Career Central:

“One of the things we loved most about making Career Central is seeing the positive impact it has on students”

– Sue, Career Central

 

In 2012, Sue Scahill, a new careers advisor at Matamata College, was struggling to keep track of student information. The previous careers advisor had kept paper notes on all senior students, but Sue thought “there has to be a better way”.

Sue approached a year 12 student, Tim Hampton, who had just written a sports management system for the school and asked him if he would make a database to record student career ideas and plans. Six years on Tim has now graduated from university with a degree in computer science. He has started his own web development company and he and Sue still work together on Career Central, which has grown from a very simple file-maker program to a fully comprehensive web-based career management system.

When Tim was approached to develop the product he had no idea how big it would become. Today, speaking from their Matamata-based offices, Tim says: “I love to see every day how many students and teachers throughout New Zealand interact with Career Central. I am very proud of what we have created and pleased we have been able to help so many students and teachers”.

At the end of 2018 Career Central had grown to the point where Sue had to make a choice. She finished working as a careers advisor at Matamata College in order to concentrate fully on further developing Career Central and providing a great service to the schools using the programme. Sue is a member of Waikato CATE (Careers & Transition Education Association) and keeps in touch with what’s happening in career education in order to fully understand the needs of those working in the sector.

Career Central was designed to follow career development theory and suit New Zealand secondary schools. Today, based on input from schools all over the country, Career Central continues to be updated and developed to meet the ever-changing demands in career education.

Career Central is now used by over 100, 000 students and is assisting them to develop career management competencies. Career Central is a tool for increasing engagement in school wide career education, saving time on admin tasks and making sure no student “slips through the cracks”.

If you have any questions about Career Central email Sue on [email protected] or explore our website.