School, Training, Work and Future Pathways

Registering InterestPartnership Dependent

STEP School-Based Traineeship Pathways

Workplace Skills · Business · Early Childhood Education and Care

Connect paid employment, nationally recognised training and NEXIE applied learning.

STEP School-Based Traineeship pathways are being developed with schools, approved Registered Training Organisations, employers and host services.

Students undertake formal training through an approved partner RTO, participate in paid employment with an authorised employer and use STEP resources to connect their qualification with their strengths, workplace capability and future direction.

Learn. Earn. Build. Create impact.

Students connecting school, paid employment, vocational training and future pathways — School · Training · Paid Work · Future Pathway

What is a school-based traineeship?

School, paid work and recognised training—connected.

A school-based traineeship allows an eligible secondary student to work toward a Certificate II or Certificate III qualification while completing the HSC.

Employment days, training arrangements, HSC contribution and completion requirements are confirmed through the school, RTO, employer and formal traineeship arrangements.

Secondary school and HSC studies
Formal training and assessment through an approved RTO
Paid employment with an authorised employer
Workplace supervision and practical experience
STEP applied learning and pathway development

Nationally recognised training is delivered and assessed by the relevant approved partner RTO.

NEXIE Institute is not an RTO and does not independently enrol students, assess competency or issue nationally recognised qualifications.

Three Initial Qualification Pathways

Choose the pathway that fits the student’s interests and future direction.

Each qualification has a different workplace purpose. NEXIE provides a connected application layer appropriate to the selected field.

Pathway 01BSB20120

Certificate II in Workplace Skills

Build the foundations for participating at work.

This pathway may suit students beginning to develop confidence, routine workplace capability and experience in entry-level business or administrative work.

Qualification focus

The partner RTO develops and assesses skills associated with entry-level workplace participation and routine business activities.

Depending on the selected electives and the RTO’s approved training and assessment strategy, learning may include:

Workplace communication
Health and safety
Using business technology
Producing simple workplace documents
Working with spreadsheets and information
Organising routine work
Supporting basic administrative activities
Working effectively with others

Possible employment settings

Small businesses
Schools and education organisations
Early childhood or community-service administration
Professional practices
Social enterprises
Membership or community organisations
NEXIE-aligned partner projects
Other approved administrative workplaces

How STEP may help

Preparing simple documents and templates
Updating approved spreadsheets and registers
Organising digital files
Supporting resource preparation
Recording routine non-sensitive information
Preparing meeting or activity materials
Using workplace communication appropriately
Following instructions and seeking clarification
Managing a basic work schedule
Reflecting on strengths, support needs and progress
Preparing for the next qualification or employment step

Possible pathway output

STEP Workplace Participation and Progression Plan

This pathway may provide a foundation for further business training, including BSB30120 Certificate III in Business, subject to the entry and enrolment arrangements of the relevant RTO.

Pathway 02BSB30120

Certificate III in Business

Apply business capability to real projects and opportunities.

This pathway may suit students ready to develop broader business, administration, customer-engagement or project-support capability.

Qualification focus

The partner RTO develops and assesses skills for business-service roles involving a range of workplace activities, some discretion and responsibility for completing allocated tasks.

Depending on the selected electives and the RTO’s approved training and assessment strategy, learning may include:

Workplace communication
Business documents
Digital technologies
Spreadsheets and information management
Customer and client engagement
Business administration
Project support
Workplace sustainability
Critical thinking and problem-solving
Organising personal work priorities

Possible employment settings

Business administration
Customer-service environments
Education and training organisations
Early childhood or community-service administration
Professional practices
Digital or creative businesses
Social enterprises
NEXIE-aligned partner organisations
Other approved business workplaces

How STEP may help

Developing a Student NEXIE Business Blueprint
Identifying an audience, need or opportunity
Supporting a small workplace project
Preparing customer or participant information
Developing approved business documents
Maintaining an approved contact or resource register
Supporting workshop, event or program administration
Researching products, services or community opportunities
Preparing simple project schedules
Supporting ethical marketing and communication
Reviewing a workplace process
Collecting and organising non-sensitive feedback
Developing a proposed first offer or enterprise idea
Preparing a 90-Day Progression Plan

Possible pathway outputs

Student NEXIE Business BlueprintSTEP Business Application Project90-Day Employment or Enterprise Progression Plan

Business Blueprint activities do not automatically become assessment evidence. The partner RTO determines whether proposed activities are suitable, how evidence is collected and whether competency requirements have been met.

Pathway 03CHC30125

Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

Connect recognised early-years capability with developmental understanding.

This pathway may suit students seeking paid employment and a future career in a regulated early childhood education and care service.

Qualification focus

The partner RTO delivers and assesses the nationally recognised skills required for work as an educator in regulated children’s education and care services.

