‘I want to be in the action’: Students visit police

“You need loyalty, good listening, lots of skills, and to know what you’re doing,” Lightning Reef Primary School student Ashford Huirua-Tepu said.

He was one of 10 students from the school who met officers at Bendigo Police Station on Thursday as part of the Passions and Pathways program.

The students listened to a talk from the officers before they got to see inside a Highway Patrol vehicle stationed at Bendigo.

But what type of police officer would they like to be?

“I’d probably want to be in highway patrol,” student Jordan Hicks said.

“I want to be in the action.”

For others, being able to use a diverse range of skills was appealing.

“I think being a detective would be good,” Lilly Adams-Howie said.

“They get to go undercover.”

The students will next visit a CFA station, before two visits to spend time with the SES in Bendigo.

Lightning Reef Primary School, along with Specimen Hill and Eaglehawk primary schools, are taking part in the program for 2016, which aims to show students the diverse range of careers available. The schools were chosen based on socioeconomic indicators.

The students were told about a 63-year-old who entered the police force, while another had tried multiple careers before finding the right option.

Teacher Kim Kirkpatrick said it was important for students to understand that there are many ways to forge a career after school.

“Part of the program is to learn about a range of careers, and to find out that there are many ways to follow their passions,” she said.