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Testimonials from Schools Using DreamCatcher

Mount Maunganui College

Terry Collett

Principal

Dear Colleagues,

DreamCatcher is a career development programme created by Jane Doherty, Careers Adviser at Mount Maunganui College. Jane recognised a need to have a process that starts students developing their thinking on their career pathway from Year 9. Students start with their dreams, and as they progress through school, they continue to develop and firm up their career choices through subject choices and finally leading on to choices they will make post secondary schooling.

DreamCatcher is an excellent web based tool that allows students to individually build their career profile and pathway, using the tools they feel comfortable with. They can access other career information sites, tertiary education programmes, and university halls of residence, application forms, scholarships and much more. Students can build a partnership with their parents to form a sound career plan for the future.

In school, students can work with their subject teachers, Deans and career counsellors to develop their career plan. On DreamCatcher they can continually update and review their plan and research career options.

From a school management point of view, DreamCatcher allows Deans, counsellors and form teachers to identify students at risk in terms of making well considered decisions regarding their career pathway. Lists of students attending tertiary programmes can be generated, and of those needing halls of residence information, applications and testimonials. It can produce subject/option lists that will assist in timetabling, and student leavers data.

DreamCatcher will be instrumental in assisting students make the right career choices. This alone, is cost benefit to parents and our communities when students move with considerable certainty into the next stage of their career pathway.

I would recommend that all Principals have a close look at DreamCatcher, review its potential and see the opportunities it can offer to your students, parents and school.

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Gateway Manager

Kay Farthing

HOD Transition/Careers

Answers a need for a data management system that is careers based for schools.

It is a system developed for N.Z. schools, students and teachers that reflects N.Z. needs and is not a tag on to another country.

Keeps the tracking in one place for SLT, Deans Administrators as well as Careers Staff, Students and Parents. Gets rid of endless paper trails. Enables the easy accessibility for finding groups of students e.g. interested in health/engineering etc for providers.

Students are able to continue to update the material each time they log in so it is a cumulative record of their thinking process and grows with them.

Provides a tracking system for Ministry and School requirements. Provides more of a one-stop shop with the clear links to other careers sites for parents and students. This whole home grown system has been sorely lacking in N.Z. until now.

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Mount Maunganui College

Amy Lean

Year 12

The DreamCatcher programme has been very helpful for me as it allows me to set out my goals for the future and research into what is required. The career profile that has been created has a section for your career options which helped me to put down ideas that I might like to pursue and then investigate what each course entails. By being able to do this I have been able to find out which subjects I should be taking for the next year and what pre-requisites I will have to sit to be able to get into the path that I choose.

There is also a section for tertiary study which is good for those that are moving on from High School at the end of the year. You are able to put down possible options for the course you are looking into and select the type of accommodation that you would like to be in when you are studying. This is good as it allows you to look into the various halls and flats that are in the area, it also means you look into the different ways the courses are run at each tertiary provider, for example some universities offer different pre-requisites for the same course and the one that is right for you can be determined by the subjects that you choose at school.

I think that DreamCatcher is a very useful programme for seniors in College as it is a way of planning what career you may want to follow and where you want to study. It has helped me as I have been able to put down my main options for my career choices and research the requirements as well as find the universities that provide the course and the accommodation that is offered there.

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