We are so excited to announce that MCIE will be working with Head Start as a course provider! Our courses will now be available to participants of the Head Start program to kick off their future careers and support essential industries that are lacking skilled workers.
What is Head Start?
Students who can participate in the Head Start program must:
- Be enrolled in a Head Start program participating secondary school
- Maintain a minimum school attendance
- Display acceptable behaviour and maturity
- Have a keen interest or passion to work in a specific vocational industry like Early Childhood Education or Patisserie
- Have approval from their school to commence the program
What do students gain from this program?
The Head Start program allows secondary students to begin developing skills that are relevant to their future careers, as well as giving them the confidence to step into the workforce. With the head start they get in gaining experience that employers value, students will have more options when it comes to deciding where they want to work. They can also gain valuable information about the industry and have the opportunity to build networks and connections within the field.
Head Start participants get:
- Career advice and help planning out pathways to their ideal career
- A tailored Head Start pathway plan specific to the student and their employer
- Individual support and check-ins from a Head Start coordinator
- Paid training at the national standard training wage
- Quality training by a certified education provider (like MCIE)
- A VCAL or VCE certificate, along with a Cert III in their chosen field
Students aren’t the only ones to benefit from the Head Start program. The program helps employers too. They get a head start in building up their workforce and having committed trainees or apprentices who are well matched to their organisation’s needs. On the job training means that they can develop their ideal team and get to know the members from day one. Not only does this improve recruitment and retention rates for businesses who participate in Head Start, but employers have also experienced wider business outcomes as a result of participating in the program.
Head Start is a School-Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship program. It provides secondary students with the opportunity to do paid on-the-job training that contributes to a vocational qualification, all while they are still completing their VCE or VCAL certifications.
The aim of the Head Start program is to empower students who learn in different ways and have different passions, providing them with career pathways that will get them to where they want to go.