Pathways

Wellington High School is committed to providing skills, knowledge, and qualifications to support our students’ success in the future in further education or employment.

Our students follow many different pathways during and beyond school. We work closely with education providers so that you can make the right choices for you.

Wellington High School has a dedicated Careers team that provides guidance and assistance throughout this process. The Careers team is available to meet with students to help with subject choice selection, enrolling for tertiary study, applying for scholarships, STAR & Trades Academy choices, CV preparation, applying for jobs, and more.

To make an appointment to see one of our team please click on the appointment link below.


Chuni Bhikha
Careers Advisor Yr13
Head of Careers Dept & Pathways Teacher
bac@whs.school.nz
Bec McKenzie
Careers & Pathways Teacher/Career Advisor
mrc@whs.school.nz
Denise Pannett
Careers Administrator
ptd@whs.school.nz

Upcoming Notices & Events

These events are open to all students. If you require further information, please contact Chuni Bhikha (Careers Advisor) at bac@whs.school.nz.

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General Websites

Use these websites to find information about Careers in New Zealand. The NZ careers site will give you comprehensive information about career planning and job outlook in New Zealand. The Employment Relations Service gives you information about laws relating to New Zealand workplaces.

  • Careers NZ Website
  • Seek.co.nz – Job Vacancies
  • WHS NCEA Information – Includes details on the Guaranteed Entry Scores for university.
  • Scholarships and Financial Help – Further education scholarships, awards, and financial help from the Ministry of Education and other provider
  • Women in Trades – Women in Trades (WIT) is a not-for-profit that promotes trades and trades training as a viable career option for women and employers. We are a committed group of people from the trade services industries.
  • MoneyHub NZ – We’re trusted by over half a million New Zealanders who use our resources to help them make important financial decisions. The purpose is to comprehensive, objective, and free information to help you make the best decision for your needs. Help you find the right financial products or services, saving time, hassle, and money. Empower you to know your consumer rights by providing transparent, up-to-date resources​.
  • Just The Job – Over 300 career profiling videos. Check out what career is right for you.
  • Careers.govt.nz – Oompher
  • Free Personality Test
  • Citizens Advice Bureau – Youth – Our goal is to empower people by providing youth with the information they need to make informed decisions and access the services that support them. Our national website has a comprehensive “Your Rights” database, and a Community Directory featuring over 35,000 organizations. Recently, we launched our Youth Tool Kete website designed to help young people navigate those “firsts” in adult life by offering relevant, accessible information on topics that matter to them.
  • NZ School Leavers Tool Kit – Practical skills for life Advice and resources for finding your way after leaving school
  • Tahatū – Tahatū Career Navigator connects NCEA school subjects, qualifications, and careers, showing the most common paths others have taken to get to that career or job.

What is an Apprenticeship?

Becoming an apprentice means learning a new trade while you work. You’ll get a globally-recognised qualification and hands-on job experience, plus you’ll get paid so you won’t go into debt. The more qualifications you get, the more you can earn.

You may be interested in upskilling where you work now, or starting out in a new job. Anyone can do an apprenticeship if they’re aged 16 or older, legally reside in New Zealand, and hold a current driver license. You must have citizenship, permanent residency or a valid visa to work in New Zealand. The average length of an apprenticeship is three to four years.

Apprenticeships can help open doors to owning your own business, or working overseas.
https://tahatu.govt.nz/study-and-training/getting-qualifications/about-apprenticeships

Industry Training Organisation Websites

These are the websites you look at if you are thinking of getting an apprenticeship. An apprenticeship is a contract between you, an employer and an industry training organisation and will get you an industry qualification at level 3 or 4 on the NZQA website.

  • ATNZ – Engineering Apprenticeships in New Zealand
  • Building and Construction ITO – Building, construction, flooring, masonry, glass and glazing, joinery, interior systems, and painting and decorating.
  • Career Force – Health and disability support, Social and community support, cleaning, caretaking, and pest management.
  • Competenz – Engineering, manufacturing, forestry, communications and media, maritime and rail transport, and other trades (locksmithing, fire protection, refrigeration, heating and air conditioning).
  • ETCO – New Zealand’s provider of electrical and training apprenticeships
  • Funeral Service Training Trust of New Zealand – The Funeral Service Training Trust of New Zealand (FSTT) is the Industry Training Organisation (ITO) for the funeral industry in New Zealand.
  • Hairdressing ITO – Hairdressing, barbering, and beauty.
  • Infrastructure ITO – Civil construction, electricity supply and transmission, water, and telecommunications.
  • Primary ITO – Agriculture, horticulture, sports turf, equine, dairy manufacturing, meat processing, and seafood.
  • Motor ITO – Automotive, commercial road transport and logistics, stevedoring and ports, freight forwarding and distribution, industrial textile fabrication, extractives and drilling, gas and petrochemical, protective coating, and resource recovery.
  • MasterLink – New Zealand’s largest Kiwi-owned group training organization specializing in mentored plumbing, gasfitting & drainlaying (PGD) apprenticeships.
  • NZ MAC ITO – Boat building design and manufacturing, composite manufacturing, and marine support services.
  • Service IQ – Tourism, travel, retail, hospitality, museums, aviation, and wholesale goods operations.
  • Skills Active Aotearoa – Sports, fitness, and recreation.
  • The Skills Organisation – Plumbing, gasfitting, drainlaying, roofing, electrotechnology, real estate, financial services, local government, public sector (with some exclusions), security, contact centre, offender management, cranes and scaffolding, ambulance, emergency management, and fire services.
  • Work Force Development Council – Workforce Development Councils (WDCs) ensure the vocational education system meets industry needs and gives a stronger voice to Māori business and iwi development. Are six WDCs responsible for setting standards, developing qualifications, and helping shape the vocational education curriculum?

