07 Jun 2021
Above: Paige, Georgia and Lachlan
High school and college are an exciting transitional period for young adults, as they become more independent and are afforded greater agency in choosing their subjects and deciding what career they will pursue after college graduation.
Sometimes it can feel overwhelming, with an unlimited number of pathways to choose from, it’s important to have resources to help them make sense of their options and pick a pathway that not only suits their skills but aligns with their passions.
The Truth Project is an initiative created by Year 13 and supported by the ACT Government, that aims to empower youth to make better and more informed decisions about their future pathways.
Presenters explain topics such as VET pathways, enterprise skills and even share their own journeys of their teen years and life beyond school.
The Truth Project are currently undertaking school visits for year groups 9-12 in the ACT and on Tuesday, spoke to students in year 9 and 10 at Wanniassa School.
Paige, Georgia and Lachlan are in year 9 at Wanniassa. While the students are confident in their future career aspirations - both Georgia and Paige have plans to join the army after graduation and Lachlan wants to be a photographer - they all agree that the presentation helped open their mind to new possibilities.
“The presentation is all about getting a sense of that you want to do for your career. It encourages you to not limit yourself and to explore your options,” Georgia said.
While college is still a little way off for these students, they’ve already begun thinking of the opportunities that await them.
Paige is looking forward to undertaking a VET course in hospitality, so she has a backup career option when it’s time to graduate.
“Your path isn’t straight. There’s going to be bumps in the road, so don’t limit yourself to one thing,” Paige said.
Lachlan agreed, “If you don’t like one thing you can always choose another.”
The students all agree that when selecting their subjects in the future, they will consider the key messages from the Truth Project presentation.
Survey data provided by the Truth Project indicates that following a presentation, 85% of students were more likely to choose a career pathway they are passionate about and over 90% of students had a better understanding of Vocational Education Training (VET).
For more on the Truth Project, visit The Truth Project 
website.