Wise Choices Careers & Further education advice for teens

Professional careers advice helps kids make Wise Choices

According to the Career Industry Council of Australia (CICA), parents are still the number one influencers on their children’s career planning. But, in a changing world, are you finding it hard to give your teen the guidance they need to make wise and informed choices about senior school subject selections and post-school options? Kids First’s professional, experienced careers advisor can help.

Kids First’s WISE CHOICES Careers & Further Education Program helps high schoolers find positive post-school pathways so that they are successful when they leave school.

How Wise Choices Works

WISE CHOICES is a program that gives teens and their families the opportunity to explore career and further study options together. Depending on your teen’s current priorities, you can choose from a variety of services that will meet your son or daughter’s current needs.

Careers and Further Education Services at Kids First
WISE CHOICES provides teens and families with:

Objective testing

Objective testing that matches teens’ interests and abilities with complementary career and study paths

HSC subject selection

HSC subject selection advice for students in Years 10 – 12

ATAR and university entrance

ATAR and university entrance requirement guidance

TAFE, private college and apprenticeship

TAFE, private college and apprenticeship pathways advice

Scholarship and assisted entry program

Scholarship and assisted entry program information

Job application skills support

Job application, resume-writing and interview skills support

Who will benefit from the Wise Choices program?

Navigating countless career options, while trying to absorb endless advice from peers, parents and teachers can be confusing and exhausting for kids.

WISE CHOICES can help teens who:

Know exactly what their post-school goals are and want to maximise their chance of achieving them
Don’t know what their post-school future holds and need help to identify job, training or education pathways that fit with their skills and interests
Aren’t enjoying success at school and are looking for other work, study or training alternatives
Need up to date information about courses, programs, study and work options so that they can transition to the world of work or tertiary study with confidence
Want professional advice so that they can present themselves positively to prospective employers

Comprehensive Careers Assessment

If your child is seeking clarity about HSC subject selections or post-school options such as work, training or tertiary study, our comprehensive WISE CHOICES Careers Assessment may help.

When your teen particpates in a WISE CHOICES Careers Assessment, they will complete a comprehensive personality and interests assessment that our experienced Careers Advisor will use to identify the types of careers, further study or vocational paths that will best match your son or daughter’s personality and values.

A WISE CHOICES Assessment includes:

Preliminary online questionnaire
90 minute discovery session with our Career Advisor attended by you and your teenager
Comprehensive personality and interests assessment
Full written report for your immediate or future reference
45 minute follow up session to discuss assessment results and assist with planning

A WISE CHOICES Assessment will enable you and your teen to explore career options in detail, along with appropriate study and training options, resulting in a clear and concise career action plan so that your teenager can:

Explore appropriate career options
Discover careers that will best suit their personality and interests
Learn about relevant education and training courses
Develop a practical action plan to help them to achieve their career goal

Individual Careers Counselling

If you or your teen have questions or need advice about senior school and post-school options, our Careers Advisor can meet with you for individual sessions that will provide you with answers, ideas and information.

These 45 minute appointments will give you and your teenager the opportunity to discuss specific issues such as:

Subject selection for Year 11 and Year 12 studies
ATAR scores and UAC applications
TAFE or private post-secondary education and training providers
Apprenticeships, traineeships or other pathways

Annika Williams is an experienced and accredited Member of Career Development Association of Australia and the NSW Careers Advisors Association and, in addition to being a highly qualified teacher, holds post-graduate qualifications in Career Development and Education.

For more than a decade, Annika has worked in NSW schools and at the University of Sydney helping hundreds of students find their career direction and achieve success in their chosen fields.

Annika has a strong professional reputation for passionately and enthusiastically helping young people of all ages and abilities find their paths in life.

Annika also understands the important role that parents play as teens transition to their post-school world. Her empathy and compassion for the challenges teens face in the modern world enables her to support them as they make informed decisions about life after school.