Term 1, Week 1

Students looking to gain entry into provisional medical courses or dentistry courses may wish to sit the UCAT. The UCAT is a requirement for entry into a large number of these courses throughout Australia and some in New Zealand.  Here is a list of courses at various universities that require the UCAT to be completed to be eligible to apply: Universities and courses that require UCAT. Applications to sit the UCAT open on Tuesday 4 March and remain open until Friday 16 May, with testing held between 1 July and 5 August. The UCAT website has a wide range of practice resources available to students. For more information or to register, please click here.

Any students in Grade 12 who are proficient in a language other than English have the opportunity to complete the subject as a Senior External Examination. Completing one of these subjects means that it can contribute to a student’s ATAR, will gain them 4 QCE credits and may also provide adjustment factors for university entry. The language subjects offered are:

• Arabic
• Indonesian
• Korean
• Latin
• Modern Greek
• Polish
• Punjabi
• Russian
• Tamil
• Vietnamese

Applications for this are now open until 30 April 2025.  The school must register on your behalf.

QCAA has not yet advised the cost of enrolment, but the 2024 price was $73.46, so it is expected that it will be a similar price for this year. Interested students are asked to email Amy Dyer (careers counsellor) at adyer@slc.qld.edu.au as soon as possible, or come into the Careers Office.

The Defence Work Experience Program provides opportunities for young Australians interested in a career at Defence to gain exposure to the type of work that is available. Defence is committed to providing a national work experience program designed to:

• demonstrate the wide variety of interesting careers available within Defence
• ease the transition of students into the workplace
• contribute to the development of the skills of young Australians. 

Opportunities are available for both secondary and tertiary students and you must be at least 15 years of age at the time of the placement. Click here for more information including:

• Information for students
• Information for parents
• Information for educators
• How to apply
• Student stories

Security/Policing

If you are interested in a job in security or policing, there are several employing organisations you can investigate. These include:

• Queensland Police Recruiting
• Australian Federal Police
• Australian Defence Force
• Australian Secret Intelligence Service
• Australian Security Intelligence Organisation
• Australian Border Force
• Queensland Corrective Services
• Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol

Information Technology

The dominance of IT careers is due to:

• The rapid growth of the Internet and e-commerce,
• Increased demand for cybersecurity specialists spurred by escalating attacks
• The advent of smarter applications that enable companies to analyze business data for unprecedented intelligence
• Cloud computing revolutionising the way IT departments operate
• The proliferation of mobile devices

Not sure what IT jobs actually are or involve? Click here to read IT Career Finder's overview of 26 key jobs in IT.

Boating industry

The marine industry is dynamic and diverse, with a wide range of pathways for anyone with an interest in a career working around boats of all shapes and sizes, on or by some of the best waterways in the world. The industry values people with a wide range of backgrounds and with diverse skills, and can offer the opportunity to work with local, national and international companies.

Some of the opportunities include:

• small craft construction to superyachts and beyond
• engines to sails
• boat building to fit out and repair and maintenance
• marine equipment to marine electronics
• sales and marketing to management
• marina services and management to marine tourism.

The Boating Industry Association (BIA) has developed a Marine Industry Careers Guide to help identify the types of jobs or training available to help you pursue a career in the industry.

Australian Defence Force (information sessions)

Upcoming ADF events and information sessions are listed below:

30/01/2025        Brisbane New Year New Career Information Session

04/02/2025        Brisbane Army Reserve Information Session

                             Navy Careers Virtual Information Session

10/02/2025        Brisbane Defence Careers Information Session