Outdoor Education

Character development through the outdoors

“The outdoors is a powerful tool to help people sort out where they’re at in terms of confidence. There are no masks. On a mountain or a rock face, you can’t hide the fact that you are scared. In a very short me you can experience some intense learning and life-changing situations which would take a long me and a lot of talking to achieve in a classroom. It might never happen at all in a classroom.” - Bev Smith, Outdoor Pursuits Centre Instructor                       

In Outdoor Education, students learn ‘through’, ‘in’ and ‘about’ the outdoors:

  • Through the outdoors: students develop understanding, skills and attitudes to enhance interactions and relationships with others
  • In the outdoors: students develop safe practices
  • About the outdoors: students develop knowledge and understanding of the need to protect and care for the environment.

Outdoor Education may be taken as an Option in Year 10. Students experience numerous outdoor pursuits to develop their transferable skills, learn basic outdoor skills and knowledge. The subject may be connued from Years 11-13 and also taken for Scholarship. In Year 11 students complete a course related to self-management, safe behaviours, interpersonal skills, unity and quality movement all related to outdoor pursuits. During Year 12 they practice personal and social responsibility, planning, risk management and bushcra before the focus turns to leadership, risk management, independent planning and preparation in Year 13.

A side effect of the rise of technology is that it’s made skills like communication, leadership, and cultural intelligence more important to learn than ever. Recently, employers have started valuing these things more and the degree is no longer king. So skills and emotional intelligence, is not something a machine can replicate. Students who complete Outdoor Education to Level 3 will develop their key attributes to a high level. This is oen what makes them more employable, as the subject has a strong emphasis on atude, aptude, ambion, aspiration and attendance.

Year 13 Outdoor Education is university approved and may lead to tertiary study for those wishing to make a career in areas linked with the outdoors.

Career pathways

Students who complete Outdoor Education to Level 3 will develop their key attributes to a high level. This is often what makes them more employable, as the subject has a strong emphasis on attitude, aptitude, ambition, aspiration and attendance.

The Year 13 course is university approved

The Year 13 course may lead to tertiary study for those wishing to make a career in areas linked with the outdoors. Possible jobs include Adventure Consultancy, Adventure Guiding, Adventure Educator, Adventure Tourism, Ambulance Officer, Armed Forces, Challenge Course Facilitator, Corporate Development Trainer, Commercial Guide, Community Health and Recreational Programming, Ecotourism Guiding, Education, Environmental Educator, Environmental Health Officer, Environmental Interpretation, Event Co-ordinator, Fitness Industry, Hospitality, Instruction in Outdoor Pursuits, Jobs in Conservation, Law, Midwife, Outdoor Education Teacher, Outdoor Equipment Retail, Personal Trainer, Police, Politics, Psychologist, Recreation Management, Safety Auditor, Social Sciences, Sports Coaching, Teaching, Tertiary Lecturer, Tourism, Youth Worker, Youth Development Programmer