Sending teenagers into the workforce without proper job preparation is like giving them a surfboard without teaching them to swim. They might have the grades and the energy, but many are entering the workplace without the skills and mindset needed to succeed.

The solution is to give them the right tools which include independence, resilience, and practical job skills. These are the foundation for future success. That’s exactly what our 60-90 minute Classroom to Career Workshop delivers. This is more than a workshop, this youth job readiness program is a launchpad for life.

The Reality: Why Many Teens Are Not Work Ready

Schools Teach Academics. The Workforce Demands Attitude and Skills.

Schools work hard to prepare students, but the curriculum is already packed. Life skills often get lost in between subjects. Many students graduate without ever learning how to write a professional resume, prepare for an interview, or arrive at work on time without a reminder. This is where youth job readiness programs fill the gap.

Mindset Matters as Much as Skillset

Confidence is often shaky. Independence is limited. Resilience can be missing. Many young people arrive at job interviews unsure of their value and struggle to adapt when challenges arise. Employers are not looking for perfection they’re looking for preparedness. And this is where targeted career preparation for students makes all the difference.

How We Turn Students Into Work-Ready Young Adults

The Classroom to Career Workshop

Our 60-90 minute Classroom to Career Workshop is designed to bridge the gap between school and the workplace. Students spend the day gaining real world training, nationally recognised qualifications, and the confidence to present themselves as strong candidates.

Want more…… We can deliver  a full day of targeted, practical employment skills training that feels like a launch into adulthood.

Morning Sessions: Build Skills that Lead to Real Opportunities

Not every student wants the same career path. That’s why the program offers a flexible selection of accredited and non-accredited short courses. Students can choose options that suit their interests and career goals.

Students not in a course will have structured, supervised study time to work on assignments or research future career pathways.

Popular Elective Courses

White Card Course:

The entry point for anyone interested in working in construction. Essential for site access and starting a career in trades or building.

Food Safety and Food Handling:

Accredited training for students wanting part time work in hospitality or food service. From cafes to catering, this qualification opens immediate opportunities.

Sports Trainer Course:

Ideal for young people involved in sport. This qualification can lead to work with local clubs and sporting organisations while building skills for future sports or fitness careers.

First Aid and CPR:

A universal resume booster relevant to every industry. Students gain life saving skills and a qualification that employers value.

Afternoon Session: The 90-Minute Classroom to Career Workshop

After their morning elective, students join an interactive resume and interview preparation workshop.

They will:

• Create a professional resume even without prior work experience

• Practice interview skills and build confidence in communication

• Learn strategies to present themselves positively to employers

• Develop a clear action plan for entering the workforce

Students finish the day with both a qualification and the confidence to use it.

Building Independence and Resilience that Lasts

Job skills are important, but so is the ability to adapt, problem solve, and take initiative. Our program helps students:

• Make informed decisions about their training and career interests

• Solve real workplace scenarios in a supportive environment

• Learn from mistakes without risk to their job prospects

• Build the confidence to handle challenges and setbacks

The result? A young person who feels capable and ready to contribute in the workplace.

From Uncertainty to Direction

Many teenagers feel they need to have their entire career path mapped out before leaving school. We help them see that they only need a starting point  plus the skills to take the first step. The Classroom to Career Workshop gives them both.

Youth unemployment in Australia is around 9–10% — more than double the national average.

While most 15–19 year olds are in study, training, or work, the number fully engaged has dropped in recent years. (abs)

Who This Youth Job Readiness Program For

While we deliver the program in schools, it’s open to a wider audience. Suitable for:

• School leavers unsure of their next move

• Gap year students seeking part-time work

• University students wanting to boost employability

• Young people out of school who want to upskill quickly

If you’re aged 15 to 25 and not feeling fully prepared for the workplace, this career preparation for students program is for you.

Why This Approach Works

The structure is simple and effective:

• Four hours of elective courses in the morning

• Ninety minutes of youth job readiness training in the afternoon

• Delivered face to face by experienced trainers

• Includes nationally recognised training

• Tailored to local industry needs

Students leave with a credential — and the confidence to use it.

