Hello there!
Yep! Gone fishing!
Well not quite but I am away for a few days and when I get back we will be into the last weeks of the school year.
Exams are over, the summer holidays are looming and it's time to let your children learn about the big, real world of jobs.
Encourage them as much as possible to take on some part-time work or volunteering to a charity group that appeals. it will give them a few skills they are going to need like:
1) time management
2) self responsibility
3) focus on the world outside of themselves
4) managing money
5) communication skills
6) learning to work responsibly and respectfully with and for others
And you may see a little more maturity creeping into your children in a few short weeks - not bad huh?
Till next time
Melody
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Looking Forward - Careers in the 21st Century
Hello there
This week I was asked by a concerned parent
‘What are the careers for the 21st Century?’
Now this got me thinking and some would say this is not always a good thing but the more I thought about it the more I realised that many of the jobs we currently have will be severely diminished if not extinct within my lifetime.
These careers could include anything to do with the mining and petroleum industry and plastics manufacturing, the auto industries and energy utility industry as we know it and even food production, transportation and logistics will look very different 50 years from now.
We will have new jobs where technology and primary industries mesh, especially in the regions of food production, distribution and supply. Also how we keep food stuffs, cook and present food will all change as the world grapples with over population and limited resources in food, water and shelter.
Our energy supplies will need to be more efficient and possibly come from the endless and clean supplies of sun and wind. Our homes will be made of sustainable materials that can be recycled and reused and our dwellings will need to be more efficient in terms of space and use.
Well this is one of the reasons many developed nations are looking for people who have engineering, science or technology backgrounds along with problem solving capabilities as these are the skills considered necessary to solve these dilemmas. But what of the people inhabiting the planet?
So what attributes would a career as a peacemaker or builder require?
The time for Peace is now. Those who will be the leaders and work in the Peace Industry are already being called forward to take their places. The rest of us are also being called to bear witness, to act with as little harm as possible and to take responsibility for our own inner peace.
The 21st century will be a challenging and yet exciting and fulfilling time to live on Earth. The journey to Peace and the careers necessary to sustain it are seedlings as we sit in 2008 and your children will be the trailblazers for this new world.
Until next time,
Melody
This week I was asked by a concerned parent
‘What are the careers for the 21st Century?’
Now this got me thinking and some would say this is not always a good thing but the more I thought about it the more I realised that many of the jobs we currently have will be severely diminished if not extinct within my lifetime.
These careers could include anything to do with the mining and petroleum industry and plastics manufacturing, the auto industries and energy utility industry as we know it and even food production, transportation and logistics will look very different 50 years from now.
We will have new jobs where technology and primary industries mesh, especially in the regions of food production, distribution and supply. Also how we keep food stuffs, cook and present food will all change as the world grapples with over population and limited resources in food, water and shelter.
Our energy supplies will need to be more efficient and possibly come from the endless and clean supplies of sun and wind. Our homes will be made of sustainable materials that can be recycled and reused and our dwellings will need to be more efficient in terms of space and use.
So how will we find these careers, how will they happen?
Well this is one of the reasons many developed nations are looking for people who have engineering, science or technology backgrounds along with problem solving capabilities as these are the skills considered necessary to solve these dilemmas. But what of the people inhabiting the planet?
What type of careers will we need to develop to cope with the speed and change necessary for humanity to not only survive but thrive in these coming challenges?
There is going to be a need for a much greater sense of community and the need to work collectively. Groups of people will need to work together across the globe to a specific set of values and integrities. These values will be the thing that unites them regardless of their race, colour, ethnicity, religion, gender or age. They will be in the careers of social ecology, social sustainability and we will need lots of them. We will need community carers across all age groups but particularly for the young, aged or defenceless and we will need not just peace keepers but peacemakers or peace builders.
The singular most important ingredient for balance, prosperity and sustainability of our world is PEACE.
And as our world shows us - this is something that we need to learn to do in the same way we need to learn to read, write or play a sport.
It is now time, not for a peace movement but for a peace industry - an industry that recognises the financial, social and personal career benefits for having peace as our core state from which all resources can be managed.
And as our world shows us - this is something that we need to learn to do in the same way we need to learn to read, write or play a sport.