About University Entrance

University Entrance (UE) is the minimum requirement to go from school to a New Zealand university. Being awarded University Entrance also opens doors to tertiary study in other countries.

Once you have met the requirements for University Entrance, it will appear on your Record of Achievement. To be awarded UE, you need:

  • NCEA Level 3
  • 14 credits at Level 3 in each of the three approved subjects
  • 10 Literacy credits at Level 2 or above, made up of 5 credits in reading, 5 credits in writing
  • 10 Numeracy credits at Level 1 or above, comprising co-requisite Level 1 Numeracy unit standard 32406 or Te Pāngarau unit standard 32412, or certain achievement standards.
  • NZQA University Entrance Requirements University Guaranteed Entry Scores

NZQA Website

University Websites

These are the websites for all the Universities NZ websites If you want to attend one of these universities in the future look at the prospective students section of the appropriate university. Thinking about university? And what to study and where? Click here

Contact Details for University Student Advisors

Polytechnic and Institute of Technology Websites

These are the websites for all the New Zealand Polytechnics and Institutes of Technology. If you want to attend one of these universities in the future look at the prospective students section of the appropriate university.

Other Education Options

Student Loans, Allowances & Benefits

Student Allowance:
This is a weekly payment for full-time students to help with day-to-day living expenses. You have to meet certain criteria to qualify, but you won’t have to pay it back.

Student Loan:
The Student Loan is there to help with study costs. You may get a loan to help with your compulsory fees, course-related expenses, and living costs. You do have to pay this back. Loans can help finance a student’s tertiary study. Depending on some criteria, a student may be eligible for a student loan, allowance, and/or accommodation benefit. For more information and eligibility tests, click on the links below.

We recommend students also regularly check their emails and the Year 13 to ensure they know when universities, polytechnics, and organizations are visiting WHS and for the latest career and tertiary study updates.

Scholarships & Grants (NZ & Overseas)

A range of scholarships, grants, and internships are offered yearly from universities, polytechnics, tertiary providers, organizations, and businesses throughout New Zealand and overseas. The NZ Scholarship Directories listed below are a good starting point for researching options in New Zealand.

Student Exchange

There are a variety of organizations that provide student exchanges to a multitude of destinations worldwide. These are generally for a full year or a semester with varying departure dates. This is a brilliant opportunity to learn a new culture and perhaps a new language.

Please visit Chuni Bhikha (Careers Advisor) for any questions on tertiary study, student loans and allowances, student exchanges, and scholarships. Parents and students are welcome to email Chuni at bac@whs.school.nz

Gap Year

A gap year is simply a year, or even less, taken out from formal education.

This year may occur during the transition from secondary school to tertiary education, or even after completing all formal education but before entering the workforce. Regardless of when it occurs, many options for gap years include travel, work, or volunteering.

For an excellent overview of taking a gap year, what type of things you can do, including the advantages and disadvantages of taking time away from study visit careermatters.co.nz

Voluntary Work

What is voluntary work and how does it help you?

Voluntary work positively contributes to your community by giving time and skills to help others. Volunteering brings a wide range of personal benefits including enjoyment, a sense of purpose and belonging within the community, higher levels of life satisfaction, and a feeling of connection.

https://www.careers.govt.nz/articles/four-ways-volunteering-can-advance-your-career

Trades Academy

The purpose of Wellington Trades Academy courses is to provide students with the opportunity to get a head start, continue with education, and learn new skills in various vocational pathways not offered within secondary schools. You will select one area of interest and attend classes either one or two days per week, whilst still attending your usual secondary school for the other three or four days.

The pathway you choose will allow you to gain credits towards NCEA and other national qualifications within vocational pathways. These skills will assist in preparing you for either further study in your chosen area, or entry into employment or apprenticeships. It is an exciting opportunity for you to start developing the skills and attributes that are valued by employers alongside gaining your qualifications. We support you, along with your teachers at school, in planning your next stage to identify what that may look like.

STAR – Free & Partially Funded Courses

What are STAR courses?

STAR courses are for Year 11-13 students who want to explore tertiary study while still at school. Many tertiary education providers offer open days, short courses, and other ways to explore tertiary education.

