Year 10s at a critical age for work and driving

Year 10s at a critical age for work and driving

Term 2 is very busy for Year 10 students with many activities jostling for time in amongst the usual Year 10 curriculum. The Explorus camp, Work Experience and Keys for Life program are all invaluable and important extensions of our pastoral care and education of students at this crucial age.

The main pastoral focus in Year 10 is the Keys for Life program. This is a driver education course aimed at immersing young people in a culture of respect, resilience and responsibility about safer road use. It develops the knowledge, skills and attitudes about responsible road user practices, licensing and safer vehicles, and highlights the importance of safer socializing and looking after passengers, peers and friends.

The program consists of several aspects: classroom learning during Pastoral Care Periods (PCP), a Keys for Life day, completion of a journal and finally sitting a Learner Theory Test. If all aspects of the course are fulfilled then students receive a certificate which fast tracks their path to getting a driving learner’s permit.

The Keys for Life day involved four one-hour presentations by the RAC covering the following topics:

  • Back seat driver
  • Drink, drugs and driving
  • Buying a car
  • My decisions, my destination

The students watched short videos and practical demonstrations, as well as engaging in a range of activities designed to help them to make informed decisions regarding various aspects of road use.

Our Year 10 Work Experience program placed 127 students actively in a workplace of their choice over four days. From various building trades and retail to a full range of medical professions including nursing, radiography and physiotherapy, students tried and tested a broad selection of career opportunities.

“It was excellent seeing so many of the students representing themselves and the College so positively,” said Careers Co-ordinator Mrs Marion Behiels. She said they all came away with practical knowledge - even if it was that they needed to reassess what they imagined doing when they leave school. Some even gained offers of part-time work. All these experiences gave students a practical basis on which to make their selections for upper school subjects and the future.

Particular thanks to all the businesses who supported our Work Experience program, both to parents and to companies not previously connected with the College.