It is now time, not for a peace movement but for a peace industry - an industry that recognises the financial, social and personal career benefits for having peace as our core state from which all resources can be managed.
So what attributes would a career as a peacemaker or builder require?
Well for me, Peace is a quality within that once taken root emanates outwards into the world. Peaceful actions can be learned but the state of peace is innate. This reminds me very much of Creativity. We are all capable of creative acts, but those of us with more natural talent will develop greater sensitivity, trust and development of our creativity and spend more time wishing to express it. I think the same can be said of peace.
So what does creativity and peace have in common?
1) Talent – the natural desire and ability to express a state - be it peaceful or creative. We all have it, we express it in different ways and what we need is a map to be able to read and understand the differences.
2) Skill – we are able to recognise skills and abilities once the ‘map’ is in place and from here we start building the skills to create competency. We study and practise to make the skills strong and effortless.
3) Motivation – It is in the third step that we often falter, we are hard at the grindstone not yet seeing the benefits of our efforts and we often lose our passion here. This is where we need the teacher, the coach or the mentor to help us keep going.
4) Productivity – a creative person produces a lot – much of what they produce may never see the light of day, but nevertheless they write or paint or practise their violin for hours. They learn to love deeply and appreciate fully the gift they have been given and the work it takes to master it. Peace when it is loved, desired and appreciated fully becomes the work and the gift.
5) Knowledge – Over time with effort, practise, diligence and constant upgrading of one’s knowledge we master the expression of peace. Our knowledge grows of ourselves, others and the requirements necessary for peace and our peaceful ‘being-ness’ is a natural state.
6) Collaboration – Peace more than any other state within the human expression thrives most effectively when it is agreed to and motivated by the collaboration of the group. When each person is listened to, acknowledged for their contribution and recognized as a person of value, then peace can develop and grow into a strong root that enables prosperity and sustainability of the community, nation and world.
7) Marketing – No creative artist can be recognised in the world without the assistance of a patron, a business or marketing team or process that gets the idea in the world for others to appreciate and value. Peace is no exception to this rule. Each act of peace no matter how small is organic. It flies like the seeds of a dandelion head on the breeze of the marketing spiel and rests in the heart and minds of men and women ready to bloom when the time is right.
So what does creativity and peace have in common?
1) Talent – the natural desire and ability to express a state - be it peaceful or creative. We all have it, we express it in different ways and what we need is a map to be able to read and understand the differences.
2) Skill – we are able to recognise skills and abilities once the ‘map’ is in place and from here we start building the skills to create competency. We study and practise to make the skills strong and effortless.
3) Motivation – It is in the third step that we often falter, we are hard at the grindstone not yet seeing the benefits of our efforts and we often lose our passion here. This is where we need the teacher, the coach or the mentor to help us keep going.
4) Productivity – a creative person produces a lot – much of what they produce may never see the light of day, but nevertheless they write or paint or practise their violin for hours. They learn to love deeply and appreciate fully the gift they have been given and the work it takes to master it. Peace when it is loved, desired and appreciated fully becomes the work and the gift.
5) Knowledge – Over time with effort, practise, diligence and constant upgrading of one’s knowledge we master the expression of peace. Our knowledge grows of ourselves, others and the requirements necessary for peace and our peaceful ‘being-ness’ is a natural state.
6) Collaboration – Peace more than any other state within the human expression thrives most effectively when it is agreed to and motivated by the collaboration of the group. When each person is listened to, acknowledged for their contribution and recognized as a person of value, then peace can develop and grow into a strong root that enables prosperity and sustainability of the community, nation and world.
7) Marketing – No creative artist can be recognised in the world without the assistance of a patron, a business or marketing team or process that gets the idea in the world for others to appreciate and value. Peace is no exception to this rule. Each act of peace no matter how small is organic. It flies like the seeds of a dandelion head on the breeze of the marketing spiel and rests in the heart and minds of men and women ready to bloom when the time is right.
The time for Peace is now. Those who will be the leaders and work in the Peace Industry are already being called forward to take their places. The rest of us are also being called to bear witness, to act with as little harm as possible and to take responsibility for our own inner peace.
The 21st century will be a challenging and yet exciting and fulfilling time to live on Earth. The journey to Peace and the careers necessary to sustain it are seedlings as we sit in 2008 and your children will be the trailblazers for this new world.
