President’s Report 2024 AGM
Career Education Association of WA (CEAWA)
Annual General Meeting 2024
President’s Report
It is a pleasure to present the President’s Report for the Annual General Meeting of the Career Education Association of Western Australia (CEAWA), 20 May 2024.
Leading CEAWA is an honour and I have the privilege of working with a highly dedicated and hard-working Executive Committee. Together we have achieved a great deal in supporting career educators and promoting career education and career development here in Western Australia.
We can proudly say that a key achievement for CEAWA last year was the Spotlight on Career Learning Conference, held in November 2023, to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of CEAWA. It is evident that it was a very successful event with delegates attending from across the state. Congratulations go to the Committee who worked over and above to ensure CEAWA was showcased as a highly professional organisation.
Planning has commenced for the 2024 Conference and momentum is building with the venue booked and a highly regarded keynote speaker locked in.
CEAWA continues to support teachers of the Career and Enterprise course. In March this year, a successful professional learning session was delivered in collaboration with SCSA. Thank you to Fran Van Oyen for her contribution to equip teachers with the tools and knowledge they need to deliver and assess the course.
Other activities raising the profile of CEAWA, and career education are the social networking evenings, online professional learning offerings, a National Careers Week competition and ongoing news and updates via email.
On the back of the Looking to the Future - Report on the review of senior secondary pathways into work, further education and training, other reviews in WA, which have potential to impact positively on future pathways for young people, are under way including:
· WA University Sector Review
· SCSA refresh of the WACE and the
· WA Government’s Pathways to Success Review
The outcomes of these reviews also have potential to influence the future directions and work of CEAWA.
The Pathways to Success Review - Expert Panel Report: Consultation Draft proposes a focus on supporting enhanced career education and pathway planning:
· Increased delivery of career education and pathway planning
· Starting earlier
· Treating career education and pathway planning as separate from subject selections
· Including parents
· Strengthening partnerships between schools, tertiary education providers and industry
· Increasing exposure opportunities
CEAWA’s newly streamlined membership application and renewal process has contributed to stabilising membership numbers and attracting new members. The process now ensures a seamless income stream from membership fees. Thanks to Tania Byrnes and Michael Openshaw for their tireless efforts to establish new banking and accounting processes to meet audit requirements.
There are now 140 000 registered users of myfuture in Western Australia with big increases in parents/carers and students across all age groups through primary and secondary schooling. The Your Career website has developed additional resources to provide advice and support for school leavers with new publications to support rural, regional and remote students, students with disabilities and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
The National Career Institute’s Little Ripples campaign provides engaging, age appropriate, resources to support career related learning for parents and their children in the primary years.
CICA, Australia’s peak body for the Career Industry, provides ongoing professional learning and resources to keep us on top of national and international trends and research. The international series of webinars proved popular and provided key learning for career educators.
The annual face-to-face CICA meeting will be held in June, and I am grateful for the opportunity to represent CEAWA in collaborating with key career development professionals and to contribute to future planning for CICA.
I encourage all qualified career practitioners to register, through CICA, with the Australian Register of Professional Career Development Practitioners. This conveys a clear message that you are qualified to practice.
The Western Australian Government continues to support career education initiatives through key election commitments. Funding for the 70 qualified career practitioners in public schools is ongoing, the Career Learning Toolkit has expanded and the DTWD Year 9 Career Taster program is continuing to provide a great many young people with opportunities to explore a wide range of career pathways. There is increasing demand for the Career Conversations events with additional sessions already scheduled in metropolitan and regional centres.
Accolades must go to the CEAWA Committee for their dedication and commitment, as volunteers, to sustaining the profile and work of CEAWA. Thank you to Michael Openshaw (Vice President), Tara Hill (Secretary), Tania Byrnes (Treasurer) and Linda Whiteside, Clare Slodecki, Karen Gonsalves, Julie Govorko, Peta King, Nerida Williams (Committee members). The Association could not exist without them.
Three long term members of our Executive Committee chose to retire last year. Louise Morrison, Linda Winter, and Genevie Baker have contributed enormously to CEAWA over many years and their dedication and hard work has been crucial to the achievements and smooth running of our organisation. Louise, Linda and Gen were acknowledged with a presentation at the conference, and we wish them much happiness in their retirement.
My gratitude must also go to David Carney and CICA for crucial ongoing advocacy and support for CEAWA.
Thank you.
Shirley Parer
President, CEAWA
20 May 2024