Filling the Gap – Gap years for the COVID Class

For the class of 2020 or ‘the COVID class’ many of the usual rites of passage that come with high school ending were missed.

Schools closed down, formals were cancelled, and schoolies was postponed.

It was a rough year for everyone but those in their final year of high school were met with additional challenges. This included having to quickly get used to classes through zoom while watch the job market shrink, just before taking their first steps into the working world.

Considering the stress of the last year and the unstable job market, it’s understandable that many school leavers are wanting to embrace one of the only rites of passage still open to them – the gap year.

The Gap Year is a time-honoured tradition among Aussie youth. Once you finish school you take a year to explore, to travel, to work and have a sort of social rumspringa before you face the impending stress of adult life….

But, for the COVID class, the gap year won’t look like it has for the kids that came before them.

A year backpacking in Asia or Europe is off the table for now. A year driving around Australia might be more manageable but who wants to risk getting stuck in some random outback town during a sudden lockdown?

But a gap year is still going to be a popular choice among the class who dealt with the famously unprecedented global crisis amidst exams.

So if you’re planning a gap year and you can’t travel what can you do?

There are many options for your gap year that can give you a break from study or a chance to try on a career or even a boost ranking to get into the degree you want.

Traineeships

Can’t decide between studying and working this year? Why not do both?

With a traineeship in business administration or small business operations you can gain valuable skills and qualifications while you work, giving you an edge over other school leavers who picked just the one path to either work or study.

Traineeships strike a balance between the two and means you can still make money and gain experience in your field while you study so it’s a win win.

Casual Work

If you’re not ready to study or commit to a career path and start that 9-5 grind why not spend your gap year doing casual work?

While of a lot of industries have suffered because of the past year, we are lucky in Australia because they are starting to bounce back.

And one industry that experienced growth during this period was the security sector.

The Security industry provides options for flexible, casual work on evenings and weekends with a variety of jobs in gatehouse work, roaming patrol, retail, at events and concierge work.

The course to gain your licence only takes 8 days to complete and you may even be able to get funding for it!

You can read all about getting the security industry here.

Study Options

If you’re not ready to commit to a full degree or your ranking wasn’t up to the entry requirements for your chosen program, you may be able to find a pathway into university through a Diploma or Certificate.

If your grades and ranking suffered as a result of the stress last year you’re not alone but there are options for bridging the gap to get into your university program.

Completing a Diploma will give you a QTAC ranking of 82 equivalent to an OP 9 and a Certificate IV will give you a ranking of 74 equivalent to an OP 12.

As an added bonus completing a Diploma in the field you want to study in can shave up to 2 years off your degree saving you both time and money.

Not sure what you’d like to do but looking for some inspiration?

You can find out more in the Queensland Government’s guide for School Leavers or check out our courses here and have a chat with one of our course advisors about your options for this year.