Until next time,
Melody
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Meet Lynelle Barker - Entertainment Manager at the Sydney Royal Easter Show!
Hello there!
During the time of the blog I will occasionally introduce you to people who love the job they're in. It will give you a chance to see how they got to do what they are doing and a little bit about their job.
So for today's blog I am introducing you to: Lynelle Barker, who works as the Entertainment Manager at the Sydney Royal Easter Show which is a division of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW
How did you get to this job?
I have been employed by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW for the past 23 years.
As a student, many, many years ago (1984 -1986) I commenced casual employment with the RAS of NSW throughout the school holidays and then over Easter period working on the largest event in the Southern Hemisphere the "Sydney Royal Easter Show".
In 1986, I completed my HSC and commenced full time employment the following week.
Throughout my career with the RAS of NSW, I have been fortunate to work within a variety of departments and manage a range of projects.
Sydney Royal Easter Show
Entertainment Manager September 2003 – Present
Arena Events Manager (Horse & Cattle Sections) October 2002 – September 2003
Special Events Manager November 1997 – October 2002
Livestock Administration Manager May 1996 - October 1997
Horse Events Manager July 1993 – April 1996
Personnel Assistant to the Horse Registrar October 1986 – June 1993
Casual Employee for the Royal Easter Show 1984 & 1985 & 1986
Agview – The Family Farm Show
Project Manager 1996
Assistant Project Manager 1995
Breed Societies
Registrar, The Australian Saddle Pony Association August 1987 – July 1988
Secretary, The Australian Pony Stud Book Society November 1986 – August 1987
Business Operations:
Beverage Supervisor 1994 – 1996
Bar Person 1991 – 1993
What do you love about your job?
I have been very fortunate to work with amazing international and national professional talent and community groups, all of whom have a major influence within the SRES Entertainment "Show Family".
I enjoy being creative, through developing productions (main arena productions incorporating livestock to extreme sports shows, stage shows, fashion parades and street entertainment.)
I am so proud of my cast and crew as we have received world recognition for our Man from Snowy River Productions and Xtreme Korruption showcased at SRES. The dedicated “Show Family” are deserving of such recognition, having worked long and hard to develop these truly world class crowd pleasers.
I travel nationally and internationally sourcing talent, always on the look out for the next "Wow Factor."
My biggest buzz though, is watching viewers exiting any of our venues, and hear them say "Wow", wasn't that great!".
So there you have it.
Till next time,
Melody
During the time of the blog I will occasionally introduce you to people who love the job they're in. It will give you a chance to see how they got to do what they are doing and a little bit about their job.
So for today's blog I am introducing you to: Lynelle Barker, who works as the Entertainment Manager at the Sydney Royal Easter Show which is a division of the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW
How did you get to this job?
I have been employed by the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW for the past 23 years.
As a student, many, many years ago (1984 -1986) I commenced casual employment with the RAS of NSW throughout the school holidays and then over Easter period working on the largest event in the Southern Hemisphere the "Sydney Royal Easter Show".
In 1986, I completed my HSC and commenced full time employment the following week.
Throughout my career with the RAS of NSW, I have been fortunate to work within a variety of departments and manage a range of projects.
Sydney Royal Easter Show
Entertainment Manager September 2003 – Present
Arena Events Manager (Horse & Cattle Sections) October 2002 – September 2003
Special Events Manager November 1997 – October 2002
Livestock Administration Manager May 1996 - October 1997
Horse Events Manager July 1993 – April 1996
Personnel Assistant to the Horse Registrar October 1986 – June 1993
Casual Employee for the Royal Easter Show 1984 & 1985 & 1986
Agview – The Family Farm Show
Project Manager 1996
Assistant Project Manager 1995
Breed Societies
Registrar, The Australian Saddle Pony Association August 1987 – July 1988
Secretary, The Australian Pony Stud Book Society November 1986 – August 1987
Business Operations:
Beverage Supervisor 1994 – 1996
Bar Person 1991 – 1993
What do you love about your job?
I have been very fortunate to work with amazing international and national professional talent and community groups, all of whom have a major influence within the SRES Entertainment "Show Family".