What Schools and Parents Are Saying

“We have had students come out of this workshop with jobs lined up the next week. It is exactly what they needed.” – Careers Adviser

“My son had no idea how to start applying for jobs. Now he is working weekends at Bunnings and saving for a car.” – Parent

The Essential Skills Schools Cannot Always Cover

Work readiness isn’t automatic at 18. These skills must be taught, practiced, and supported. Our Classroom to Career Workshop delivers them in a practical, engaging way.

Preparing the Next Generation for Success

This is more than just getting a job. It’s about building confident, independent young people who can navigate the workplace and own their future with employment skills training. Whether starting in hospitality, construction, sport, or another industry, they deserve the skills to succeed from day one.

Book Your Classroom to Career Workshop

Give your students the skills employers are looking for and set them up for success. Book your Classroom to Career Workshop today.

FAQs

1. What age group is the Classroom to Career Workshop for?
It’s designed for students and young adults aged 15 to 25, including school leavers, senior students, and early university students.

2. Do students need prior experience to attend?
No. The program takes participants from no experience to work ready with practical, beginner friendly employment skills training.

3. How long does the day run?
Morning electives run for four hours followed by a 60 – 90 minute resume and interview preparation workshop. Students may attend just the afternoon session if preferred.

4. Can students complete more than one elective?
Students complete one elective per day, but a second day can be arranged to complete another elective.

5. Is this available outside of schools?
Yes. We deliver this program in schools and through community events open to all eligible young people.

We are passionate about Youth Education and are here ready willing and able to assist your cohort of students prepare for the next step of their lives, the real world!

Connect with us to find out how your school can get this youth job readiness program for free.

More Youth Workshops:

Schoolies Street Smart Safety

Youth Safety and Mental Health Awareness

Junior Street Smart Safety and Wellbeing

The post Classroom to Career Job Readiness Program That Gets Teens Hired Fast appeared first on FAST Training Australia.

As a mother of two young men, keeping an eye on their mental health is always at the forefront of my mind. Parenting is a delicate balancing act—setting boundaries, staying connected in the hope they’ll come to you for help, and offering guidance while allowing them room to make mistakes. As parents, our instinct is to protect them and remove their pain, but doing so robs them of crucial life lessons that build identity, drive, and contribute to raising resilient youth.

When my sister had her son, she asked me, “What’s the best advice you can give me?” I told her, “It never gets easier; each stage is different,” and I still stand by that. When our kids level up, we need to level up as parents, which isn’t easy! The bigger they get, the bigger the potential problems and risks—and there’s no handbook for any of this!

Life for today’s teens is worlds apart from how I grew up. Social media is a pressure cooker, academic stress is overwhelming, and the endless messages about who they should be and what they should look like are constant. Social comparison is immediate and relentless, and the suffocating feeling of not measuring up is all too real.

Having conversations with parents, teachers, and teens, I hear firsthand how the youth mental health crisis has moved beyond headlines and sound bites. Many parents are juggling teens, aging parents, and the chaos of daily life, while Teachers are overburdened with an exhausting curriculum and behaviour management challenges.

Where did it all go so wrong?

There needs to be a shift in multiple areas for us to see real change.

Parents are struggling under financial pressure, often requiring two incomes just to make ends meet. They come home after a long workday, shuttle kids between activities, manage homework, cook dinner, and collapse into bed, only to repeat the cycle the next day. With their energy drained, many turn to unhealthy coping mechanisms like alcohol. As parents, we lead by example, and while “do as I say” falls on deaf ears, “do as I do” resonates deeply. We need to press pause and prioritise our mental health, self-care, and nervous system regulation. When we are regulated, we help co-regulate our children.

Educators face their own struggles. Recent news stories about violence against teachers in the classroom are deeply concerning. While past disciplinary methods weren’t perfect, violence against teachers was unheard of when I was in school. Today, escalating student behaviour, increasing administrative demands, and unreasonable expectations from parents are pushing teachers to their limits.

The numbers speak for themselves: last year, more than 76,000 Queensland students were suspended, and teachers are facing verbal abuse from parents on a regular basis. Workers’ compensation claims for psychological and physical injuries in schools have skyrocketed, reflecting the stress and pressure teachers face.

