With a wide range of courses available, you can select a subject that:
Take your studies to the next level by studying a subject that you know you enjoy.
You'll have access to innovative study spaces and learning technologies, as well as USC's student support services to help you rise, and shine. Services include academic and study support, career advice and wellbeing services including free counselling.
Study a subject that isn't offered at school to try out different study areas and careers.
Study something you’re passionate about. It's a great way to do what you love and can help you stay motivated in high school.
Use the career guide to find a degree to match your career choice, then work towards gaining credit towards that degree by choosing Headstart subjects that are related to that degree.
Save time and money in your future study by working towards a degree while in Headstart.
- Find a USC degree that interests you
- Look at the 'What will I study?' tab to see what introductory courses you need to study towards that degree
- Then, see which of those courses are available through Headstart
Available courses
Choose courses available to Headstart students from a range of study areas, including:
Do you need help choosing your Headstart course?
The Foundation for Young Australians has analysed millions of job advertisements to identify occupations that can be grouped into the seven clusters of work* (Foundation for Young Australians, 2017). These clusters can be used to help you think about your future career options and decide which Headstart course to do.
Thinking about which cluster you are interested in means that you don’t need to decide at this stage exactly which job you would like to do. Instead, you can consider several jobs within one cluster, and you can also move between clusters if your interests change over time.
| Cluster | Description | Courses |
| The Artisans | Require skill in manual tasks related to construction, production, maintenance or technical customer service. This cluster is closely linked with detail orientation, planning, problem solving and digital literacy. |
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| The Carers | Seek to improve the mental or physical health or well-being of others, including medical, care and personal support services. This cluster is closely linked with communication skills, team work, teaching, problem solving, research, time management and detail orientation. | |
| The Coordinators | Involve repetitive administrative and behind-the-scenes process or service tasks. This cluster is closely linked with time management, detail orientation, communication skills, team work and customer service. | |
| The Designers | Involve deploying skills and knowledge of science, mathematics and design to construct or engineer products or buildings. This cluster is closely linked with planning, quality assurance, project management and time management. | |
| The Generators | Require a high level of interpersonal interaction in retail, sales, hospitality and entertainment. This cluster is closely linked with communication skills, building effective relationships and customer service. | |
| The Informers | Involve professionals providing information, education or business services. This cluster is closely linked with communication skills, customer service, detail orientation, planning, quality assurance and project management. | |
| The Technologists | Require skilled understanding and manipulation of digital technology. This cluster is closely linked with detail-orientation, planning, quality assurance and project management. |
* Foundation for Young Australians (FYA), THE NEW WORK MINDSET: 7 new job clusters to help young people navigate the new work order, available at: https://www.fya.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/The-New-Work-Mindset.pdf