Using Data to Help Students with Pathway Conversations

Term 3 is a common time for meeting with students, particularly Year 10 students, to discuss their senior schooling pathways and subject choices. This can be quite overwhelming for many students, who often face persistent questions from family and friends about their post-school plans, such as ‘What are you going to study or ‘be’ when you leave school?’ While some students have clear goals, many are undecided. The vast array of options available can be daunting, and the well-intentioned advice that "You can do anything you want" may inadvertently pressure students to provide impressive-sounding responses rather than seek the guidance they truly need for making informed decisions.  

“I don’t know what I want to do after Year 12. What subjects should I study?” 

If you are not sure what you want to do after Year 12, choose subjects you like or have an interest in, and in which you are likely to do well. 
QCAA ‘Preparing for learning in Years 11&12: Year 10: What next?’ 

What factors are involved in student pathway discussions? 

Discussions with students regarding their post-secondary school plans often include questions such as: 

• Do you want to continue studying post-secondary school, or do you want to enter directly into the workforce? 
• What do you enjoy doing or learning about? 
• Do you know where your strengths are? 
• Have you explored your options?  

By Year 10, some students have a clear vision for their future, while others are still unsure. For those still uncertain, online resources such as career quizzes and industry profiles can be great resources for students, helping them match their areas of interest to career areas. 

Students’ post-secondary choices typically fall into two main categories: 

1. Direct Workforce Entry:  Many students choose to enter the workforce directly upon finishing their secondary education. With this choice, their subject selection choices may be made based mostly on their areas of interest. 
2. Further Education or Training: Students wishing to undertake further study or training need to investigate if there are any requirements they need to meet to enter the course of their choosing. If they are unsure of which course they will undertake, it is wise to maintain a diverse subject selection to keep options open. 

Higher Education Requirements 

For students planning to pursue higher education, such as a University or TAFE, specific subjects often have minimum results for course entry. When students have a particular course in mind, some investigation will be done on their performance in these prerequisite subjects. Key questions to consider include: 

• What are the student’s most recent results in this subject area? 
• How has the student been performing over time in this subject area?  
• Have they shown steady improvement in this subject area, or has there been a decline? 
• Has the student had to work particularly hard to achieve their current results? If so, it's important to consider whether they can sustain or increase this level of effort as the work becomes more challenging at higher levels of study. 

For students uncertain about their future course of study, it's generally advised to include Maths and/or Science subjects, as these are frequently required for course entry. 

Future Skills Needs 

It is worth considering the industry's need to ensure that young people can find employment after completing their education. While a student might be drawn to glamorous careers they have seen in media, like crime science investigator (it looked great on TV!), is there likely to be a job waiting for them at the end of a 3- or 4-year course? 

The Jobs and Skills Atlas lists the following five top employing industries (as of May 2024): 

• Health Care and Social Assistance: 2.26M 
• Construction: 1.36M 
• Professional, Scientific and Technical Services:1.32M 
• Retail Trade: 1.32M 
• Education and Training: 1.21M 

Some students find value in working 'backwards' by looking through current job advertisements to find positions that catch their interest. Job ads that clearly outline the tasks that the job entails can create a deeper understanding of the job. This approach helps them understand job responsibilities and industry requirements, allowing for a more informed career exploration process. 

Employability Skills 

Regardless of which pathway a student embarks on, a career is a journey.  

In times gone by, it was common for people to stay within one career for their entire working lives, and possibly even within the same company.  Things have very much changed, and it is a very different workplace now. 

"The proportion of employed people who changed employer or business in the previous 12 months has been gradually declining since the 1990s – from 20% of employed people in the 12 months to February 1989, to 8.5% by February 2019, declining further to 7.5% by February 2021. By February 2022 this had increased to the highest level in a decade (9.5%; Figure 2), which equates to 1.3 million people changing jobs in the 12 months to February 2022. This was around 215,600 more people than in the 12 months to February 2020. Between February 2022 and February 2023, the proportion of employed people who changed jobs remained steady at 9.5%. 

This increase in job mobility since February 2021 may be due to workers following up on plans to change jobs following a pause during the pandemic or taking advantage of the strong labour market (Black and Chow 2022)."

Source: Changing Patterns of Work 07 Sept 2023 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare  

Therefore, it is crucial that students develop employability skills that underpin successful participation in the workplace. Often referred to as ‘soft skills’, they include skills such as: 

• Communication 
• Teamwork 
• Problem-solving 
• Motivation and initiative 
• Planning and organising 
• Self-management 
• Learning 
• Technology 

Employers and industry highly value these skills, and schools are usually instrumental in developing and tracking them in students. When students understand the importance of these skills for their future, they are more likely to take an active interest in developing them within themselves. 

It is worth inviting students to evaluate themselves in these areas, in addition to their academic performance, and look at what the data shows, if the school records soft skill-type data. Considering each student’s particular areas of strength can assist with pathway decisions and highlight areas of focus during the coming school years. 

Achieving success 

Every student, regardless of their educational journey, has the potential to achieve great things. When students identify their talents and interests, they're more likely to excel academically, find personal satisfaction, and feel that they contribute to society. Throughout their careers, whether they stay focused on their original field or venture into new areas, they'll have the opportunity to continually learn and grow, building upon the knowledge and skills acquired during their early years.