How does it all work?

Students come to Marcellin Technical College for Year 11 and Year 12 to complete their secondary schooling. And this is what most of them do:

SACE Qualifications: like a normal school, students complete their South Australian Certification in Education (SACE) qualifications, giving them the important school qualifications that they may need to further their career.

But students won’t be studying the same old subjects as everyone else in other schools. Well, you will, but it won’t feel like it. Students will  be doing science; while looking at engines, English; but applying it in the workplace rather than Shakespeare, or maths; but applying it to resistance in electrical circuits. Students will be applying their knowledge immediately, rather than wondering what relevance it has.

Work Education:

Work Education is taught as a separate subject and develops skills beyond just the technical ones. Students learn about how to;

• Research
• Evaluate your efforts
• Perform well in interviews
• Establish career goals

Try-A-Trade:

This is a key part of finding out what the students are good at. In Try-A-Trade they get a taste of all the individual trades in a work context to understand what actually goes on. If they like it, great! If not, they can always try something else.

Work experience:

Work experience is another way of developing your skills in particular trades. But we’ve found they’re also very important as ways to build up their contacts and networks and many previous students have found apprenticeships at the places they did work experience.

Finding an apprenticeship: 

Finding an apprenticeship is something we do together with the student, but they take the lead. It’s the student’s responsibility to find an apprenticeship, but we will support them, provide them with the right information and connect them into the workforce.

As you can see, it’s a very different environment to a ‘traditional’ school.

Which career pathways are available to students?

Once a student completes Year 12, they complete the final part of their apprenticeship as a full-time employee and then it’s primarily up to them. Most apprentices stay on and their career takes off! And that’s where one of the key benefits of studying with Marcellin Technical College kicks in. They’ve now got options. 

With Year 12 completed and SACE in the bag, they can take on further study, move into TAFE to do a Diploma or head to University. It’s really up to them!