Young People: Choose your own employment adventure; design your own point of difference - Editorial by John Mason

One reason for high unemployment statistics for 18 to 24 year olds who are neither employed nor studying is that the world today is different than it was a decade ago. It is not the same for young people now as it was when past generations started work.  Employers are expecting much more from their employees, and expect that young people have the skills and knowledge required to ‘hit the ground running’.

The reality is that young people are still preparing for their working lives in much the same way their parents and grandparents did; with the expectation that doing well at school and gaining a “mainstream” education for a “mainstream” job is the best way to guarantee future employment. This concept started to turn into a myth in the 90’s, and it becomes more of a myth every year.

This does not mean education is not important – but today it is what you learn that matters; not so much the qualifications you attain.

No one can predict the future precisely; but a couple of things are certain:

- The world and the workplace will keep changing
- Successful people will be those who can adapt; and can differentiate themselves from the competition, offering something to a client, customer or employer which cannot be found elsewhere.

How do young people become more adaptable, knowledgeable and have a skill set that is attractive to potential employers? Basically, they need to differ from their competition. They need to have research skills, be able to work independently, be knowledgeable about their employment area and be self- motivated.

So how is this achieved? Firstly, go to a different school! Look for educators that are passionate about the PROCESS of learning, assimilating and using information, and who will teach you HOW to learn. You then walk away not only with a different qualification from your competition, but with a framework that will help you to ‘think effectively’ for the rest of your life.

ACS Distance Education courses can help young people gain a competitive advantage over other students by giving them the opportunity to work on these skills whilst studying. The courses utilise Problem Based Learning, and additionally offer the option of designing their own qualification, based on their individual career objectives.

Contact our helpful course counsellors for your career advice.

New course in development: ANIMAL GROOMING
We are in the process of developing a new course, Animal Grooming which is ideal for people who want to work with animals or animal enthusiasts to learn all about Animal Grooming. Contact Denise if you are interested in doing this & we will keep you informed! 

New Courses now available online
The following courses are launched this week for study online.
Ethics
Graphic Design
Child & Adolescent Mental Health
Development Learning & Behavioural Disorders in Children & Adolescents

Food Preserving: A new ebook will be released next week
From John Mason and ACS Distance Education staff comes another handy and practical ebook, Food Preserving. Take advantage of seasonally abundant fruit and vegetables and preserve them to eat when they are not in season locally. Save money and eat healthy, home prepared and preserved food. Easy methods that anybody can follow, this ebook is a household must have.
http://www.acsbookshop.com/

Go Forth and GROW your own!
Everyone knows that fresh is best when it comes to produce. Many people have memories of families putting their own produce on the table. So why don’t we do it today?
Two reasons: a time deficit, and a knowledge deficit.
We have families and busy lives, and we work hard to support them. We try to squeeze in quality time, and there seems very little left over to undertake this thing that seems the domain of the hippies and retired- feeding your family with your own freshly grown produce.
In the old days, this knowledge might have been passed on from grandmother to grandson, from father to daughter. But as our families are more separated by interstate and global job opportunities, we lose this ‘community learning’ that was open to our parents generations.  They say these days families are changing; that because of the lack of extended families, our friends become our families, our social groups our source of community. But what about the learning?
ACS provides you with decades of knowledge and experience, distilled into 100 hour courses. Work at your own pace with lots of support that will have you learning this age old art of growing from day one. This wonderful art gives you a special gift to share with your children, and will save you a huge amount of money in the long term.
So what’s your flavour?
- Grow your own veggies
- Fruit Growing
- Herbs
- Organic Plant Culture
- Permaculture
- Self-Sufficiency
- Nut Production
- Goats
- Poultry
and much more. Visit our website

Contact us today to have a chat with a tutor.

A big welcome to some recent ACS newcomers:

Janelle McAlpine
Janelle holds a B.A. (Human Bioscience), is a registered Midwife, and also holds qualifications in Fitness and Pathology. She is currently studying a Master of Medical Research.
She brings much experience to ACS students, including 20 years experience in Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, and 10 years experience in the Fitness Industry. She has worked as an adult and tertiary educator, and an instructional designer with experience in course design and consultancy, which makes her ideal for assisting students to find the right course for their goals.

Sarah Edwards  B.Bus (Marketing), Cert Bus. Admin
Over 15 years industry experience covering marketing, PR, administration, event management and training, both in private enterprise and government; in Australia and the UK. Sarah has travelled extensively and enjoys cooking and outdoor pursuits.

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http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=3468142&trk=anet_ug_hm