SCHOOL-BASED traineeships are helping senior students at Brisbane Catholic schools to get a head start on their dream careers while studying for their Queensland Certificate of Education.
St Francis College, Crestmead Year 11 students Rory Jones and Shairon Eremugo have forged a roadmap to fast track their careers in nursing by balancing their QCE senior studies with a Vocational Education and Training course towards a Certificate III in Health Services Assistance alongside a paid school-based traineeship through OSMAC Apprenticeships.
“It’s challenging and I’m really enjoying it,” Ms Jones said.
She is one of only eight trainees to be awarded a paid school-based Assistant in Nursing (AIN) Traineeship in aged care. The traineeship includes a one-day-a-week work placement at an aged care facility.
“It’s given me an idea of what working in aged care will be like,” Ms Jones said.
“Now I am really interested in pursuing work in this area which really surprised me as I was initially interested in working in midwifery.”
Similarly, Ms Eremugo, who secured a paid AIN traineeship with Metro South Health at Logan Hospital, has found a path more appealing and accessible to her to forge a career as a registered nurse.
“I get to work in the rehabilitation ward, learn from a registered nurse and care for real patients,” she said.
“I assist patients with dressing and personal hygiene, feeding, recording fluid and meal intakes, with mobility and how to safely use hoists.”
The chance to experience what it was like to work in a hospital, as well as being inspired by watching numerous medical documentaries and admiring the way that her parents and other family members work in social services caring for others, helped Ms Eremugo decide to pursue a career in nursing and accelerate her studies towards becoming a registered nurse
The annual school-based AIN traineeship program as part of the Metro South Health, Logan and Beaudesert Health Service, is one of the most coveted nursing traineeships of its kind in Queensland attracting over 100 applications each year.
Students from St Francis who choose to pursue a health qualification can begin their skills training within the school’s health training facility, known as the Health Hub, before they apply for traineeships.
The range of VET courses offered at St Francis College, which includes health, hospitality, kitchen operations and community services, are very popular with 80 per cent of senior students completing studies towards at least one qualification.
All BCE colleges have provisions for students to explore a wide range of VET pathways.
BCE’s Education Officer for VET and Vocational Learning, Dr Therese Nolan, said that courses of study that include VET subjects are equal in every way to other learning pathways.
“BCE is committed to ensuring students transition successfully to adulthood,” Dr Nolan said.
“Vocational education training qualifications are highly sought after by employers during this national skills shortage and all our colleges are dedicated to supporting the individual pathways that students select.”
She said that vocational qualifications provide a great pathway into university, should that be a consideration down the track.