Our youth are also dealing with alarming rates of diagnosed medical conditions, and while accommodations are necessary, poor behaviour still needs to be addressed with boundaries and consequences. We’re also losing the art of real connection—everyone is glued to a screen, and family dinners seem to be reserved for special occasions. The village it once took to raise a child is no longer there, and social media, which promises connection, often leaves us feeling lonely.

When delivering our Youth Street Smart and Wellbeing Program I’ve found our teens are acutely aware of the signs of mental health struggles like anxiety and depression. Yet they often lack the skills to support a friend in need or manage their own mental health, which is why this program is so important. Teens, as well as their schools, appreciate the real impact these programs can have on their lives.

Mental health still carries a stigma, especially for boys, who are often told to “tough it out” or “be a big boy.” This mindset suppresses emotions and leads to low emotional intelligence, poor relationships, and increased anxiety and depression. Disturbingly, males are three times more likely to die by suicide than females.

Raising Resilient Youth: What can we do to turn things around?

1. Start Talking About Mental Health Early and Often

One of the most important things we can do is normalise conversations around mental health. When we talk about it openly, we send the message that it’s okay to seek help. Schools, families, and communities need to create spaces where young people feel safe to express what they’re going through without fear of judgment.

2. Equip Youth with Tools for Self-Care

We often forget that young people are still learning how to manage their emotions and mental well-being. Schools can play a huge role here, teaching students practical ways to take care of themselves. From breathing exercises to mindfulness techniques, there are simple yet effective tools that can help them navigate stress.

3. Encourage Connection, Not Comparison

Helping teens build real, meaningful connections is critical. Encouraging face-to-face interactions, teaching them how to support one another, and focusing on empathy over competition can make a huge difference. Peer support programs can be especially impactful, giving students the opportunity to help each other through tough times.

4. Recognize the Signs Early

Parents, teachers, and friends can all play a role in spotting the early signs of mental health struggles. Subtle changes in behaviour, such as withdrawal, mood swings, or a drop in academic performance, can be red flags. The sooner we acknowledge these signs, the sooner we can intervene and offer support.

5. It’s not about being perfect

It’s crucial for our youth to learn life lessons, as these experiences shape their ability to adapt, problem-solve, and build resilience. Challenges and setbacks teach valuable lessons about perseverance, responsibility, and self-reliance. Allowing them to face and overcome struggles (with you in the background as the quiet observer) helps build the resilience they need to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Have conversations with our youth about influences and tik tokers, more often than not these influences are uneducated in the field they are preaching, are giving harmful advice and have their own agenda.

6. Empowerment

Understanding their values is essential for our youth, as it gives them clarity and direction in life. It helps them make decisions, navigate peer pressure, and stay true to themselves. By knowing what they stand for, they gain confidence and develop a strong moral compass that guides them through challenges.

7. Parents pressing pause

Parents who prioritise their own mental health and self-care set a powerful example for their children, showing that it’s okay to take time for yourself and seek help when needed. By modelling healthy coping strategies and emotional resilience, you teach kids how to manage stress and handle challenges effectively.

8. Supporting our Educators

Parents and the community can support Teachers by having respectful communication and by reinforcing positive behaviour expectations at home. Volunteering time, whether in the classroom or at school events, can ease the pressure on Teachers. Respecting boundaries and advocating for a better work / life balance will help reduce Teacher stress and burnout.

9. Support a Balanced Lifestyle

For everyone! But for our youth by encourage a balance between academics, social life, and downtime helps prevent burnout and promotes mental well-being. Encourage physical activity has been shown to improve mood, reduce anxiety, and increase overall mental well-being.

10. Professional Help is Essential

Finally, there’s no replacement for professional help. Therapists, counsellors, and psychologists are trained to guide young people through their struggles in a way that friends and family might not be able to. Encouraging young people to reach out to a professional when they need it is one of the most powerful things we can do.

Our youth are our future, and their mental well-being is a priority we cannot ignore. While the current crisis is complex, the solutions don’t have to be. It starts with awareness, conversation, and care. We all need to take ownership and do our little bit to steer the direction of change for the better.

Let’s keep the conversation going, and let’s keep showing up for our young people. After all, they deserve nothing less.

