Leaving school can be an important milestone for students.
Making decisions about future options can be daunting. If your child has a disability or additional needs, there may be extra challenges. It can be a good idea to start planning before they leave school.
The law says education providers and employers should make reasonable adjustments to support people with additional needs.
Career education
Career education can take place in school, training and workplace settings. It helps students:
- identify their interests, strengths and goals
- learn about the connection between school and future careers
- find out what work is like
- make informed decisions about courses and careers
- gain the skills and knowledge to work in different careers through life.
We’re working to improve career education in our schools.
Career education guides
Our career education guides include career planning information for students with disabilities.
Parents and carers guide (docx - 597kb)- Student guide (docx - 74kb)
- Strengthened career planning: pathways from school for students (docx - 330kb)
- Teachers and career practitioners guide (docx - 1mb).
How you can help with career planning
You have an important role in supporting your child’s career planning. You can:
- practise work skills at home with your child
- talk to other parents about career planning
- help develop your child’s individual education plan and career action plan
- attend career workshops, open days and information sessions.
Schools can work with parents to make sure students get positive career messages at school and at home. Find out more information about career planning with your child.
Who to talk to at school
The people who can help you and your child with career planning include:
- career practitioners
- year level coordinators
- VCE, VCE Vocational Major, Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) or VET coordinators.
You can also talk about your child's career education at student support group meetings. The group could invite a person with careers expertise to talk about workplace learning opportunities or post-school options.
Workplace learning
Work experience is when your child has a short-term placement with an employer. This helps them find out what it’s like to have a job.
Teachers can use the ‘A Job Well Done’ class materials to help students with disabilities prepare for work experience. These cover important workplace skills like:
- interview skills
- behaviour at work
- health and safety.
Your child can also take part in:
- structured workplace learning – combining workplace learning with the VCE, including the VCE Vocational Major, VPC or VET
- school community work – volunteer work that supports your child's career development and benefits the community
- school based apprenticeships and traineeships – combining part-time employment, school and training.
Find support and advice
There are support organisations that can help your child when they’re planning to move from school to work or other options.
Employment
For employment support, visit:
- Centrelink – employment support and payments for job seekers and people with disability
- Youth Employment Scheme – young people working in government while studying for a Certificate III or IV qualification
- Disability Employment Services – help people with disabilities find and keep a job
- JobAccess – advice about employing people with disability
- Volunteer.vic – information about volunteering and organisations who can help
- Job Services Australia – personalised help to find a job, training or work experience
- Australian Apprenticeships Access Program – supports apprentices with disabilities to reach their potential as skilled workers
- Australian Disability Enterprises – gives employment support to people with disability
- Youth Central – gives career advice to young people
- myfuture – online support for making career decisions.
Education and training
For education and training support, visit:
- TAFE and training courses – find out about courses available TAFEs
- Victorian Skills Gateway – find skills training that leads to a job
- Learn Local – provides local, less formal learning opportunities
- National Disability Coordination Officer Program – helps people with disabilities access education, training and employment
- Vision Australia – gives Further Education Bursaries to students who are blind or have low vision.
Disability support
The disability service system changes when your child turns 16. It may be a good idea to make an appointment with Centrelink when your child is 15, to talk about your options.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) funds a range of post school support through the School Leaver Employment Supports program. This helps young people with disabilities move from school into employment or other options. For example:
- social and community participation
- building life skills
- mobility or communication technology
- further study
- finding and maintaining a job.
The School Leaver Employment Supports program can be used by NDIS participants who have recently left school and are ineligible for Disability Employment Services.
Autism
If your child has autism, visit the Aspect Launchpad website for information about leaving school.
Deaf and hard of hearing
Find information about leaving school for students who are deaf or hard of hearing by visiting:
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