Perth's first Careers Week Australia (CWA) 2015 was recently launched at the Darch school to introduce high quality careers advice and explain the skills and talents required for the workplace.
Supported by several fast growing Perth-based businesses, CWA 2015 aims to bridge the gap between education and employment.
The driving force behind CWA 2015 is Vicki Hodgson, of Commercial Edge Consulting, and her new business partner Nick Newman, who pioneered the idea in the UK.
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READ NOW"It's important that we invest the time to support young people with advice and guidance which puts them on the right track to careers success at the earliest opportunity," Ms Hodgson said.
She said the initiative was about inspiring students to achieve their dreams and encouraging them to ask the right questions.
College Year 10 and Work Place Learning co-ordinator Lynne Makin, who helped organise the three-day event, said speakers covered a variety of topics including personal development, preparation of portfolios for interviews and presentation at an interview.
"They encouraged the students to make the most of their opportunities to build networks, both socially and professionally and the importance of doing so," she said.
"One of the other important messages that the students workshopped was their online profile and their need to be aware of the way they engage and present themselves to the community and potential employers."
Keynote speaker and Student Edge co-founder Jeremy Chetty explained the work of his organisation and how students could tap into its expertise and resources to get ahead during their studies and after leaving school.
"(He) explained to students that every person has a talent and passion which they need to find and tap into to get the best out of themselves and their career," Mrs Makin said.
"They can do this by exposing themselves to different opportunities that come their way, offer to work shadow, do volunteer work, don't be afraid to try different things out and generally"have a go"."
The students also workshopped with Ms Hodgson and GroupMap founder Jeremy Lu on what careers and industries would be around in 2050.