Would like to more about our Youth Safety and Wellbeing Programs?

These programs are not about what you ‘should’ or shouldn’t’ do, we teach them skills and strategies to cope when things do go wrong.

60 – 90 minutes of fun, engaging, age-appropriate education. The class is experiential, students will experience different techniques and walk away with life skills and strategies.

Program benefits:

• Life skills in First Aid Management
• Learn how to identify, support and assist someone with Mental Health concerns.
• Learn how to manage their Mental Health
• Strategies to regulate their nervous system, reduce stress response and anxiety.
• Learn self soothing techniques to balance parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system
• Resilience Strategies
• Visualisation techniques

Junior Safety and Wellbeing – Kindy to year 6

An age appropriate introduction to the basics of CPR and First Aid. Creating awareness in managing ‘big emotions’ how to self soothe and regulate their own nervous system. We are never to young to learn, we are here to support you in raising resilient youth!

A great program! A perfect format to create awareness and introduce the children to first aid. The Trainer was fun and did a great job keeping the children on task and engaged. Highly recommend. Amberley District After School Care

Youth Street Smart Safety & Wellbeing – years 7 to 11

Teaching our youth to be resourceful in a first aid emergency. They will also learn to recognize mental health issues, support others, and strategies to build self-regulation and resilience.

24.5% of students said they were confident in safety and mental health awareness prior to our class

92% of students said they were confident in these areas after our class

“For the past 3 years and booked again for this year F.A.S.T. First Aid Training has presented the ‘Street Smart Safety and Well-being’ Program to our Year 10 cohort during our Be Confident week. Our students have found value in learning ‘real world’ strategies and how to be resourceful in the event of a first aid emergency. Equipping our students with the ability to offer aid to someone experiencing mental health concerns and enhance their own mental well-being is a priority to us. The program aligns with our school values, is age appropriate, engaging and the feedback is very positive from the students.”

Dr Leigh Hobart, Deputy Headmaster Academic Performance and Innovation P-12
Brisbane Boys College

Schoolies Safety and Wellbeing – year 12

The youth program is adapted to address the challenges our year 12’s may face as they test boundaries during Schoolies Week.

“Today was exceptional, the statistics are phenomenal”
S. Murphy – Deputy Principal

We need your support

If you are a parent or Teacher and would like your school to deliver our Youth Street Smart and Well-being Program please forward this link to your school. We would really appreciate your support, our goal is to support our parents, community and educators and help Raise Resilient Youth.

Connect with us

The post Raising Resilient Youth: We all have a part to play appeared first on FAST Training Australia.

Education and learning new skills are incredibly important. We only need to ask our educators that!

As parents and carers, we send our children off to day care, kindy, prep, primary or high school to learn skills that will hold them in good stead for a lifetime. We trust that our educators have the skills, confidence and professionalism to support our children to navigate the curriculum. First aid compliance in schools is highly important.

What about the first aid compliance requirements to be prepared in schools?

• Who educates the educators?
• How do they stay current with their skills?
• What do they need to know?

Who educates the educators? Teachers are often in the position as first responders.

Do you recall the tragic incident in 2017? – whereby a young 5-year-old student with special needs (who often mouthed foods and objects) choked on a nectarine stone and died whilst at school. An inquest was held in 2022, to prompt questions about the requirements for first aid compliance in schools and whether the teachers were able to effectively respond.

“A staggering 94% of Australians are unsure of their ability to help in an emergency”

Every workplace in Australia, including the education sector are required to:

Let’s explore this in more detail to review the requirements for first aid compliance in schools and education settings and what that exactly means for educators.

• Provide First Aid equipment
• Ensure each worker at the workplace has access to the equipment
• Provide access to facilities for administering first aid
• Provide an adequate number of workers that are trained to administer first aid, or workers to have access to an adequate number of other people who have been trained to administer first aid.

(Source: WHSQ, First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021)

Access to equipment:

Think first about the vast variety of situations in an education setting where equipment may need to be on hand, to respond effectively. (this list is not exhaustive!)