  • Some are Taster courses and are FREE – ALL others have a cost
  • Schools have a fund for this BUT there are limited funds
  • Payment options: School pays/50:50/family pays
Example STAR Courses on offer:
  • Vocational course providers
  • Barista
  • Vet Nursing
  • Flight Attendant
  • Architectural Technology
  • Communications/Teamwork
  • Game Development
  • Nursing Paramedic
  • Cookery Intro
  • Youth Work
  • Animation
  • Medical Careers presentation
  • Carpentry

University level courses (100 courses)

  • Cybersecurity
  • Global Studies
  • Maths
  • Computer Science
What can students achieve by completing a STAR course?

STAR courses offer students an introductory day or two in their chosen career field. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to sample a course and make sure that this particular study path is right before commitment. STAR supports students to explore career pathways and helps them make informed decisions about their future work or study.

What a fantastic way to witness students begin their journeys of exploration and the ‘world of careers’.

After STAR Courses

Voluntary Work

As university places, apprenticeship options, and job opportunities become increasingly more competitive, students must learn new skills or develop connections to give them the best possible chance of securing the next step in their careers. Gaining real-world work experience through volunteering is a great way for students to build skills, increase employability, and enjoy various other benefits that will help them develop.

Beyond supporting the local community, volunteering has various personal benefits for students, including helping with career paths, improving college and university applications, and providing social opportunities.

https://volunteerwellington.nz

Pathways

This Pathways class focuses on developing a foundation of skills, experience, and knowledge to create the opportunity for confident and meaningful transitions for students. All students will:

  • Complete/update CV
  • Develop a Career Plan
  • Have interview practice
  • Job Search Skills
  • Develop an awareness of Employment Agreements and Employment Dispute resolution
  • Gateway/STAR courses (distance learning where relevant)
  • Health and Safety in the Workplace Course
  • Volunteer Work
  • Learner license
  • Misc life skills standards – flatting, budgeting, tertiary study finances, self-management and more

Papa Taiao Earthcare

Papa Taiao’s programs offer a range of possibilities for student-led innovative and entrepreneurial learning. Whether you want to lead and make a change, develop a social or ecological enterprise or participate in the restoration of the climate, our biodiversity, our coasts and waterways, or learn how to regenerate kai moana, harvest or catch a feed we have a program to help you achieve your goals.

Check out some of the courses Papa Taiao offers

Job Hunting & Careers

Careers NZ helps students by providing tools and information to help them make decisions about their careers and education. Careers NZ also provides a database of information about occupations, tertiary education, and training. Visit the Tahatu website. Careers NZ has also created a free job hunters workbook

Popular job search websites in NZ are Seek, Trade Me, MoneyHub’s Student Jobs Directory, and Student Job Search (available to current or intending tertiary students only).

CV Writing & Resources

Any questions about career options, CV writing, apprenticeships, or job hunting? Please visit Chuni Bhikha (Careers Advisor) Parents and students are welcome to email Chuni at bac@whs.school.nz

Careers Central And Tahatu

Career Central is a site we use at school to help you create a personal career profile. It is a leading platform for student pathway management. It is an informative site for all career information, providing interactive modules for students, teachers, and caregivers. https://www.careercentral.school.nz

Tahatu

Tahatu Career Navigator connects NCEA school subjects, qualifications, and careers and shows the most common ways others have taken to get to that career or job. It brings this information together for the first time in one place, profiling 100 school subjects, 4,000 qualifications, and 800 ideas.

Tahatu Career Navigator will become a trusted source of career information across Aotearoa New Zealand and a key resource for those providing career support and advice. Tahatu Career Navigator is an important initiative under the National Careers System Strategy and a key objective in the Tertiary Education Strategy for the future of learning and work.

‘Discover Tahatu Career Navigator’ that showcases everything Tahatu has to offer https://tahatu.govt.nz/

Whānau As Career Educators

Parents and whānau are often the first and preferred choice for information, advice, and guidance for young people when making career decisions. Parents and whānau, working alongside school Career Advisors, have a positive impact on student learning and transition outcomes.

Often parents and whanau hear the word ‘career’ and think back to when they were younger it was the norm to choose a career path for life. Those days are gone.

Many parents and whānau report they feel overwhelmed about how to help their teenagers in making informed career decisions. They often believe they might give them incorrect advice, resulting in the teenager making the wrong decision. In today’s fast-changing world, there is no such thing as a wrong choice because a career decision is not a single event. Career paths are no longer linear with a fixed destination, rather career paths are now a journey, with multiple roads and numerous destinations, guided by available support, and ever-growing opportunities. There will be bumps in the road along the way however, the key is to support your teen in overcoming these bumps. We have a forgiving education system that enables students to recover from false starts so be sure that teens understand the power of resilience and the ability to bounce back is a skill that will serve them well in the 21st-century working world.

Advice for parents, families, and whanau, links below to help the next stage in a student’s study or training journey. https://www.connected.govt.nz/support-for-you/careers-advice/advice-for-parents-families-and-whanau/