Activity Summary
The Grow Week program consists of one week of excursions and incursions which provide students with an opportunity to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities required for lifelong learning and informed citizenship. The program has been developed to incorporate curriculum content which focuses on Learning Areas and Capabilities in accordance with the Victorian Curriculum.
Volunteer Responsibilities
Volunteers for the Grow Week program are required to act as Interviewers conducting mock job interviews. The volunteer will be responsible for reading a CV and Cover Letter prepared by each Year 9 student who have 'applied' for a 'mock job'. The Interviewers then give each student a professional interview referring to their CV and Cover Letter. They also give them feedback post interview. This is a valuable experience for students who are about to start applying for part time jobs and work experience in Year 10.
Activity Description
Year 9 is an important year in Pathways Planning. Familiarising students with the attributes and skills necessary to fulfil their aspirations requires careful decision making and planning.
The “pathways work” that students complete in Grow Week is part of a program that reflects the goals of the Victorian Careers Curriculum Framework, designed to assist young people to:
- Understand and manage influences relating to career planning and lifelong learning
- Develop skills, knowledge and capabilities to make career decisions
- Apply their learning to achieve educational and career aspirations
- Build resilience in their capacity to manage change throughout their lives
Prior to Grow Week, students will learn how to construct a resume/CV and write a cover letter for a specific job from a range of choices. Thanks to a group of volunteers, students will then experience a job interview based on the job they have applied for in their cover letter.
This work has real life application as Year 9 students are reaching the age where they can apply for part time work. Research shows that a moderate amount of part time work while still at school is invaluable in developing some of the competencies and capabilities that form the basis of good career decision making.