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Careers & Transition

Te Whare Rapuara

Our Vision
Tō mātou tirohanga

The Careers and Transition Department provides students with careers and course advice services and access to facilities and resources to maximise their career decisions and further study options. The overall focus of career education at Wellington Girls’ College is to assist all students to make informed decisions about their future education, training and work pathways, within and outside college.

The Careers and Transition whare is easily accessed in T20.

Our Team
Tō mātou kapa

Kaye Johnson

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Tertiary Liaison, Course Advice, Subject Choices, Careers Advice, Hall of Residence Applications, Scholarship Assistance, Studylink Information

kaye.johnson@wgc.school.nz


Wendy Caseley

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STAR Co-ordinator, Gateway Co-ordinator, Course Advice, Subject Choices, Careers Advice, Job Vacancies, Job Application Assistance

wendy.caseley@wgc.school.nz


Rebecca McGuinness

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Gateway Teacher, Course Advice, Subject Choices, Careers Advice, Gap Year & Student Exchange, Spirit of NZ Co-ordinator, Trades Academy Assistance

rebecca.mcguinness@wgc.school.nz


Megan Keenan

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Course Advice, Subject Choices, STEM Opportunities, Careers Advice & Overseas Universities

megan.keenan@wgc.school.nz


Siti Sulaiman
Scholarship References, Tertiary Application References


siti.sulaiman@wgc.school.nz


Janet McCallister
Common Confidential References for Halls of Residence, Testimonials

janet.mccallister@wgc.school.nz

Tertiary Information
Ngā pārongo mō te whare wānanga

Click HERE to view documents covering university application dates, degree requirements etc

THE ACADEMIC STAIRCASE

Certificates:
Certificates are the first stage in academic study and are offered at some Universities and Poytechnics as well as many private providers. Certificates are usually one year long and typically can be entered with level 1 literacy and numeracy or for some courses completion of Yr 12 is required. Certificates can also be used to staircase into some Diploma programmes or Bachelor degrees providing you pass with excellent results.

Diplomas:
Diplomas are between one and two years long and can provide students with a qualification or they can be used to staircase into Bachelor degrees. Diplomas usually require a minimum of 48 level 2 credits with literacy and numeracy.

Bachelor Degree – Undergraduate:
Bachelors can range from 3 to 5 years plus. Entry to Bachelor degrees is University Entrance but many institutes have higher entry and subject specifications. See UE power point and tertiary websites for details.

Postgraduate Diplomas:
This requires a previous degree majoring in a subject or a related area of study that the postgraduate diploma is in. Some are highly specialized professional qualifications eg the postgraduate diploma in clinical psychology. Some postgraduate diplomas form the first year of a masters degree.

Graduate Diplomas:
Most graduate diplomas can be taken by students with an undergraduate degree major in an unrelated area. They provide an opportunity to change subject areas within your first degree area or in a completely different area. Graduate diplomas can be taken as a way of meeting the prerequisites for further study in a new area, or as a way of completing a “mini-degree” in a different area, enhancing your employment prospects. Some graduate diplomas, eg, the graduate diploma in journalism or social work are professional qualifications which prepare you in a specific field.

Honours Degree:
Postgraduate honours degrees entail one year of full time coursework after completing an undergraduate degree. Most honours programmes comprise a selection from 400 level courses in one subject, though most programmes give you the option of including 1 – 2 courses from another subject.
Usually students study an honours degree in the same subject they majored in for their undergraduate degree. You usually need good 300 level grades to be eligible, but prerequisites can vary between subjects.

Masters Degree:
A masters degree comprises a minimum of one or two years study and can involve either coursework or research or a combination of both. Your research is presented in the form of a thesis, dissertation or a research project. Part time study may be possible but is not automatic. Masters degrees can be awarded with either honours or distinction. Students who are making good progress can apply to transfer to a doctorate.

