Students keen to ply a trade can now tap into their passions from Year 9 at Sydney Catholic Schools’ Southern Cross Catholic College at Burwood.

The Innovation and Enterprise specialisation provides a special focus on employability through a wide range of available traineeships and apprenticeships where students are able to fast-track their training into a career.

Starting from next year the Year 11-12 college will also open its doors to Year 9 and 10 innovation and enterprise students for the first time.

“Our new ‘innovation and enterprise’ career pathway is offering Certificate I courses to Year 9 students in automotive, construction, hospitality, retail and technology,” principal Tony Patton explained excitedly.

“Post-school destination tracking of past students shows that 95 per cent of students are in further training, education and/or employment within six months of leaving Southern Cross” – Michael Morris

The college will also start offering full-time courses for students in Years 9 to 12 in Music, Dance, Drama, and Musical Theatre through the Performing Arts specialisation.

This will be in addition to the popular part-time ViVA! and CaSPA performing arts programs that will continue to be offered to all SCS secondary students at the college.

A Southern Cross Burwood Beauty Services student applies make-up to a ‘customer’.

“As part of our repositioning we have dropped the ‘Vocational’ out of Southern Cross Catholic Vocational College but only to better reflect who we are: a Catholic college where students of all abilities can shine brightly, whether they are born to dance or to ply their trade,” Mr Patton said.

“I couldn’t be more delighted at the prospect of nurturing and training the young performers of tomorrow, alongside students completing our outstanding full-time occupational training programs and apprenticeships.

“Both …