Connecting Students with Careers Through Community Services
Helping young people understand the opportunities available within health, disability and aged care is an important part of building the future workforce.
That is exactly what Year 12 Community Services student Chloe Wright set out to do during her internship with The People Project, in affiliation with Don College.
With a keen interest in health, disability, ageing and community engagement, Chloe has spent the past eight weeks developing a project designed to connect students with people working across these sectors and give them a better understanding of the career opportunities available.
The result was the launch of a student-led Breakfast Club, bringing students and local service providers together for informal conversations about careers, pathways and working in the community services sector.
Creating opportunities to explore community services careers
For many students, choosing a career can feel like a big decision. Having the opportunity to meet people already working in an industry can provide valuable insight into what different roles actually involve and what pathways are available.
The Breakfast Club was created to make those conversations more accessible.
Rather than a formal presentation or careers information session, the idea is to create a relaxed environment where students can have breakfast, meet local providers, ask questions and learn directly from people working in the sector.
The first Breakfast Club focused on the disability sector, with Alex Dempsey from Tassie Care and Georgia Hanslow from St Michaels joining students to talk about their experiences and the role of an NDIS Disability Support Worker.
Students were able to hear about what the work involves, the skills required and some of the different pathways into disability support.
A student-led approach to career exploration
One of the most valuable aspects of the project is that it has been driven by student interest.
Chloe identified an opportunity to create more direct connections between students and the health, disability and aged care sectors, then worked through the planning and development of the Breakfast Club as part of her internship.
The approach is simple: listen to what students want to know about, then bring the right people into the room to help answer those questions.
Following the first session, there is already strong student interest in hearing from people working in aged care at the next Breakfast Club.
This is an encouraging sign that students are interested in learning more about the range of career opportunities available across Tasmania’s health and care sectors.
Connecting students with local providers
For The People Project, supporting this project has been about more than simply helping organise an event.
Our work across Tasmania is built around connection, collaboration and strengthening communities. We work across primary health, disability, aged care and community innovation, with a focus on connecting people with the services, opportunities and support they need.
The Breakfast Club provides a small but meaningful opportunity to bring that approach into the classroom.
By connecting students directly with local providers, we can help make careers in community services feel more tangible and accessible. Students can ask the questions that matter to them, while providers have an opportunity to share their experiences and encourage the next generation of workers.
We were proud to support Chloe in bringing the project to life, including providing breakfast and helping create connections between students and local providers.
Building the future community services workforce
Tasmania’s health, disability and aged care sectors rely on passionate people who want to make a difference in the lives of others.
Introducing students to these sectors early can help them understand the wide range of career pathways available, from disability support and aged care through to allied health, community engagement, administration, coordination and other roles that help support people and communities.
For Chloe, the Breakfast Club has also provided an opportunity to develop practical skills in project planning, communication, community engagement and event coordination.
For the students attending, it provides an opportunity to ask questions, meet people working in the sector and potentially discover a career they had not previously considered.
Looking ahead
The first Breakfast Club is only the beginning.
With student interest already turning towards aged care, the next session will provide an opportunity to continue the conversation and introduce students to another important part of Tasmania’s community services workforce.
We are incredibly proud of the initiative Chloe has shown throughout her internship and the way she has turned an idea into something that can create genuine connections between students and the community services sector.
A big thank you to Alex Dempsey from Tassie Care and Georgia Hanslow from St Michaels for giving their time and sharing their experiences with students.
Most importantly, thank you to Chloe for her initiative, enthusiasm and hard work in bringing the Breakfast Club to life.
We look forward to seeing how the project continues to grow and where Chloe takes it next.