I enjoy being creative, through developing productions (main arena productions incorporating livestock to extreme sports shows, stage shows, fashion parades and street entertainment.)
I am so proud of my cast and crew as we have received world recognition for our Man from Snowy River Productions and Xtreme Korruption showcased at SRES. The dedicated “Show Family” are deserving of such recognition, having worked long and hard to develop these truly world class crowd pleasers.
I travel nationally and internationally sourcing talent, always on the look out for the next "Wow Factor."
My biggest buzz though, is watching viewers exiting any of our venues, and hear them say "Wow", wasn't that great!".
So there you have it.
Till next time,
Melody
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Girl Power!
Hello there
Your daughter is your family pearl and you want the world to be her oyster, right?
That means allowing her to have the opportunity to follow her dreams and career goals. It also means finding support in part-time work and career preparation tools.
http://girl.com.au can offer this and more. Why not check it out and hook your daughter up?
While she is getting 'all the goss' on her latest screen heart throb she will also be able to find out some good stuff that will help her with her future directions.
Till next time,
Melody
Your daughter is your family pearl and you want the world to be her oyster, right?
That means allowing her to have the opportunity to follow her dreams and career goals. It also means finding support in part-time work and career preparation tools.
http://girl.com.au can offer this and more. Why not check it out and hook your daughter up?
While she is getting 'all the goss' on her latest screen heart throb she will also be able to find out some good stuff that will help her with her future directions.
Till next time,
Melody
Fashion Futures
Hello there
Do you have a budding fashion designer under your roof?
Are you wondering how they will get to be the latest 'hot new thing' in a fashion industry that is highly competitive, difficult to enter successfully and keep business going in a global market ruled by the trends of overseas?
Or are you simply dreading the possibility that you will have to have your creative child live at home for ever?
Fashion designers like most creative endeavour-ers have a hard road to hoe.
It takes, guts, determination, a single-minded belief along with excellent business and marketing skills. While the student might get qualifications, support and learn some of the basics at TAFE or a private Registered Training Organisation(RTO) or college it is much harder to survive, never mind thrive in the fashion world once you are qualified.
So where do you go for help?
Well Helen Sattler at Frock Fashion Online has helped many a local designer get their designs seen by the frock fashionistas.
In three short years Helen has managed to get her Northern Beaches Fashion events to the eye of the national media, which is no small accomplishment!
Check her out at http://www.frockfashion.com.au/
Till next time
Melody
Do you have a budding fashion designer under your roof?
Are you wondering how they will get to be the latest 'hot new thing' in a fashion industry that is highly competitive, difficult to enter successfully and keep business going in a global market ruled by the trends of overseas?
Or are you simply dreading the possibility that you will have to have your creative child live at home for ever?
Fashion designers like most creative endeavour-ers have a hard road to hoe.
It takes, guts, determination, a single-minded belief along with excellent business and marketing skills. While the student might get qualifications, support and learn some of the basics at TAFE or a private Registered Training Organisation(RTO) or college it is much harder to survive, never mind thrive in the fashion world once you are qualified.
So where do you go for help?
Well Helen Sattler at Frock Fashion Online has helped many a local designer get their designs seen by the frock fashionistas.
In three short years Helen has managed to get her Northern Beaches Fashion events to the eye of the national media, which is no small accomplishment!
Check her out at http://www.frockfashion.com.au/
Till next time
Melody
Monday, November 10, 2008
How to get in-depth information about an industry - Part 2
Hello there
So leading on from our last blog. You have found an industry that your son or daughter is interested in. Congratulations! This is a great first step.
Now you will need more details about how your child is going to reach that goal. Do you immediately enrol your son or daughter in a university qualification or are there other routes into the industry?
One of the ways to get this kind of information is to visit the website of one of the 11 skills industry councils in Australia. If you google ' industry councils australia' you will get the websites listed.
So leading on from our last blog. You have found an industry that your son or daughter is interested in. Congratulations! This is a great first step.
Now you will need more details about how your child is going to reach that goal. Do you immediately enrol your son or daughter in a university qualification or are there other routes into the industry?
One of the ways to get this kind of information is to visit the website of one of the 11 skills industry councils in Australia. If you google ' industry councils australia' you will get the websites listed.
