Award Winner CEAV
Careers Advisor Narelle McFadden recently received the ACCE Fellowship Award, in recognition of her long-term professional commitment to career education in Victoria. In addition to these awards, the ACE Committee of Management recognised Narelle for Life Membership, in recognition of her long-time work as a career practitioner who has made a significant contribution to the ACCE Committee of Management.
We caught up with Narelle recently to congratulate her on her well-deserved awards and find out more about her career in education.
What made you want to be an educator?
I was inspired by my Maths teacher at secondary school to go into teaching – I always loved working with kids and also enjoyed the challenge of maths and science. After trying many leadership roles within schools, I took on additional study to become a Career Practitioner as I loved the positive relationship it has with students.
What does your role at Ivanhoe involve?
My role involves working with all year levels to equip students with skills to discover what they love and where their strengths and abilities lie. We then use this information to investigate opportunities for students beyond school.
Career highlights from your time at Ivanhoe?
I have been a Career Practitioner for 20 years and at Ivanhoe for the last eight years. My highlights have been watching students make the connection between school and a career and helping them to discover ways to make their dreams a reality. I have also loved attending class reunions and hearing all the wonderful stories regarding students’ studies and careers – many people end up in a field they never originally thought they would be in.
What does receiving the awards mean to you?
It was certainly an honour to be awarded both the Fellowship award and Life membership of the Australian Centre for Careers Education (ACCE). To me, it recognises the importance and value of Career Practitioners in schools.
