Year 11 General Students Prepare For Work Placement
Next week, our Year 11 General students will step out of the classroom and into workplaces across a range of industries. That shift can feel exciting, a little daunting, and very real all at once. So this Friday, they spent the morning preparing before their first placement begins.Â
The morning sessions and presentations were designed to help students feel more ready for the transition from school to workplace. It gave them time to hear honest career stories, ask practical questions, and start thinking more clearly about the kind of future they might want to build post high school.
Learning From Women Already in the Workforce
The morning began with two industry professionals who brought very different career paths and plenty of practical insight.
Claudia, who runs her own makeup artist business, Face by Clauds, spoke to students about her industry and the path from school to self employment. Her session included an interactive sit down makeup lesson with two lucky students prepping them on what kind of professional makeup they should be wearing to placement. This gave the room plenty of energy and curiosity. It was also a reminder that career pathways do not all look the same, and that success can be built through skill, initiative, and the courage to back yourself.
Diana from Fun In Training brought that same message in a completely different way. Her energetic Zumba workshop had students up and moving, while also opening up conversation about her industry and how she transitioned into her current career. It was lively, fun, and full of personality, but it also helped students see that work can be active, people focused, and shaped by passion.
Both presenters spoke honestly about their industries and made time for questions, giving students the chance to ask what they really wanted to know.
Real Talk About What Comes Next
After morning tea, the focus shifted from industry insight to lived experience.
Students took part in a talk and Q&A team quiz session with Year 12 student Shayla and past students Paige Lagana (2025) and Rebecca Currell (2025), who shared their pathways into tourism and business, education, and nursing. That mix mattered. It gave the Year 11 students access to people who were close enough to school to remember exactly what this stage feels like, but far enough along to offer perspective.
These conversations helped answer practical questions about work placement while also giving students a clearer picture of life after school. For many girls, that is where confidence starts. Not in having every answer, but in hearing enough real stories to know there is more than one way forward.
Preparing for the Transition to Work
The mornings workshops prepared students for the transition from school to the workplace, and gave them the chance to ask questions about work placement, and help them make connections with industry speakers and professionals.
It also reflected something deeper about how students are prepared at Santa Maria. Transitions matter here. They are not treated as moments girls simply have to get through on their own. They are supported all the way through.
As work placement begins next week, our Year 11 General students will head into that experience with more than just information. They will take curiosity, confidence, adaptability, and initiative with them. That is a strong place to start.
- industry guest speakers, life after school, Santa Maria College, school to workplace transition, student career pathways, Student Confidence, vocational learning, work placement preparation, workplace readiness
Author: Santa Maria College
Santa Maria College is a vibrant girls school with a growing local presence and reputation. Our Mission is to educate young Mercy women who act with courage and compassion to enrich our world. Santa Maria College is located in Attadale in Western Australia, 16 km from the Perth CBD. We offer a Catholic education for girls in Years 5 – 12 and have 1300 students, including 152 boarders.
Weekly Wrap Up – Week 6 & 7, Term 2
