We're happy to say that our 2nd annual SWL breakfast was a major success! We had a full house of teachers and industry representatives and received some fantastic feedback from all those who attended.

OELLEN would like to extend a special thank you to our guest speaker Danielle McAuliffe from the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority as well as to our fantastic panel Stephanie Birnstihl from Myer, Ben Whimpey from Indimax Productions and Karen Gieschen from Eastern Ranges School. Danielle and the panel provided some fantastic insights into the benefits of the SWL program from both the education industry as well as employer perspectives.

Some key takeaways from the session included:

• SWL placements add measurable value to a student’s VET/VCAL studies, including higher pay post-school, higher school completion rates and faster attainment of full-time work post-school

• Employers are looking, above all other factors/skills, for students who “want to be there,” can communicate, and who see themselves as being there to learn

• Enhancing the quality of an SWL placement is important, and can be achieved by focusing on how a student prepares for placement (and reflects on it) and also how much a student shares with their employer about their VET studies, the units they are undertaking, and their goals

• If you have specific placement needs – and if the SWL portal has only some of them – please do contact us, as we can then seek to sign up new employers for you as needed

Take a look at some photos from the event and keep an ear out for all the future OELLEN events coming soon!