Why Work, Not Just Study, Builds Future Ready Graduates

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Monday, 10 Aug, 2026

By tanya marty, vce vm and career pathways leader

The world of work is constantly changing. It is dynamic, sometimes unpredictable but full of opportunities for young people with the right qualifications, mindset and employability skills, ensuring they are future ready graduates.

The Foundation for Young Australians suggests that, during their working lives, today’s graduates may hold 17 different jobs across five different industries.

To succeed in this shifting world of work, it’s not only study that matters, but work experience and this firm belief sits at the core of Melbourne Montessori College and the VCE Vocational Major program offered in Cycle 6 – Years 11 and 12.

The world of work is constantly changing. It is dynamic, sometimes unpredictable but full of opportunities for young people with the right qualifications, mindset and employability skills.

Covering all bases for future ready graduates

Today’s future ready graduates need to cover three key bases:

1.The right qualifications

University is no longer the only pathway to a good job. As work becomes more highly skilled, most future jobs will require a vocational education and training or a university qualification. Apprenticeships, traineeships, diplomas, and Certificate III or IV level qualifications are good options for a stable and rewarding career.

2. Work experience

Work experience develops vital employability skills. As well as skills specific to a particular role, you begin to understand what’s expected in the workplace. You can show an employer that you are committed, reliable and trustworthy and start to build a network and referees to support you.

3. Employability skills

Employability skills are the basic skills needed across all jobs and are something that school alone cannot teach. Some of the key skills are communication, teamwork, problem solving, showing initiative, being enterprising, planning and organising, and self-management – all skills that provide a base for further development and that can be transferred across different occupations and industries.

Montessori education and real-world learning

Dr Maria Montessori recognised that, 12 to 18-year-olds are in a special stage of life because they are on the threshold of adulthood. She believed their environment should reflect all aspects of adult life and provide opportunities to pursue academic interests and participate in real adult practical work in a social setting as close to real society as possible.

“Education should therefore include the two forms of work, manual and intellectual, for the same person, and thus make it understood by practical experience that these two kinds complete each other and are equally essential to a civilized existence,” she wrote in From Childhood to Adolescence.

Building on this, Melbourne Montessori College creates opportunities for students in Years 7 to 10 to participate in programs that encourage them to think about who they are, what they can do and where they fit in the world, to set them on course to being future ready graduates.

We support our students to solve real problems, make real decisions, experience real consequences and to develop knowledge and skills that help them succeed in the real world.

One way we do this is through our hands-on, practical Occupations programs such as Make A Space, Content Creation, Hospitality, Urban Farming, Bike Education and Maintenance, Textiles, Young Change Agents challenges, $20 Boss, the City Experience program and through a broad range of work experience opportunities and school camps.

These programs help students to practice and improve their organisational, planning, decision-making and communication skills, to prioritise, recover from mistakes and take ownership of outcomes.

These key skills prepare young people to be future ready graduates for the workforce and life beyond school.

Future Ready Graduates

VCE Vocational Major program and applied learning

In Cycle 6 (Years 11 and 12), Melbourne Montessori College offers students the VCE Vocational Major – a two-year applied learning program that incorporates:

Core subjects – Literacy, Numeracy, Personal Development Skills, Work Related Skills
Vocational Education and Training, and
Structured Workplace Learning.

Literacy, Numeracy and Personal Development and Work-Related Skills give students choice, flexibility and learning with real world meaning and connection. They set goals and reflect, develop a sense of their own agency, and collaborate, adapt and innovate. Through student-led projects, young people shoulder real responsibilities and take ownership of process and outcomes, while building a portfolio of real-world experiences and academic development.

Vocational Education and Training (VET) goes beyond theory to teach authentic industry skills that workplaces need.

Connected to VET, Structured Workplace Learning (SWL) exposes students to professional environments, workplace culture, dynamics and expectations. It helps them build meaningful industry connections, to understand career pathways and secure employment or apprenticeships as a result of their placements.

Alumni Emily Future Ready Graduates

Bridging the gap

One of the biggest challenges for young people is bridging the gap between school and employment. The VCE Vocational Major program narrows this gap through the combination of practical experience and academic study, while also opening a pathway to future training through Certificate IV/Diploma courses and university.

VCE Vocational Major students have already worked while they study. They have earned industry qualifications, worked alongside professional employees and successfully navigated deadlines and workplace expectations.

They are confident, credentialed and future ready graduates.