BMLLEN Futures Forum 2014

Victoria University’s Sunshine Convention Centre was the setting for the 2014 BMLLEN Futures Forum.  Seventy students from five schools in the Brimbank and Melton areas attended the Forum, which aimed to assist students in choosing their career destination pathways.  Participant schools are listed below.

  • Kurunjang Secondary College (Melton)
  • Melton Secondary College
  • CaLM (Community and Learning Melton)
  • Jackson School (Brimbank)
  • Taylors Lakes Secondary College (Brimbank)

Andrew Smith, Regional Career Development Officer, Youth Pathways Transition Team, (South West Region) from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, began the proceedings with his presentation which covered topics such as:

  • What skills will be important in the future?
  • How can I develop these skills?
  • What are the options?
  • How do I choose my subjects and course?
  • Post School options
  • Where can I get help?

Students then attended four workshops, each focusing on a different pathway:

Workshop 1: Apprenticeships/ASBA’s/Traineeships (Presented by Rachel Varalla from VECCI and Rachael Fisher from MEGT)

Workshop 2: Employability Skills (Presented by Nigel Phillips, Careers FastTrack)

Workshop 3: VCE/VCAL/VET (Presented by Maria Cox, YouthNow)

Workshop 4: Tertiary Options (Presented by Kara Hodgson, Federation University)

Guest Speaker on the day was Mr Sam Riggio.  Sam is the author of “Nothing To Fear but Fear Itself”.  After a horrific car accident in 1999 in which Sam suffered a spinal cord injury, he was told he’d never walk again.  After constant frustration and feeling let down by the system, Sam went in search of answers to improve the quality of his life using Eastern Chinese Medicine traditions, natural therapy and weight training.  What Sam discovered and how he taught himself to walk again after over six years in a wheelchair is an amazing story.  Sam’s speech was informative, thought provoking and uplifting.  He shared his insights into overcoming trauma, achieving goals against all odds and inspires the audience to achieve anything they want to.

Feedback received from students about what were the key things they learnt on the day included:

  • Never give up
  • There are many different paths you can take in life
  • The future is in my hands and I can do anything
  • Hard work can push you to what you want to achieve