Aspirations
Aspirations is a coaching program for year 11 students which aims to equip students with the knowledge and tools to make informed decisions about their choices and pathways after school. One of the main features of the Aspirations program is the use of a ‘coach’ for small groups of students rather than individual mentors. This has a number of benefits for the participants including encouraging more team work, communication and experiencing a more independent form of support and guidance throughout the program.The facilitated workshops aim to highlight student’s individual strengths, skills and aptitudes and how these can be applied at school and in their future studies/career pathways.
What is involved
A volunteer from a member company is matched with a small group of high school students. Students are carefully chosen to ensure that those most likely to benefit are involved in the program. When matching coaches with the student groups, the school and the ABCN consider compatibility of interests, goals, skills and experiences.
The workshops typically run for 3.5 hours. The first and last meeting is held at the school with the four workshops held at corporate venues. Each coaching workshop includes:
- Discussions between coach and student group
- Group discussions and activties
- Presenting student's work or findings
The students and coaches always meet in a group context, and are accompanied by one to two teachers from the school, to ensure complete compliance with each state's child protection guidelines.
Benefits for students
- increased awareness of further education and career options
- increase in self-confidence and self awareness
- improved interpersonal skills
- gain practical skills necessary to apply for jobs
Benefits for coaches
- improvement in job satisfaction
- increased awareness of wider community
The need
The development of the Year 11 Aspirations program was in direct response to principals, who had experienced the benefits and positive impact of facilitated mentoring and coaching on students in programs such as GOALS. The principals identified that for some schools there was a need for a program focusing on career paths for older students as Year 11 is a critical time for students in determining their pathways beyond high school. At this stage of senior school, students are planning what type of further education they will pursue, potential apprenticeships and whether they will continue with all of their subjects or with school at all. Students living in areas of high need often lack access to a range of social networks, work opportunities and positive role models and their choices beyond school are influenced by factors such as:
- Lack of understanding about their own strengths and skills and how to further developthem due to low self-esteem and confidence
- Lack of knowledge about different pathways
- No sense of entitlement to further education or career pathways outside the local community.