Depending on the selected electives and the RTO’s approved training and assessment strategy, learning may include:

Supporting children’s learning and development
Using an approved learning framework
Supporting play and participation
Caring for babies, toddlers and young children
Developing respectful relationships with children
Communicating with families and colleagues
Supporting inclusion and diversity
Protecting children’s health and safety
Identifying and reporting children at risk
Working within legal and ethical requirements
Providing first aid where required
Completing required workplace practice

Possible employment settings

Regulated early childhood education and care services
Approved traineeship employers
Workplaces able to provide appropriate supervision and practice

How STEP may help

Understanding Before Intervention
Behaviour as communication
Child strengths and interests
Communication and relationship cues
Co-regulation and participation
Play as a context for learning
Family-centred practice
Developmental variation
Disability inclusion
Trauma- and adversity-aware education
Culturally responsive reflection
Compatible learning environments
Observation without rushing to diagnosis
Professional boundaries and referral
Reflective practice
Transition and continuity across environments

Possible pathway output

STEP Early Years Applied Practice Portfolio

This is a proprietary learning and reflection resource. It is not a diagnostic record, formal assessment decision or substitute for documentation required by the employer, service or partner RTO.

Possible student activities

Subject to employer, service and RTO approval, students may:

Complete strengths-based practice reflections
Observe play and participation
Contribute approved observations to workplace planning
Prepare play and learning resources
Reflect on environmental accessibility
Explore family–service continuity
Participate in supervised team reflection
Develop professional communication skills
Identify questions for their workplace supervisor
Connect current learning with a future early-years pathway

Employment requirement

Paid employment and practical experience must occur through an appropriate early childhood education and care employer under the applicable traineeship, regulatory, safeguarding, supervision and RTO arrangements. NEXIE does not replace the regulated service, workplace supervisor or RTO assessor.

Possible later connections

CHC50125 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
Early Years Professional Learning
NEXIE Foundations
ECHOS
LAMAHS
MUMspired
NEUROPREP
Other appropriately governed early-years opportunities

Exploring a NEXIE Productised Service does not confer access to protected resources or authority to deliver the service.

The STEP Applied-Learning Layer

What NEXIE adds to the formal traineeship.

STEP does not duplicate the qualification. It helps the student understand how training, workplace experience and personal capability connect.

Purpose and Direction

Explore the student’s interests, motivations, preferred contribution and possible future pathway.

Capacity and Participation

Identify strengths, communication preferences, working conditions, support needs and strategies for managing school, training and employment.

Workplace Application

Connect qualification learning with approved, purposeful workplace activities.

Business Blueprint

For relevant pathways, explore audience, opportunity, value, ethics, boundaries, delivery and future enterprise possibilities.

Mentoring and Reflection

Use structured check-ins to review participation, workplace learning, confidence, challenges and next steps.

Pathway Coordination

Support communication between the student, family, school, RTO, employer and relevant pathway personnel.

Future Progression

Prepare for continued employment, further training, higher qualifications, professional learning or an appropriate enterprise pathway.

Individual Learner Support

Begin with the person before deciding the pathway.

NEXIE does not begin by asking only:

“What should this person be taught?”

It also asks:

“Who is this person? What is their unique blueprint? What is influencing their capacity to communicate, relate, regulate, learn and participate?”

Students are not required to disclose unnecessary diagnostic, medical, trauma or family information to explore their functional learning and workplace preferences.

Possible participation supports

Accessible information
Visual pathway maps
Smaller learning steps
Guided reflection
Workplace preparation
Predictable check-ins
Communication support
Co-regulation
Family partnership
Workplace adjustments
Additional learning support
Appropriate referral

The school, RTO and employer retain their respective accessibility, privacy, safeguarding, employment and student-support responsibilities.

Possible Applied Projects

Real work—within defined boundaries.

Projects depend on the qualification, workplace, student capability, employer needs and RTO approval.

Workplace and business projects

Digital resource register
Approved contact database
Workshop administration pack
Customer-information pathway
Resource-ordering process
Event or meeting support
Document-formatting project
Basic spreadsheet tracker
Participant-feedback summary
Social-enterprise idea
Community-opportunity research
Business-process reflection

Early childhood projects

Play-resource preparation
Environment-participation reflection
Family-welcome resource
Transition-resource preparation
Approved observation reflection
Inclusive communication resource
Sustainability activity
Community-connection map
Reflective-practice portfolio
Early-years career pathway plan

These examples do not guarantee that a project will be accepted as qualification evidence. The partner RTO must approve any proposed relationship between STEP activities and formal training or assessment.

Students must not be given inappropriate access to confidential family, child, health, legal, financial, employment or protected intellectual-property information.

One Pathway. Clearly Defined Responsibilities.