Here is just one of these: Innovation and Business Skills Australia www.ibsa.org.au
The IBSA Careers site provides fact sheets for a variety of careers that include information about tasks performed in the occupation, training options, what training may involve, where training can be undertaken and links to other useful websites.
New to the site are the excellent videos, produced by SkillsOne, that have now been embedded into specific industry links.
For more details, please go to www.ibsa.org.au/content/careers/index.html.
Currently you will find videos in the following industries:
Business Services
Education
Entertainment
Screen and Media
Financial Services
Information and Communication Technology
Museum and Library/Information Services
Music
Printing and Graphic Arts
Telecommunications
Visual Arts, Crafts and Design
Why not check them out?
Till next time,
Melody
Sunday, November 9, 2008
How to get in-depth information about an industry - Part 1
Hello there
I am always surprised when I speak with students or their parents about careers choices.
So many students make choices on a few meagre facts about the industry and then wonder why they don't like the work or study when they are in it!
Let's Talk Careers! is about helping you and your child have more information on their chosen field and help then be in the position to make really informed choices.
A very good resource that gives interviews, qualifications, pathways and talks to people who are in the field can be found in any of the 3o odd books published by Career Faqs Publishing.
Will Santow the director of the company has his own story to tell on how he began this company. He was looking for career information himself and finding none available with Australian content, he decided he'd fill the market with the right resources. Careers Faqs is the result.
You can check it our at http://www.careersfaqs.com.au/
Until next time,
Melody
I am always surprised when I speak with students or their parents about careers choices.
So many students make choices on a few meagre facts about the industry and then wonder why they don't like the work or study when they are in it!
Let's Talk Careers! is about helping you and your child have more information on their chosen field and help then be in the position to make really informed choices.
A very good resource that gives interviews, qualifications, pathways and talks to people who are in the field can be found in any of the 3o odd books published by Career Faqs Publishing.
Will Santow the director of the company has his own story to tell on how he began this company. He was looking for career information himself and finding none available with Australian content, he decided he'd fill the market with the right resources. Careers Faqs is the result.
You can check it our at http://www.careersfaqs.com.au/
Until next time,
Melody
Monday, November 3, 2008
End of Y10 ordeals!
Hello there
Those of you with Yr 10 students are probably in a state of stress as your child goes off to their exams during the month of November.
Some of you will already know that you have a child who is struggling at school and who seems to have disengaged from the education process.
Please know that ALL is not LOST!
Let's look at this scenario and see what options are available.
Option 1:
One of the options you may like to look at is changing your child's schooling from a school based education to a TAFE based education. This will enable the student to complete their HSC and get valuable practical skills as well. Some students find the more self directed learning environment of TAFE a better option than school. Check out your state's local TAFE for details.
Option 2:
If your child is intent on leaving school you might like to look at an apprenticeship (usually 4 years) or a traineeship (usually 2 years) in an industry that interests your child.
In an apprenticeship or traineeship some work is completed at 'school' i.e. TAFE or a Registered Training Organisation and the rest of the time is spent in the workplace. In some cases the training is done completely on site with assessments conducted throughout the time of the apprenticeship or traineeship. Apprentices receive a training wage which increases annually as they complete each year successfully. Some industries have also introduced a fast track learning system for those who wish to be qualified in less time than the apprenticeship model. For information on this check out the industry association in the industry of choice.
The general public have a very misguided idea of what is takes to be a tradesman. This is because of an old fashioned attitude that suggests you need to be more intelligent in academic pursuits than the more practical trades.
Today's world is much more complex that this set of beliefs holds. Most trades people are also very successful business people. They had gone on to further study in business (often at university level) and are required to have a good understanding of technology in as much as it impacts on their particular skills set.
Thus a trades person requires technical, theoretical and practical skills. The mode of learning is applied rather than theoretical.
This suits many young men and women who have energy to burn and who find concentrated thinking without action a difficult form of learning.
During my time as a career adviser I have seen over and over the impact of choosing a learning environment that suits a person's strengths - they simply bloom.
They become engaged, thinking, active and excel in their fields of endeavour and most importantly - they love what they are doing.
Those of you with Yr 10 students are probably in a state of stress as your child goes off to their exams during the month of November.
Some of you will already know that you have a child who is struggling at school and who seems to have disengaged from the education process.
