High school student Jess Barrett is like many young people who spend a lot of time wanting to find their ideal career.
Jess attends The YMCA Vocational School, a registered Non State School in South East Queensland that helps disengaged students find their place in the workforce.
For a number of years Jess has been searching for the right career path that would align with her interests and abilities.
During the past couple of years the YMCA Vocational School has been investigating ways to complement its current services by using a career assessment tool to increase completion rates in apprenticeship and traineeship placements.
To better match student interests with career pathways, the school learned of the Harrison Online Career Assessment available on BUSY At Work’s Apprenticeship Central website. The website connects apprentices and employers and compares over 175 work related traits in over 800 occupations.
At the end of last year Jess decided to complete the assessment program and she was very happy with the results. The assessment takes participants responses from a range of questions and creates a list of career options rated according to job satisfaction and enjoyment. To date more than 1,500 participants have completed the assessment.
Head of the YMCA Vocational School, Jillian Moore was very supportive of the assessment program on the Apprenticeship Central website saying the tailored approach was very successful in helping students find their place in the workforce.
“We were making available a lot of resources for the students but not getting the desired outcomes we would have liked. By using the Harrison Online Career Assessment tool we have opened new potential work opportunities for many students, as well as giving confidence and direction to those students like Jess who were unsure about pursuing their passion,” Jillian said.
After undertaking the assessment Jess said she hadn’t looked back.
“The assessment was very accurate and it highlighted some of my strengths that I’ve overlooked. A lot of the jobs it recommended for me were related to animal welfare and community work, which is what I really want to do.”
“It reassured me that I was on the right track and gave me confidence in what I want to do with my life,” Jess said.
Since completing the assessment Jess has enjoyed work experience in caring for animals and is already planning to do further study in this area.
Paul Miles, CEO BUSY At Work said the Harrison Online Career Assessment program was a great tool to boost the confidence of students by helping them find career options that fit their interests and aptitude.
“The assessment allows participants to see what their greatest strengths are and identify how they are suited to their chosen career. People always perform best when they enjoy the work they are doing and the Harrison Online Career Assessment tool is a great way for participants to find their true career path,” Mr Miles said.
For further information go to www.apprenticeshipcentral.com.au
