In Years 11 and 12, students build upon courses from Stages 4 and 5 by studying the following core Life Skills courses:
Year 11 students must choose the elective of either VET Hospitality Food and Beverage or Retail. In Year 11 all students study both Creative Arts and Science Life Skills courses, choosing one of these as an elective in Year 12.
Students continue to study the following school-based courses:
Pathways to Work and Social Skills
In Year 11, students undertake Pathways to Work (PTW) and Social Skills lessons as part of the CAFS course to develop work skills required in Year 12 during work experience.
PTW is designed to give students a range of hands-on, practical experiences that will prepare them for work post-school. PTW consists of two topics: Hotel Eddies and Pathways to Wahroonga. Hotel Eddie's is an experience of hospitality including housekeeping, bed-making, cleaning and literacy activities such as taking orders for catering. Pathways to Wahroonga allows students to walk each week to Wahroonga, crossing roads, purchasing items, practicing numeracy, communication and social skills in the community.
Social Skills has two key objectives. The primary objective is to improve students’ social skills in social and leisure situations. Students are already exposed to social skills in school-based situations (Pastoral Care) and in employment situations (Work Education, Pathways to Work, Work Experience). Social Skills gives students an opportunity to develop and practise their skills in a more social/leisure/community-based context. The secondary objective is to expose students to leisure activities and leisure/disability organisations that they could pursue after school, on the weekends and potentially post-school, especially in light of the NDIS.
VET Hospitality
Students who undertake the VET Hospitality Food and Beverage course obtain a Statement of Attainment for this Certificate II. This pathway to qualification provides students with an opportunity to work in various hospitality settings, such as restaurants, hotels, motels, catering operations, clubs, pubs, cafés, and coffee shops.
Students have an opportunity to study for a Certificate III in Retail. This is an elective that they can choose in order to receive a Statement of Attainment that can help them in accessing a career in the retail industry. By the end of the course the students will have worked their way through a range of units designed to help them understand how the retail industry works as well as valuable experience in working with customers in a wide variety of settings.
Work Experience
Year 12 students participate in Work Experience once a week for the school year, with two placements, one in each semester. This allows students opportunities to generalise and maintain their workplace, social and communication skills across various settings. Current workplaces include:
Please view our video ' Vision, Purpose and Inspiration' to see our Work Experience Program in action.