Please know that ALL is not LOST!
Let's look at this scenario and see what options are available.
Option 1:
One of the options you may like to look at is changing your child's schooling from a school based education to a TAFE based education. This will enable the student to complete their HSC and get valuable practical skills as well. Some students find the more self directed learning environment of TAFE a better option than school. Check out your state's local TAFE for details.
Option 2:
If your child is intent on leaving school you might like to look at an apprenticeship (usually 4 years) or a traineeship (usually 2 years) in an industry that interests your child.
In an apprenticeship or traineeship some work is completed at 'school' i.e. TAFE or a Registered Training Organisation and the rest of the time is spent in the workplace. In some cases the training is done completely on site with assessments conducted throughout the time of the apprenticeship or traineeship. Apprentices receive a training wage which increases annually as they complete each year successfully. Some industries have also introduced a fast track learning system for those who wish to be qualified in less time than the apprenticeship model. For information on this check out the industry association in the industry of choice.
The general public have a very misguided idea of what is takes to be a tradesman. This is because of an old fashioned attitude that suggests you need to be more intelligent in academic pursuits than the more practical trades.
Today's world is much more complex that this set of beliefs holds. Most trades people are also very successful business people. They had gone on to further study in business (often at university level) and are required to have a good understanding of technology in as much as it impacts on their particular skills set.
Thus a trades person requires technical, theoretical and practical skills. The mode of learning is applied rather than theoretical.
This suits many young men and women who have energy to burn and who find concentrated thinking without action a difficult form of learning.
Your child is not a failure or less than a more academic student - he or she simply have different strengths.
During my time as a career adviser I have seen over and over the impact of choosing a learning environment that suits a person's strengths - they simply bloom.
They become engaged, thinking, active and excel in their fields of endeavour and most importantly - they love what they are doing.
What more would you as a parent want for your child than that?
There is a lot of information available about apprenticeships and traineeships.
A good site to begin is: http://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/
Option 3:
Your child may engage better at school if s/he is more stimulated at home. By this I mean working part time.
If your child has not yet got a part time jo then now is the time to get one.
While you may not need to have your child working it is a really good developmental time for students to learn about the working environment.
Research has shown that students that rely on their parents for an allowance and their needs often lack the skills and attitudes necessary to survive in the world and make a good employee, or business owner later.
Letting your son or daughter get a part time job helps them discover
self esteem
initiative
prioritising work and friends
negotiating
self management
time management
money management
loyalty as it refers to work
team skills
respnsibility
maturity
And guess what?
Most of these attributes are what employers are looking for in students once they have finished there training and are ready for full time work in the work force - these are the basis of employability skills that you hear banded around in the media.
Till next time
Melody
Converging Science and Technology
Hello there
Firstly my apologies. It has been rather hectic over the last few weeks and I have not managed to get the blog entries up I had hoped - so you will get a few all together!
So today we are looking at where science and technology converge - here is the scenario:
Your lovely Yr 9 son or daughter arrives home one day and out of the blue says
On this site there is a guide. Please keep in mind that the figues are a few years out of date and are for the US market. I was unable to source data for Australia.
Firstly my apologies. It has been rather hectic over the last few weeks and I have not managed to get the blog entries up I had hoped - so you will get a few all together!
So today we are looking at where science and technology converge - here is the scenario:
Your lovely Yr 9 son or daughter arrives home one day and out of the blue says
'I think I want to work in Nanotechnology, Mum!'
Where do you go to find out what nanotechnology is and what career pathways are open to it?
Well here are a couple of websites that can start you off on your search!
1) This site gives you some background articles to the industry in Australia.
The reality is that while we have a burgeoning nanotechnology industry in Australia we do not invest the funding for projects and research in the way that countries overseas do and your Yr 9 student may eventually head overseas to expand their career.
2) This site lists the universities in Australia that offer nanotechnology
3) And the very important Ygen question - how much do nanotechnologists earn?
On this site there is a guide. Please keep in mind that the figues are a few years out of date and are for the US market. I was unable to source data for Australia.
Finally we are a nation of innovators, inventors and researchers - our own CSIRO has been at the forefront of many of those innovations.
If you contact them you can find out more about what they are doing and what is open to the public to take your science expert to!
Till next time,
Melody
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