It’s not ‘school or bust’. There are options, let’s check ’em out.
You can make your education work for you. There are many ways to gain knowledge and skills and the end goal will look different to each person. It’s fine to not have all the answers right now, the main thing is to think about what you want and start exploring from there. Life can be hard and feel unfair, but there is support.
Once you find what you’re interested in, there’s a bunch of different ways you can choose to follow that up.
- Electives. School is one of the best places to explore your interests. Use your SET Plan to your advantage and make the most of electives.
- Training. Check out in-school training and apprenticeships.
- QCE equivalents. It’s never too late to get your QCE (high school certificate), if you have left school early, but are still school age, you can re-enrol and complete your schooling fee-free. If you’re not school age or if you don’t want to go back to school, you can check out QCE equivalents at TAFE (make sure you look at the fees as well).
- Flexible schooling arrangements. For young people who are facing significant hardship, their school may be able to help you with a flexible program, tailored to their needs. If school still isn’t working for you, once you’ve tried flexible options and seeking help – there are alternative schools too. Talk to your school about what resources they have, or contact the Regional Youth Engagement Service (RYES) to see what’s available in your area. Don’t give up.
If you’re struggling and don’t know where to start, you can talk to someone you trust (maybe at the school or the RYES), to see what options are available.
It’s not too late.
There are always options and new opportunities. There are people who have a job specifically to help you find a solution that works for you and there are always people who care and want what’s best for you in your friends, family and school.