Doctorate:
A doctorate involves extensive, sustained and original research and study in a subject of your choice, with the results being presented in a thesis.
Your work will contribute to intellectual knowledge in your field. It is normally the highest academic qualification available and is a mark of intellectual ability, self discipline and commitment. A doctorate prepares you for an academic career in your chosen subject.
Candidates must have at least a masters or honours degree with first or second class honours or have been admitted to the university equivalent status. The minimum period of full time enrolment is two years and the maximum is normally four years.

Thinking about university? – Check out this guide for New Zealand students, parents and whānau

Click on the University logos for more information

Click on the Polytechnic logos for more information

NCEA study resources, advice & inspiration
Compare every course and scholarship in New Zealand.
Study Spy - Find your perfect course
Money Hub - Alternative Study Options 2021
Victoria Uni - How our degrees work
Must-Know Tips for Studying Biomed and Health Science
What Employers Want - Know Where Your Qualification Fits on the NZ Qualification Framework
Resources for NCEA Students in 2023-24

There are many Private Training Establishments in Wellington and throughout New Zealand. See Careers for advice and information.

Understanding the differences between uni and school
Halls application process & tips for students
Australian Universities Admissions Centre
UK Tertiary Study
Study In The USA
Top 100 USA Universities
Careers & Job Seeking Assistance
Ngā momo mahi me te āwhina ki te rapu mahi

Careers – How Can I Help Myself?
There are a number of places where you can get information about Careers.
Number one is always checking out ideas with a Careers Adviser.
You can also look for information yourself.

Making the right decisions about jobs, training and careers can be difficult. Career Services can help you and your family make sense of the huge amount of information available to you. Career Services is the government agency that provides free and independent information and advice about jobs, courses, training and careers. The Career Services website has information on over 5000 study and training options, with information on funding and scholarships. There are 670 job profiles, interviews with people doing the job, salary ranges, skills and qualifications needed and workplace demand.

Careers Services
School Leavers' Toolkit
Practical tips to help you discover where to next after school
CV & Cover Letter Templates
Getting Ready For An Interview
Job Vacancy & Recruitment Sites
Student CV Templates
Cover Letters for Student Jobs
Common Interview Questions
Student Job Search
Find jobs and job vacancies from all career sites in NZ
NZ Salary Guide
SEEK is New Zealand's number one employment marketplace
Trade Me Jobs is one of the biggest job portals in NZ
Find a part-time student job in your area
Infrastructure Jobs
Scholarships & Grants
Ngā Karahipi me ngā Karāti

Are you looking for a scholarship or grant? Check out the links below:

StudySpy Scholarships
Te Pokai Tara - Universities New Zealand Scholarships
MoneyHub - Want free money to study?
Careers.govt.nz Scholarship Info
Schol tips for students
Auckland University
AUT
Lincoln University
Massey University
University of Otago
University of Canterbury
Waikato University
Victoria University
Weltec
PACIFICA Secondary School Grants
Scholarships for Māori Learners
Scholarships for Pacific learners
Kia Ora Hauora Scholarships
Māori Education Trust
Scholarships Aotearoa
Teach NZ
First Foundation
Practical information about education for parents and carers
Supporting Pasifika young people, families and communities to unleash their full potential.
The purpose of the scholarship programme is to achieve greater participation by Māori in the health and disability workforce and to help ensure the delivery of quality health services for Māori.
The Hauora Māori Training Fund
The Whakapiki Ake Project engages with rangatahi Māori enrolled in secondary schools to promote health as a career.
Learn about the Ngarimu VC and 28th (Māori) Battalion Memorial Scholarships
Sport NZ Funding
Scholarships to Study Abroad
National Collegiate Athletic Association
Six Star Hospitality
Studylink & Money Matters
Hoto Akoranga


Student Loan:
The Student Loan is there to help with study costs. You may get a loan to help with your compulsory fees, course-related and living costs. You do have to pay this back.

Student Allowance:
This is a weekly payment for full-time students to help with day-to-day living expenses. There are certain criteria you have to meet to qualify, but you won’t have to pay it back.

