Tue and Wed - Career and School Options for Tom

Tuesday – Careers Meeting for Tom

Today Tom and I had a meeting with Deborah who is a careers advisor at Mount Eliza Secondary College, she was a great help, and explained all the options available to us both at a school level and also the local TAFE. They can do apprenticeships, but the work experience element is only 1 day per week and Tom would have to be back at school doing core subjects the other 4 days. We left the meeting with lots of literature on courses and subjects, and where they were available.

That evening when Jason arrived home we had a look and a discussion about the options, although Tom wanted to go to school to meet local kids, we are not convinced that he would meet that many and just going out would help him do that. If he really wanted to we were Ok with him going back to school but he had to go for 2 years, finishing just after his 18th birthday in December 2009, if he then wanted to gain a specific IT qualification he would then need a further 2 years in college taking him to over 20.

He agreed that he did not really want to spend this much time at school and we looked at the college courses available, we found an Advanced Diploma of Computer Systems Engineering (Bridging Program) where he would cover Graphic User interface, PC Hardware support, PC Peripherals, Basic digital electronics and operating systems. This is a prep program providing a range of basic skills and knowledge, starting in July this year for 6 months.

Once he had completed this he could go on to the Advanced Diploma of Computer Systems Engineering starting in January for 2 years, at the end of this course he would hopefully have CICSO and MCP qualifications as well as the Diploma. We all agreed that this would be a better option and Tom is quite excited at the prospect; let’s just hope we can get him onto the course now.

Wednesday – TAFE Options

Tom and I Picked up Jason’s new briefcase from office works and I spoke to a few people from Chisholm TAFE about the course for Tom, they do not have a waiting list at the moment but he will have to have an interview for the course. They are going to send out an information pack and we also need to attend an open day on the 21st May, which is specifically for the midyear intakes, not too long to wait and between now and then we need to prepare Tom for the interview.

Tom also had a hair cut today, he has been growing it for some time now, and in all honestly every time he has been for a trim the hairdresser has got carried away and cut it much shorter than he wanted, today was no exception, I did say that he was growing his fringe and wanted to keep the length even though it is over his eyes, but needed the back and sides tidying up and thinning out. Personally I think it looks much better but Tom is devastated, I did laugh while in the hairdressers when she cut his fringe, which I know is unfair and when it does grow I am sure it will look better than it did, but that is no relevance for Tom for now who has said that he will just wear a hat until it grows – great, well if he wore it straight it would be Ok, but seen as he insists on wearing hats at a silly gangster angle that make him look a right numpty, not a good look !!

Sam and Moo still love school, Mollie had her Japanese lesson today, and they are also looking to recruit a French teacher so she will also learn French.