2015 was a year full of changes for the Careers Department. Ms Beck, our inaugural Gateway coordinator, resigned after 35 years of teaching in high schools. We wish her well and we are thankful for all the time, energy and thought she placed into the establishment of Gateway here at LPHS. 

In her place temporarily, Mr Howard-Smith stepped into the breach,  for Term 3 while I was overseas. Ms MacTaggart took up the reins of Career Pathways for the same term (a huge “thank you” to her for her expertise and timetable juggling).

2016 will be an exciting year for the Career Department’s option subject classes:
- we carry on the successful active and verbal approach of our Level 2 Career Pathways class as it continues to grow and establish itself as a valuable,  foundation class for employment skill development and career preparation, and
- the evolution of Gateway as primarily a Level 3 subject (with some exceptions depending on the chosen industry) offering flexible work placement experience and mentored support in time-management, study approaches and general organisational skills to support students’ academic goals and workplace readiness.

We continue to offer such services as:
· Exploring Careers and Building Skills: Throughout the year we have facilitated and/or funded students attending courses, taster events, and experiences to help explore various careers and /or assist in obtaining work whether it be part-time or full-time.
Some of these experiences and courses this year have been: Defensive Driving course, Sir George Seymour Travel and Tourism courses, Barista, Basic Food Handling, First Aid and KiwiHost Customer Services courses, Telford Taster course, UN Youth Conference, Film-making & Production, Science and Science Camps, Communication and Leadership courses, Advanced Customer Services courses, Security and Diving courses.

· You’re Going on a Job Hunt? Many students attended workshops or came into the Careers Resource Centre for one on one or group support in building the following job search skills:

The C.V. – Essential to your Personal Marketing Campaign
The Letters – How to write Speculative, Application, Cover and Thank you letters and when!
That Personal Contact – Keeping your application alive, cold calling, telephone skills and online image
How to Get that Elusive Job Experience – Work experience and volunteer opportunities
Best Ways to Look for a Job – The Top 10 Mistakes Job Hunters Make – and How You can Avoid Them!
The Interview – What you really need to know!

· The Career Maze: As the year developed we spent time supporting students in their quest to find their place in the world, identifying their values, interests and strengths and guiding them in discovering potentially satisfying careers through our career guidance services and our wide selection of brochures, websites, prospectuses, DVDs and more to support explorations.

· Further Education: Students visited the Career Resource Centre to find out about applications, courses, Universities, Polytechnics and training organisations.
Liaison Visits – We were visited by numerous University, Polytechnic and Training Organisation Liaison Officers to help with course selections, preparation for University life and comparisons of courses available.
Campus Visits – Tertiary Open Day was held in May and gave senior students the opportunity to visit a variety of training organisations including Otago University, Otago Polytechnic, Aoraki Polytechnic and Sir George Seymour School of Travel and Tourism.
Scholarships – The BreakOut Scholarship programme is increasingly being used as students hunt out what scholarships they are eligible for.
Applications – We guided students through their applications e.g. for Teacher’s College, Nursing, University and Polytechnic etc…

· Maori and Pacific Islands Student Happenings: A wide variety of activities are supported through the Careers Department under the Tupuranga (Maori and Pacific Islands Student Leadership Team) banner (more about Tupuranga elsewhere in this magazine) such as the Thursday Homework Programme, the Year 9 Welcome Hui and topic-based career education workshops including Career Exploration and CV Writing. We also enjoy a close relationship with the Otago University Maori Centre and the Pacific Islands Centre.

· Note of interest: The latest research from Victoria University (2015) has determined that the skills and attributes employers in New Zealand most look for in potential employees are: 

1.) Verbal communication, 

2.) Work ethic, 

3.) Analytical and critical thinking, 

4.) Interpersonal skills, 

5.) Team work, 

6.) Problem solving, 

7.) Energy and enthusiasm, 

8.) Written communication skills, 

9.) Initiative and enterprise, and 

10.) Self-management.