Moneyhub Student Loan Information
Studylink Information
Fees Free Information
Everything you need to know about student loans, student allowances, StudyLink and repayments
Money in a Nutshell
Money Matters & Budgeting Advice
Exclusive tips to help your money go further
STAR - Free & Partially Funded Courses
Whetū nga akoranga kore utu me te pūtea āwhina

STAR money is available for senior students to have learning experiences outside of school with tertiary providers such as WelTec and Whitireia and private training organisations such as NZ School of Tourism, The Learning Place, YOOBEE, Elite School of Beauty, NZ Institute of Sport etc.

It is intended that students use these experiences to explore options for their futures, to motivate themselves for successful completion of NCEA qualifications and to develop independence and confidence in undertaking new experiences as well as learning skills they may not otherwise have opportunities to learn.

STAR funding is also used to help subsidise a variety of courses such as First Aid and Barista that are very popular. Unfortunately the fund cannot fully cover the cost so a partial subsidy is applied for students wishing to do these courses.

STAR money is also available to extend our gifted and talented students with such opportunities as sitting university papers in a specific subject.

To find out about current STAR opportunities check our calendar and/or the current notices or come to see Ms Caseley, the STAR Coordinator, in the Careers and Transition Whare, which is in T20.

Gateway
Kūaha

Gateway is a fantastic way to blend conventional school study with workplace learning and experience. It is a programme for career exploration that gives students the opportunity to gain experience and credibility that can be used when applying for tertiary education and employment.

Students will:

  • Learn practical industry skills and gain industry knowledge
  • Gain credits that contribute to NCEA
  • Have industry Unit Standards added to their record of learning where applicable
  • Gain Unit Standards that can go towards a range of national qualifications
  • Learn about a range of jobs available
  • Develop first hand knowledge of what it is really like to work in an industry
  • Become confident about entering the workforce through better knowledge of the requirements and expectations of workplaces
  • Be able to make a more informed choice about tertiary study
  • Work in the FlowerPot Pop Up Shop
  • Volunteer

Internal and External Gateway – What is the difference?

There are different ways a student can participate in the Gateway Programme. The scheme at WGC is

designed to be flexible and to meet the needs of the student, school and employer as much as possible.

Pathway 1: Gateway Programme as a core subject – Internal Gateway

Students spend 1 day each week in a workplace/industry of their choice for approximately 8 hours/week for up to 10 weeks. A student’s timetable will dictate which day is most suitable as their workday. A student may ‘work’ outside of school hours if that is more suitable.

  • Students choose Gateway as a core subject
  • Submit an application to be on the Gateway programme
  • Have parental support or approval to be on this programme
  • All students complete Core Industry Unit Standards in their Gateway class to achieve a minimum 20 credits (does not include Flowerpot standards)
  • All credits achieved counts towards NCEA
  • All Y12 students must participate in The Flowerpot Pop Up Shop (They will gain 16 credits level 2 credits )
  • Selected students may need to complete a Health and Safety course as part of their placement (worth 8 credits at level 3)

Pathway 2: Gateway Programme – NOT as a subject – External Gateway

Students work outside school hours either after school and/or during holiday periods. This would suit students who cannot or do not want to be out of school but want an insight into a specific career/industry area.

  • See Ms Caseley to discuss suitability to be accepted on the External Gateway programme
  • Submit an application to be on the Gateway programme
  • Have parental support or approval to be on this programme
  • Students complete Gateway Industry Unit Standards during study or own time aiming to achieve 20 credits
  • Students meet with Ms Caseley regularly during their study time or lunchtime
  • All credit achievement counts towards NCEA
  • Students may have to complete a Health and Safety course (worth 8 credits at Level 3)

How to apply

  • Contact Careers Department for further information
  • Fill out an application form
Flowerpot
Poti putiputi

The Flower Pot

The creation of a pop-up shop, The Flower Pot was borne of the idea to provide as part of the Gateway programme, opportunities and real life experiences for students beyond what ‘the classroom’ or the Gateway placement could provide.

