Latest Newsletter

From The Principal

Article by Adam Taylor

Dear Parents and Friends of St Bernard’s,

In the last edition of the Newsletter, I wrote about current work that the College is undertaking in developing a Vision for Learning. I noted that high amongst the concerns of teachers is to offer a more deeply engaging “authentic learning experience" that connects the curriculum to the “real world”.

Since writing those words, I met with a group of parents and members of staff at the most recent Parent Engagement Network meeting last Monday evening. Our discussion turned to the range of skills that young people need today in order to achieve success in the contemporary workplace.

One parent related his experience of the transformation of his own workplace in recent years. He also sees an emerging shift in what will be required of his youngest son, still at school, to transition successfully to the workplace, compared to the relatively easier path of his oldest son. I asked him after the meeting to commit some of his thoughts to writing. This is a part of what he said:

…The boys face an additional challenge in their professional careers. Their fathers, grandfathers and even older siblings’ generations benefited from the positive bias (not recognised at the time) for middle class males in the professional workforce. They managed to achieve significant seniority in professional roles, sometimes without being as strong as other groups. This means that current students, and even recent graduates, will have to be significantly better skilled and  better performing than previous generations versus the general community…

Of course, an holistic Edmund Rice education is an education for a good life, not just a good living; but it is not an “either/or” — rather it is a “both”. In developing our Vision for Learning, we continue to reflect on the best ways to embed the enterprise skills of

“problem solving, communication and teamwork through formal education.”  

The Foundation for Young Australians. 2018. The New Work Reality. Melbourne.

It is one way that we can provide opportunities for our students in the transition from the world of school to the world of work.

Discere et Agere

 

 

Article by Jess Smith
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