A Warialda Public School program aimed at opening students’ eyes to a wider range of possible careers has been recognised this week at the 2017 Minister's and Secretary's Awards for Excellence.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Under the Wider than Gwydir program every fortnight students are involved in a Q&A video-conference with people working in a variety of occupations.
Warialda Public School principal Dan van Velthuizen said he was inspired to launch the program after a survey of students showed 92 per cent were looking at work that required no further education past Year 12.
The Wider than Gwydir program had given students access to a variety of careers including helicopter pilots (and their helicopter), physiotherapists, veterinarians, drone pilots and film makers.
Around 91 per cent of students say the program had encouraged them to aim for their “dream job”, Mr van Velthuizen said.
In a ceremony in Sydney this week Mr van Velthuizen accepted the Secretary’s School Achievement Award on behalf of the school.
The Minister for Education, Rob Stokes, and the Department of Education, Secretary, Mark Scott, presented awards to 35 students, 37 staff and eight parents from across NSW.
Department Secretary Mark Scott said it was an honour to celebrate the achievements and outstanding work in NSW public schools.
"The students, staff and schools we recognise today are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the excellence we see every day in NSW public schools," Mr Scott said.
"I congratulate these winners and acknowledge their commitment to excellence and improvement to student learning outcomes is a vision shared across NSW public education."
Education minister Rob Stokes said the awards showcased the tremendous contribution that students, teachers, principals, parents and school communities made to public education in NSW.
"Schools are just empty buildings without the students, teachers, and parents that make them great," he said.
The awards, administered by the Public Education Foundation, were presented at a ceremony at the Department of Education state office in Sydney.
Public Education Foundation executive director David Hetherington said the foundation was delighted to work with the NSW Education Department in rewarding the significant achievements of students, education staff and parents.
"These awards are a tribute to their talents, expertise, dedication and tireless commitment to excellence," he said.
Citation for the award:
Warialda Public School
Wider than Gwydir
Wider than Gwydir is a middle years’ initiative aimed at students in rural and remote areas. Each fortnight, students from Years 5-8 from a variety of schools in North West NSW meet via videoconferencing to listen to selected guest speakers and engage in a Q&A session. Guest speakers are sourced carefully and with great effort to focus on careers and to model transition options for students to move to post-school education. Career aspirations for the students involved has widened significantly to include occupations such as drone pilots, filmmakers, rural veterinarians and physiotherapists.