• Swimming carnivals
• Classrooms such as Industrial Skills, Science Labs, Hospitality
• Playgrounds
• Camps/Excursions
• Sporting carnivals
• Sports Days/Inter School Sports
• Special Needs Classrooms
• School Pick Up/Drop off

What does the Code of Practice say?

The Code of Practice also requires workplaces to determine ‘an adequate number of workers’ that are trained to administer first aid.

The following ratio’s are recommended:

• Low Risk Workplaces – one first aider for every 50 workers
• High Risk Workplaces – one first aider for every 25 workers.
• Remote High-Risk Workplaces – one first aider for every 10 workers

Let’s crunch some numbers (these figures taken from the 2019 Annual Report for Ipswich State High School, Qld)

• 1763 students
• 131 teachers
• 76 non-teaching staff

Perhaps you are thinking 207 teachers and non-teaching staff (workers) in this example. If the school/education setting was ‘low risk’ – that equates to approx. 4 First Aid Officers required.

What do you think?

Let’s go back to the Code of Practice to delve further.

“When considering the size of your workforce, you should include contractors, subcontractors and volunteers you engage. This may mean the size of your workforce may vary over time. For the purposes of deciding who requires access to first aid, you should consider the maximum number of workers you may engage at one time. Generally, a larger workforce requires more first aid resources”

We can see that we also need to include other ‘workers’ into our consideration of factoring first aid requirements.

Is there more to include? … You should also consider:

• the particular needs of workers who have a disability or a known health concern for example asthma or allergies, and
• others at your workplace who are not your workers, for example:

(Source: WHSQ, First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021)

Let’s go back to our original numbers.

The figure we need to realistically consider in establishing the appropriate numbers of first aid officers is:

1970 (as you need to factor the number of people which includes students too, in the ‘work’ area).

This is the number of people we include in your First Aid Risk Assessment. We now move to the next stage which is an understanding of the risks within your school/educational setting:

Does your school/educational setting have:

• Children or teachers diagnosed with anaphylaxis?
• Children or teachers diagnosed with asthma?
• Children identified with special needs and/or on regular medication?
• Students who play contact sport?
• Teachers that are managing high risk behaviours?

Now think of the environment:

• Does the setting have an on-site pool?
• Located on a main road?
• Multi storey building with difficulty accessing site/lots of stairs?
• Provide cooking/hospitality classes, industrial skills classes, science labs?
• Is it in a remote regional/rural setting?
• What is the distance to medical help, distance to a hospital?
• What is the expected response times for arrival of emergency services?

Remember to add:

• What kind of incidents have happened in the last 12 months?

“Injuries are the leading cause of death in Australian children, accounting for nearly half of all deaths” – Australian Bureau of Statistics

Essentially you are determining a first aid risk assessment to ascertain:

• What First Aid equipment you need (including epi-pens, Ventolin, spacers, AED’s)
• How many First Aid Officers you require to be able to effectively respond.
• Where you require First Aid Equipment and facilities (portable, fixed, available in vehicles etc)

Once you have conducted a First Aid Risk Assessment to include all of the above, then the compliance for your schools will be better understood.

There may be overarching requirements specific to your school/educational setting documented further in school or centre policies and these should be referred to for guidance and included in your Risk Assessment.

Often education settings have very specific requirements for both the training and equipment requirements for effective response of anaphylaxis and asthma.

“Unintentional injuries account for about 88% of all injury related deaths in children and about 97% of all injury related hospitalisations”

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare:

There is very specific compliance requirements for Child Care Centres and Child Care settings. Check compliance requirements for Child Care Centres/Child Care Settings. Refer to the national regulations at the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) for more information.

At F.A.S.T. Training Australia, school based training is one of our specialties.

• Do you find it a bit confusing? (it can be!!)
• Do you require support?
• Do you need help with undertaking or completing your First Aid risk assessment?

Sarah Shaw, owner of F.A.S.T. First Aid Training and Workplace Training understands the importance of accurately ascertaining first aid officer ratio’s and ensuring adequate equipment is available in the event of an emergency. Sarah offers complimentary consultations to all businesses, to support them in making the best decision for their environment.

Sarah would be happy to meet with you and discuss your needs and/or potential first aid equipment needs.

Reach out today to book your complimentary consultation. We look forward to meeting with you.

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