Students explore career aspirations in Canberra

Finishing up high school is one of the most exciting times in your life – but it can also be one of the most daunting. On the one hand, you have the whole world at your feet, and on the other hand, you have the whole world at your feet!

How are you meant to decide what path to take?

Last week, as part of the Work Exposure in Government (WEX) program, more than 50 Year 10, 11 and 12 students from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities across Australia came to Canberra to see what it's like to work in the Australian Public Service (APS) and the Australian Parliament.

'For a young boy that lives up on the island and always sees the Parliament on the TV, just to see it for real is exciting,' says 17-year-old Kailu Luffman from the Torres Strait.

'And of course you dress up in your nice suits and everything – something we don't get to do up on the island because it's 38 degrees up there!' he quips.

Kailu travelled to Canberra from Thursday Island to take part in the program. He's set to finish Year 12 this year, but is keeping his options open on what he'll do next.

'Next year I'd like to go down and play Under 21's basketball in Brisbane or try out for the Gold Coast Rollers.' 

Davina Cox still has 2 years to go before she finishes school but is already thinking about her path. 

'Finding jobs in government, I felt like that sort of thing appealed to me because I do struggle in school but I also want to make a difference in my community,' says the 16-year-old from Tasmania's Bay of Fires. 

'I have lots of things I want to do but politics is definitely something I've been interested in for a long time, that I would love to go into, whether it be at Parliament or an agency like NIAA [National Indigenous Australians Agency],' Davina explains. 

The main purpose of WEX is for students like Davina and Kailu to meet First Nations public servants to hear about their own personal career journeys, challenges and opportunities. 

During the week, the WEX crew visited Parliament House, the Australian Defence Force Academy, the Australian War Memorial, the Australian Federal Police and NIAA, where they attended a careers expo at Charles Perkins House. 

'There might be students who are interested in being a mechanic, lawyer or chef and these are all things you can do through the Australian Public Service,' says NIAA's Ellye Yates. 

Ellye and her team in the Secondary Student Support Section oversee the program which brings students to Canberra for the 5 day tour based on their career aspirations, school engagement, extracurricular activities, and understanding of leadership. 

Students who are unsure of their plans after school also participate.

​'Maybe they don't have career counsellors at their school or they don't know what's out there, so we want to give opportunities to those young people as well,' Ellye says. 

Taking WEX to the regions has also been a high priority for organisers with the first regional WEX event held in Cairns earlier this year. There are plans to hold 2 WEX events every year – one in Canberra and another in a regional area or capital city. 

'Not everyone is comfortable or interested in moving to Canberra so it's important our WEX students know about the opportunities that are available to them closer to home,' Ellye explains.