Recreation & Sport,  Health,  Horticulture,  Hospitality,  Tourism

STAR Unistart

Canterbury and Waikato University offer papers in a wide range of subjects – available to Year 13 students who achieved Level 2 with Merit or Excellence.  These can be cross-credited to other Universities.

STAR will also fund short taster-style classes that help students to explore career options and make informed decisions about their future schooling, work or study.  These will be advertised at school and will be available in Terms 2 - 4.​​​​​​​