Growing Careers Project

The Smith Family’s Growing Careers Project – supported by funding from the Australian Government through the Department of Education –gives young people the opportunity to acquire what they need to thrive post-school by enabling them to participate in multiple career programs.

Research shows that young people who can recall four or more encounters with the world of work, while at school, are far more likely to be in work, training or study in their 20s.

We are calling for local business and industry representatives to share their experience, showcase the real world of work and bring the theory to life – to inspire students to dream big about their futures!

How does the Growing Careers Project work?

The Growing Careers Project offers over 76,000 places for students to participate in multiple career programs across their secondary school journey. These could encompass anything from a short career-focused activity, to several weeks of one-on-one mentoring via an online platform – or spending a few days in a workplace.

The Smith Family will follow student participation across the five years of the project (2021-2025) in close collaboration with a number of schools across the country, to understand how they’re progressing in their education. We’ll look at what’s resonating with the students from a careers’ perspective and what more we can do to support their career pathways when they leave school.

Through this program Talon discovered careers he didn't even know about.

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Getting careers education right can make all the difference – how the Growing Careers Project is opening new doors for students

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Why is this project important?

• Young people’s involvement in work, training or study post-school is heavily influenced by what happens to them in school.¹

• Young people living in disadvantage are less likely to complete Year 12 and less likely to be in work, training or post-school study than their more advantaged peers.²

• Employer engagement while still at school has a positive impact on academic results, student motivation and student aspirations.¹

iTrack mentoring

High school students photography exhibition

SmArts

Young girl in pink shirt and wide-brim hat

Work Inspiration

^1. It’s Who You Meet: Why Employer Contacts at School Make a Difference to the Employment Prospects of Young Adults by Dr Anthony Mann, Education and Employers Taskforce, 2012

^2. OECD (2018) Education at a Glance 2018: OECD Indicators. Paris: OECD Publishing.