The Career Education Lighthouse Schools Project recognises good practice and encourages innovation in school career education programs by providing funding to schools.
Lighthouse schools champion good practice in quality career education and encourage other secondary, primary, government and non-government schools to implement quality career education programs.
Principals Australia (formerly Australian Principals Association Professional Development Council - APAPDC) has been contracted to manage the Career Education Lighthouse Schools project.
The Australian Government is committed to ensuring that all young people find and achieve their potential by ensuring they have access to high quality, relevant and up to date career information and guidance.
Principals and career advisers play a vital role in the delivery of career education in schools. Good career education programs help young people to:
- understand themselves, the world of work and how best to turn their aspirations into reality; and
- identify education, training and employment pathways at school and beyond school.
The aim of the Lighthouse project is to improve the delivery of career education in schools through disseminating positive examples of career education programs which encourage other schools to develop a planned and coordinated approach to career education.
The Hon Dr Brendan Nelson MP, former Minister for Education, Science and Training, announced $600,000 funding for the Career Education Lighthouse Schools Project on 27 July 2004. To see the original media release.
Career Advice Australia is a comprehensive career and transition support system for all young people available from 2006. This initiative will support young people from 13 to 19 years of age to achieve a successful transition through school, and from school, to further education, training or work. Career Advice Australia, formerly known as the Australian Network of Industry Careers Advisers, was announced by the Australian Government in the May 2005 Budget. Career Advice Australia is made up of the following networks, programs and services.
Local Community Partnerships(LCPs): Career Advice Australia will be delivered to schools, students and parents by Local Community Partnerships (LCPs) through the following three programs:
- The Career and Transition Support Program;
- Structured Workplace Learning; and
- The Adopt a School program.
Regional Industry Career Adviser (RICA) Network: A network of RICAs will support the LCPs by providing information, advice and resources on regional industry skills needs, employment patterns and career opportunities, with 57 RICA Service Regions providing comprehensive coverage across Australia.
National Industry Career Specialists (NICS) Network: The NICS network will support the work of RICAs and LCPs by developing and providing targeted, industry sector specific quality career advice and information on skills needs and labour markets. There are ten NICS, each operating in a specific Industry Sector.
Support for Career Advisers: Career Advice Australia is supported by four programs to improve the standards and status of career advisers, including scholarships for career advisers for industry placement and study; career advisers’ and principals’ forums; the Career Education Lighthouse Schools projects; and expansion of professional development opportunities for career advisers.
If you would like further details, please visit the following website to gain access to further information regarding Career Advice Australia: www.deewr.gov.au/careerdevelopment 
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The Lighthouse project is one of a number of initiatives which aim to highlight and reinforce high quality career education as an essential part of schooling in Australia. For information on any of these other initiatives (see below) please visit www.deewr.gov.au/careerdevelopment
- A Certificate IV in Career Development was approved by the National Quality Council and all states and territories in November 2007. The national industry consultation process that led to the establishment of the Certificate IV and the subsequent development of the learning guides have been funded by the Australian Government as a contribution to improving quality in the career development sector.
The learning guides that will accompany the Certificate are being produced by Miles Morgan Australia and will be available free of charge to download from the website.
Participants in Component 2 of Australian Career Development Studies, who have been assessed by an RTO, will receive accreditation towards the Certificate IV.
Successful completion of Certificate IV in Career Development may lead to "Associate Membership" of a member association of the Career Industry Council of Australia under the terms of the Professional Standards for Australian Career Development Practitioners. Further information about the Professional Standards can be found at http://www.cica.org.au/
Further information about the Certificate IV in Career Development go to www.career.edu.au
- The Real Game is a series of career and life skills education programs which originated in Canada and has been adapted for use in Australia. In Australia, five Real Game products are currently available for purchase: Play Real Game (8-10), Make It Real Game (10-12), The Real Game (12-14), Be Real Game (14-16),) and Get Real Game (16-18). The second Australian edition of The Real Game was published in November 2006.
The Real Game Series was developed around the ‘High Five’ Principles of Career Development: Change is Constant; Know Yourself, Believe in Yourself and Follow Your Heart; Focus on the Journey; Learning is Ongoing; and Access Your Allies.
The Real Game programs are paper-based resources for use in group or classroom settings. Students are allocated an occupation and are challenged to budget within defined incomes, to identify transferable skills, to work in teams and to understand their role in the community. The games also challenge students to understand the balance between work and leisure time through a variety of in-classroom activities.
Further information on the series together with ordering details are available on the Australian web site at www.realgame.gov.au
- Scholarships for School Career Advisers to participate in study or industry placements.
- The development of national standards and an accreditation process for career practitioners;
- A feasibility study into an Institute for Leadership in Career Development;
- An International Symposium on Career Development and Public Policy to be held in Australia in 2006;
- The production of a range of career information products and education resources for students, teachers and schools including:
- the myfuture website;
- ReCaP - a resource for school career advisers;
- Job Guide;
- Year 12 What Next?;
- Parents Talking Career Choices, ‘Bullseye’ posters and books as well as other career information products;
- Investigating infrastructure for a new national careers telephone helpline service;
- A three-part professional development package for career practitioners which consists of: ReCaP, a hard copy resource for career practitioners in schools; Australian Career Development Studies which has three programs providing different levels of learning and accreditation; and a career education elective for undergraduate teaching degrees which will be available for universities to use in 2006; and
- The ‘Steve Waugh presents: Chase Your Dreams’ school resource kit which uses contemporary role models to help young people explore their options and dreams for the future.
The Adelaide Declaration on National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century
The Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) agreed to a set of National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century in 1999. These provide broad directions to guide schools and education authorities and acknowledge the need for career education in schools. The declaration also acknowledges the capacity of all young people to learn, and the role of schooling in developing that capacity.
Career and Transition Services Framework
The Career and Transition Services Framework was developed by the MCEETYA Transition from School Taskforce and presents a range of options which could be implemented to support young people in making effective transitions through school and between school and post-school destinations. Education Ministers have noted the framework and agreed to promote the concepts in the Stepping Forward declaration which draws together a range of effective strategies, programs and activities that education and training authorities, schools, community service providers, government agencies and industry bodies can implement in ways appropriate to their organisational circumstances and priorities.
Framework for Vocational Education in Schools
In response to the National Goals relating to vocational education, a Framework for Vocational Education in Schools (comprising a policy and implementation plan), was developed by the MCEETYA VET in Schools Taskforce (now the Transition from School Taskforce).
The Framework and the implementation strategy were endorsed by all MCEETYA Ministers in January 2001 for implementation from the beginning of the 2001 school year through to 2004. The framework embraces the need for improved transition pathways for all young people from school to work and further education and training and signals a broadening of the agenda for vocational education.
Employability Skills Framework
The Employability Skills Framework, as outlined in the publication Employability Skills for the Future (DEST, ANTA 2002), identifies the generic skills and personal attributes young people need to prepare them for both employment and further learning.