It will be hands-on learning with a high degree of responsibility and accountability but within a well-supported and managed framework. Students will gain valuable transferable skills and experience that will assist them in whatever career path they pursue.

How does it work?
There are different ways a student can participate in the FlowerPot External Gateway Programme. The scheme at WGC is designed to be flexible and to meet the needs of the student and the school as much as possible.

The FlowerPot External Gateway programme :

  • Students identify an area they wish to specialize in or choose to be a FlowerPot assistant
  • Students are assigned tasks and responsibilities after discussing their interests with us
  • Students meet with Ms Caseley regularly at least one period each week during their study or during morning tea / lunchtime
  • FlowerPot is specifically run for Mothers Day
  • All credit achievement counts towards NCEA (National Certificate of Educational Achievement)
  • Students will receive written reference at the end of their rotation
  • Open to Y11 – Y13 students

Skills gained by Gateway Students by being actively involved in the FlowerPot Pop Up Shop.

  • Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Problem resolution
  • Planning & goal setting
  • Time management
  • Ability to meet deadlines
  • Sales, marketing and promotion
  • Resolving disputes
  • Meeting management
  • Brainstorming
  • Responsibility
  • Public Speaking
  • Making connections
  • Networking / Social Networking
  • Pricing and finance
  • Budgeting skills
  • Cash handling
  • Simple and efficient record keeping
  • Administration and using office equipment
  • Using IT effectively
  • Personal Productivity
  • Imagination –Inventiveness
  • Prepare an array of floral products
  • Condition and trim the flowers and foliage for keeping them fresh
  • Package and display giftware
  • Purchase stock
  • Stock control and inventory
  • Product and shop display
Gap Year
Tau āputa

A gap year is simply a year, or even less, taken out from formal education.

This year may occur during the transition from secondary school to tertiary education, or even after completing all formal education but before entering the workforce. Regardless of when it occurs, there are many options for gap years that include travel, work or volunteering.

For an excellent overview of taking a gap year, what type of things you can do, including advantages and disadvantages of taking time away from study visit https://www.careermatters.co.nz/post/2018/07/24/should-i-take-gap-year-after-high-school

There are several organisations that can assist with overseas placements. Some of these are:

Au Pair New Zealand
BUNAC - Work and Travel Abroad
Camp America
Camp Counselors USA
JENZ - You Shaped Travel
Letz Live - Gap Year
Projects Abroad
Volunteer Service Abroad
Student Exchange AU/NZ
Kaupapa whakawhiti tauira

There is a variety of organisations that provide student exchanges to a multitude of destinations world wide. These are generally for a full year or a semester with varying departure dates. This is a brilliant opportunity to learn a new culture and perhaps a new language.

Student Exchange AU/NZ
Your Education High School Exchanges
AFS Intercultural Programs
STS High School Exchanges
Rotary Youth Exchange
Whānau as Career Educators
Whānau hei kaiako mahi

Parents and whānau are often the first and preferred choice for information, advice and guidance for young people when making career decisions. Parents and whānau ,working alongside school Career Advisors, have a positive impact on student learning and transition outcomes.

Often parents and whanau hear the word ‘career’ and think back to when they were younger it was the norm to choose a career path for life. Those days are gone.

Many parents and whānau report they feel overwhelmed about how to help their teenager in making informed career decisions. They often believe they might give them incorrect advice, resulting in the teenager making the wrong decision. In today’s fast changing world there is no such thing as a wrong choice because a career decision is not a single event. Career paths are no longer linear with a fixed destination, rather career paths are now a journey, with multiple roads and numerous destinations, guided by available support, and ever-growing opportunities. There will be bumps in the road along the way however, the key is to support your teen in overcoming these bumps. We have a forgiving education system that enables students to recover from false starts so be sure that teens understand the power of resilience and the ability to bounce back is a skill that will serve them well in the 21st century working world.

