Heading into year 12 with a tough year ahead, Mount Clear College seniors Attanon Time Sangsamrit and Brody Armstrong are getting a leg-up on their futures.
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The teens will this week take part in Doxa’s University Pathways Program, a three-day camp that is part of a multi-year program offering students first-hand experience of university life and a taste of the work world.
For Time it will be his third year involved in the program and the second for Brody.
“We visit universities around Melbourne, chat with people and university students, do social networking, meet employers from different corporations and do programs like creating a personal brand, how to interview for work and working on our resumes,” Time said.
Time, who hopes to get a high enough ATAR to study astrophysics at Monash University, said advice around goal-setting was particularly helpful.
“You get to reflect on your goals, what you want to achieve, how you go about achieving them, and each year they check up if you’re still going on the path you chose or whether you’ve changed.”
Brody, who has dreamt of becoming a chef since he was in kindergarten, aspires to study at the renowned William Angliss Institute. He joined the program after Time recommended it.
“I enjoy networking with people that you don’t know, sitting down and talking to them, and I also enjoy the fun activities we do. It’s giving me a good grounding to know how to go in to the workforce.”
The Doxa University Pathways Program will run two camps this week, each with about 30 participants. Since its inception in 2015, more than 800 young people have taken part in the program.
Students will develop their personal, professional and employment skills while visiting universities and corporate workplaces across Melbourne including BT and ACU University. They will also meet professionals from the not-for-profit sector in round robin session.
“At Doxa, we offer support for young people from challenging life circumstances and give them opportunities they may not otherwise have access to. Our University Pathways Program gives students a chance to meet professionals, explore career options and build employability skills,” said Doxa chief executive Steve Clifford.
“We offer invaluable networking opportunities, and develop students’ enterprise, employment and personal skills that will help them succeed in university and in the workplace.”