School · RTO · Employer · NEXIE

The School

Determines suitability within the student’s school program
Coordinates HSC and timetable requirements
Supports student welfare and participation
Communicates with parents or carers
Monitors progress and maintains school records
Works with relevant SBAT personnel

The Partner RTO

Confirms qualification availability and scope
Conducts formal enrolment
Develops the training and assessment strategy
Confirms trainers and assessors
Approves assessment tools and evidence requirements
Makes competency decisions and maintains training records
Issues the qualification or statement of attainment

The Employer

Provides lawful paid employment and appropriate workplace tasks
Pays applicable wages and entitlements
Provides induction and supervision
Meets workplace health and safety requirements
Supports required employment days
Maintains employment records and participates in reviews

NEXIE Institute

Provides the STEP pathway architecture
Provides the NEXIE Business Blueprint
Develops proprietary learner-application resources
Provides facilitator and pathway guidance
Supports strengths-based learner reflection
Proposes applied projects for partner consideration
Provides progression resources and defines permitted IP use

NEXIE does not make competency decisions, guarantee employment or assume the responsibilities of the school, RTO, employer, apprenticeship network provider or government authority.

Participation Models

Build the partnership that fits the local community.

The responsible employer must be identified before a formal traineeship begins. Students are not assumed to be employed by NEXIE Institute.

A school and partner RTO
A school network
An RTO and employer group
An early childhood provider
A business or professional-service employer
A group training organisation
A youth-transition provider
A regional or community initiative
A government, industry or philanthropic partnership
A multi-employer pathway

How to Begin

From interest to a confirmed traineeship pathway.

Select the pathway

Identify Workplace Skills, Business or Early Childhood Education and Care as the student’s proposed direction.

Confirm school suitability

Discuss the pathway with the school, careers adviser, SBAT coordinator and parent or carer.

Confirm the partner RTO

Ensure the RTO has the selected qualification on scope and can support the school-based arrangement.

Confirm the employer

Identify a suitable employer able to provide lawful paid work, supervision and relevant workplace activities.

Define responsibilities

Document the school, RTO, employer, student, family and NEXIE responsibilities.

Complete formal arrangements

Complete the applicable traineeship, training, employment, school and government processes.

Begin the connected pathway

Commence school, paid employment, formal training and STEP applied learning under the approved arrangement.

Opportunity Status

Registering interest—not yet a guaranteed placement.

NEXIE is seeking expressions of interest from:

NSW secondary schools
Eligible students and families
Registered Training Organisations
Business employers
Early childhood education and care employers
Group training organisations
Careers and transition practitioners
Youth and community organisations
Government, industry and funding partners

Registering interest does not guarantee an RTO place, traineeship, employer, funding, HSC arrangement, qualification outcome, employment after school or future NEXIE service-delivery rights.

Questions and Answers

Understand STEP school-based traineeships before registering.

Is STEP a nationally recognised qualification?+

No. STEP and the NEXIE Business Blueprint are proprietary learning and pathway-development resources. The nationally recognised qualification is delivered and assessed by the relevant approved partner RTO.

Are students paid?+

A formal school-based traineeship includes paid employment under the applicable industrial, traineeship and employment arrangements. Registering interest with NEXIE does not itself create an employment relationship or guarantee that an employer is available.

Will NEXIE employ every student?+

No. The responsible employer is identified for each pathway. NEXIE may participate as the proprietary learning, pathway or applied-project partner. It should not be assumed that NEXIE Institute will employ the student.

Can STEP activities count toward the qualification?+

Potentially, but only where the partner RTO reviews and approves the activities and determines how valid evidence will be collected, authenticated and assessed. NEXIE does not decide whether competency requirements have been met.

Can a student complete STEP without an RTO?+

A student may use some NEXIE youth or enterprise-learning resources outside a traineeship. A formal school-based traineeship leading to one of the listed qualifications requires an approved RTO and the applicable employment, school and training arrangements.

Can students access NEXIE Productised Services?+

Students may explore Productised Services as examples of future fields, work and enterprise pathways. Exploration does not provide protected resources, professional status, facilitator authority or commercial delivery rights. Age, safeguarding, capability, qualifications, preparation and licence requirements continue to apply.

Does STEP guarantee qualification completion, employment or income?+

No. Outcomes depend on participation, employment, RTO requirements, workplace performance, available support and the decisions of the responsible organisations.

Can students requiring additional support participate?+

Potentially. The pathway may incorporate accessible resources, smaller steps, mentoring, visual supports, family partnership and reasonable workplace or learning adjustments. Suitability and supports must be confirmed through the school, RTO, employer and responsible support pathways.

Can a school, RTO or employer propose a cohort?+

Yes. NEXIE can explore an individual-school pathway, employer partnership, early childhood workforce pathway or multi-school cohort. A partnership conversation is an initial scoping process—not an approved or funded program until responsibilities and agreements are confirmed.

Purpose. Pathway. Possibility.

Connect school with a future the student can build.

Learn. Earn. Build. Create impact.