  1. Notice and name your Child’s Skills
    Is your teenager really good with people? Mention that they have strong social skills. People skills and interpersonal skills are something that employers are constantly crying out for. Are they avid readers? Mention how people who read a lot have strong critical thinking skills. Try and get in the habit of noticing and naming what they have natural skills and abilities in. That is who they are and that is what they need to know about themselves. “The new question is not what do you want to be but rather how do you want to be? (Savicks, 2019)
  2. Grow your own Network of Contacts
    Grow your own network of contacts and then introduce your teens to interesting people. This will be useful both now as they are deciding what to do after secondary school and later as they are looking for work in their chosen field.
  3. Listen Quietly
    Listen quietly, patiently and uncritically. Just listen and restrain yourself from offering opinions/advice/solutions. As you listen, encourage them to tell you: What do they think are their strengths? What things do they find challenging? Who would they most like to be like?
  4. Find Neutral Sources of Information
    The ability to find and locate information is another important career development skill. Remember that you as a parent/caregiver are not neutral. If they want to pursue a career that you suspect will be low paid or if you think their chances of finding work in that field will be difficult, instead of telling them they are wrong show them neutral sources of information on income levels and labour market statistics. Three websites with great labour market information relevant to New Zealand are:https://www.careers.govt.nz/jobs-database/
  5. Be open to all Possible Opportunities’
    If you keep an open mind to what’s possible, they will begin to believe in different possibilities for their future. Remember your children are not static and they may have many careers throughout their working life
  6. Critically Examine your Definition of Success
    Research shows that once you can provide financially for yourself and your family, additional salary and benefits don’t reliably contribute to worker satisfaction. Much more important are things like whether a job allows you to be in control of your own time, whether you work alongside others whom you respect and whether you feel your job is meaningful.
  7. Encourage Curiosity
    Encourage them to talk to people, to try out new things. Lead by example. Encourage them to do some voluntary work – there is a great website called:  https://www.volunteeringnz.org.nz/want-to-volunteer/
    This lists both long and short term volunteering opportunities. Encourage them to get a part-time job. Working part-time will grow their employability and working in customer service will show potential employers that they have work-ready skills that employers value.
  8. Take Action
    Action is the antidote to not knowing what to do with your life. Very few people have this searing moment of clarity where they just instantly know what they are supposed to do with their lives; instead people discover what they like and what they are interested in but trying a lot of different things (Symington, 2014). So keep encouraging the young people to try new things.
  9. Value Emotional Intelligence
    Remember that you cannot choose well if you only base your decisions on rational thought. Like it or not, we are emotional. Human beings invariably include emotions in their decision making processes. By all means, get the facts, know the numbers, know the labour market, know the salary expectations, but don’t discount how you feel about it.
  10. Embrace Uncertainty
    As a society, we seem to be nervous about uncertainty. A lot of us like to know what the plan is, and like to feel secure that we know what’s coming our way, and that is not always helpful when it comes to career development. A really important career skill is to learn about how to capitalise on chance events and how to realise that the chance of something good happening is just as likely, if not more likely, than something not so good. Have conversations with your teenagers about things in your life that were lucky, things in your life that seemed to be chance events that led you to a great opportunity, times in your life when you were presented with an unexpected opportunity and ran with it – help them see that all plans need to be flexible. An inflexible plan can easily lead to disappointment whereas a flexible plan leaves room for unexpected positives.(Lila Pulsford, 2019)

Tips for Parents:

Model what you know and want. Your teen is watching and listening. Take the time to connect, put your phone away, and make sure the time you have with your teen is uninterrupted. Ask for your teen’s input, what help do they want from you, when would be a good time to talk? Ask for feedback, if you give them some information or advice, ask if that is helpful and of benefit to them?

Connect with the school. This includes classroom teachers, their Dean the Career Advisors and Wānanga teachers. Show your teen that you support their goals and understand what they need to do academically to achieve these.

Be informed. Take some time to become familiar with the website, careers calendar and the career management programme WGC is using. Organise visits to training providers, open days and information evenings.