By Clinton Jackson, Senior School Coordinator
Years 11 and 12 can be a busy and stressful time as students prepare for assessments and, ultimately, transfer into post-secondary training or employment. It’s tempting to think of these years as being mostly about that pressure, with some social fun along the way. At BAC, we see them as being about far more.
The Queensland Adventist Education Framework talks about “flourishing students” and “equipping [them] for a life of eternal purpose.” As Senior School Coordinator, I’ve been thinking about what that looks like in careers education. It shapes everything we put in front of senior students – the subjects we teach, the Sydney Trip, socials, and co-curricular experiences we deliver. None of it is box-ticking. It is all designed to help students make prayerful, thoughtful decisions about their future learning and work, so they can live on purpose and for purpose.
That work begins in earnest next Tuesday for our current Year 10 students, who will start SET Planning. Before they do, it’s worth understanding the labour market they’re planning for.
Queensland’s changing labour market
Earlier this year, BAC Careers Advisor Lee Vipathkun and I attended a two-day workshop where researchers from Jobs Queensland (the state agency that studies future employment needs) shared projections for the state workforce out to 2034. Three findings stood out for our students.
- Health care will be an employment powerhouse. By 2034, nearly one in five Queensland workers is expected to be employed by a health care provider – not only nursing and allied health, but administration, grounds, and support roles. Keeping an eye on this sector is a wise move.
- Post-school qualifications will be the norm, not the exception. Around 40% of the workforce is projected to hold a university degree and roughly 34% a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification. Meaningful, well‑paid careers will be built on both.
- Pathways will be more blended than ever. Future workers are likely to move between university, vocational training, and short micro-credentials across their working lives. Rather than choosing one pathway forever, today’s students need the confidence and flexibility to combine different kinds of learning as they mature.
Clearing up the complex: career pathways
Our BAC Graduate Pathway Diagram shows the options available in senior school. At its centre is why pathways exist at all: engaging in a career for purpose.
The diagram shows three main pathways, all of which result in students earning their QCE. Students may:
- Undertake VET while still at BAC or choose BAC subjects that position them to begin VET after Year 12
- Start a school‑based apprenticeship or traineeship (SBAT) during the senior years, or plan for one after they graduate
- Aim for university, using QTAC applications or early‑entry and head‑start programs that can secure a place before the end of Year 12.
There is no single “right” pathway. Each student’s choices align with their gifts, interests, and – most importantly – their sense of calling.
It takes a community
Our Year 10 students have been thinking about their options and begin SET Planning next Tuesday. With senior teachers and families alongside them, they’ll map out the pathways that come into effect in Term 4, 2026. It’s the first of many decisions, and we want them to make it well.
We also know that meaningful careers are often launched through real-world opportunity. We invite you to reach out if you are a parent or community member who could host a BAC apprentice or trainee in your workplace. Please call the administration office on 07 3347 6444 or email enquiries@bac.qld.edu.au and ask for Mrs Lee-Anne Vipathkun or me.
Our deepest hope for these young people is that they come to see their future not simply as a job, but as part of God’s calling on their lives.
"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:25)