From the Careers Department
From the Careers Department
Careers & VET Coordinator
Mission to Mars
Congratulations to Sydney, Alexis, Olivia and Amelia, who have all successfully gained places to attend the South Australian Space School Mission to Mars program in 2022. Students completed a competitive application process and should be proud of their achievements.
This is a wonderful camp where students take part in several excursions in Adelaide including a range of activities at Hamilton Secondary Space School and visits to the physics laboratories at Adelaide University. The program also includes a visit to the Defence, Science & Technology Group and the RAAF Base at Edinburgh where students will be given a special tour of the Australian Space Agency Discovery Centre.
Participants spend two days at the Hamilton Secondary Space School, where they complete a Mission to Mars, perform a number of microgravity experiments, take part in daytime astronomy activities and visit the brand-new Hamilton Secondary Planetarium. They also have exclusive zoom sessions with a former Astronaut and meet with Andrea Boyd (who was the winner of the Advance Australia Emerging Leader Award 2021). Andrea is the Daily Operations Engineer for the International Space Station based at the European Space Agency in Germany. Andrea was a participant in the SA Space School as a year 10 student, and later joined the staff of the Space School until she went to Germany.
We look forward to hearing about this fantastic adventure!
Archaeological Adventures
During the recent school holidays, Year 10 student Sara completed a work experience placement at Glenthorne National Park with a team of technological staff, undergraduate, and postgraduate students from Flinders University.
Glenthorne House, a prominent three-storey 19th century mansion, was said to have been destroyed by a fire in 1932 and until now, it’s been quite a mystery as to where the building once stood. The recent task of the Flinders University team has been to confirm the location of the mansion and to provide information about site developments since the building was destroyed. Sara was able to integrate into the team for the recent dig where she gained an insight into practical activities and further study in Archaeology. Well done Sara!
Motor Skills for Life
We are thankful to Andrew Parkes from Motor Trades Association who provided opportunity for students to attend an auto life skills program during the school holidays. The session included an introduction to the automotive industry and learning of valuable key skills:
- Changing a punctured tyre
- Checking crucial levels and vehicle maintenance tips
- How to jump start a vehicle
- How to reset tyre pressure
- Spotting damaged vehicles
- Learning how to spot odometer tampering
- Use of a state-of-the-art virtual reality paint system
Students had a fun and engaging experience and acknowledged the importance of learning such crucial skills for life. Motor Trade Association SA/NT | About Us (mtasant.com.au)
The RSB Dog Assistance Program
As part of her Year 12 studies, Olivia completed structured work placement at RSB in the Dog Assistance Programs. Olivia was fortunate to experience a range of activities surrounded by wonderfully supportive staff and an array of beautiful canine friends! She learned about services for blind and vision impaired clients, but also about the dog programs which assist children with autism and veterans experiencing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Olivia explored pathways into employment and was eager to hear of the diverse training pathways taken by employees at RSB. It was a truly engaging and informative placement, and we thank all staff at the RSB Guide and Assistance Dog Service, Gilles Plains.
valuable insights into life as a woman in STEM
Written by Mia Konopka:
“During school holidays, I was fortunate enough to be offered work experience placements at two different engineering firms in Adelaide. These placements gave me an insight into what day-to-day life as an engineer looks like, whilst also giving me the opportunity to network with engineers working in roles that I am interested in. Being immersed in the workplaces allowed me to further my understanding of a wide range of careers in the engineering sector including civil engineering, software engineering, chemical engineering and electrical engineering. Speaking with women working in these fields provided me with valuable insights into life as a woman in STEM and enabled me to picture myself in these roles in the future. It was great to see that one of the engineering firms provided two different support networks for women and younger employees, in an industry in which they are underrepresented.”
Ms Julie Stephenson
Careers & VET Coordinator
