Athlete Career & Education Program

What is ACE?

The Athlete Career and Education (ACE) Program plays a vital role in helping VIS athletes face the challenge of balancing Success in Sport and Life. Due to the nature of sport, high demands are placed upon athletes to perform both on and off the field. Being an elite athlete not only requires an enormous amount of commitment but can also mean that retirement may come at 25 rather than 65. This emphasises the importance of integrating learning, work and sports performance. Research has shown that if you balance your lifestyle, you are more likely to achieve the sporting goals set for yourself; this philosophy underpins the VIS ACE program.

How can ACE help you?

The objective of the ACE Program is to contribute to the personal and professional development of eligible elite athletes with career, educational and professional development services. ACE works closely with schools, universities, and other partners, to support athletes in coordinating their training, study and career workloads.

The ACE Program tailors specific programs to reflect the individual needs and aspirations of athletes who utilize the program thus allowing for individual growth and development. ACE achieves this through a wide variety of services:

Career Guidance and Counselling

• Career pathways and exploration
• Exploring individual values, skills and strengths
• Implementing action plans to achieve goals

Lifestyle Management

• Time management and achieving balance
• Minimising stress and the anxiety of competing demands
• Optimising sporting performance

Educational Guidance

• Secondary school subject selection and VET, TAFE, University and work pathways
• Exploration of the variety of courses available i.e. Short Course - Languages
• Letters of advocacy e.g. alternative examination venues and assignment submission options
• Study skills development

Employment Preparation

• Resumes and cover letter development
• Job search skills and Interviewing skills

Transitional Support

• Assisting with deselection, retirement, injury and relocation
• A significant change of life circumstances
• Setting goals for life after sport

Elite Athlete Friendly University (EAFU) Network

The VIS ACE program currently negotiates with eight educational institutes across Victoria to provide the EAFU Network. The EAFU network recognises universities who support elite athletes through the development of new or existing policies that support elite student athletes. This relationship enables elite athletes to achieve sporting excellence whilst at the same time allowing them to succeed in their academic endeavours.

To see which Universities are athlete friendly, visit the EAFU website.

Personal Development and Training

The VIS ACE program has a number of partnerships with organisations to help enhance your professional and personal development. The following organisations offer a wide variety of workshops and courses; some examples include:

• William Angliss Institute
  • Hospitality e.g. Responsible service of alcohol accreditation
  • Food and beverage courses
  • Tourism
  • Travel courses
• Mt Eliza Executive Education, Melbourne Business School
  • Leadership
  • General management programs
  • Specialist programs
• Wizard Corporate Training
  • Information Technology
  • Professional and self development courses
• Barrett Consulting
  • Sales consulting and training
• Australian Institute of Fitness
  • Master Personal Trainer
    
  • Certificate IV in Massage Therapy Practice (specilaising in fitness)
    
  • Fitness Business Program (Certificate IV in Business Sales and Certificate IV in Small Business Management)
    
• Other VIS ACE workshops and courses
  • Airlie Police Leadership Program
  • Personal Budgeting
  • Relaxation and Meditation
  • Goal setting

To access these programs you need to link directly with an ACE adviser.

What do athletes think about the ACE program?

Lisa Jacobs - Road Cycling

“Balancing the demands of cycling with my professional life as a lawyer can be a challenge. It’s been great to know that the support of the VIS doesn’t stop at sport; ACE has been a huge help, particularly this year when I came up against some new challenges.

I had just finished a season of racing in Europe with the national team and coming back to the office was a shock to the system! My career is important to me but I needed some guidance on channelling my energies and reviewing my career direction. Together with the ACE Team, we mapped out my professional aspirations, skills and constraints which formed the basis of my career plan. It’s been a really useful exercise and thanks to ACE I’ve got a much better idea of my professional strengths and weaknesses. ACE has also introduced me to the world of CAE courses through their sponsorship of the VIS. I did a 4-week meditation and relaxation course through CAE earlier in the year and later went back to speak at the launch of CAE’s Adult Learning Week. Most importantly, working with ACE has affirmed that I don’t have to put my career completely on hold to pursue my goals as a cyclist. It’s good to have that support.”

Is there anything else I need to know?

National Athlete Career and Education (NACE) Program

The VIS ACE Program is part of an Australia wide Program. If you wish to learn about the NACE program, simply click on the link below to download the latest brochure. This contains information regarding the lifestyle differences of athletes compared to their peers and highlights the individual needs and requirements for each athlete.

Link to NACE flyer:

http://www.ausport.gov.au/participating/career_and_education/resources/ace_brochure

ACEonline

ACEonline has been developed exclusively for Australia’s elite athletes and is an interactive website designed to help support athletes manage their career, education and personal development needs. You can register today by logging onto:

https://aceonline.ausport.gov.au

How can I contact an ACE advisor?

The VIS ACE Team currently has four individuals who are willing and able to help you achieve your goals in both sport and life; these members are:

• Bernadette Sierakowski - ACE Coordinator (Full Time Mon - Friday)
• Clare Timmins (4 days per week)
• Marina Mateos (Full time Monday - Friday)
• Dot Bussey - Pastoral Care – negotiated times

You can meet the VIS ACE staff through, individual sessions face to face, via phone, fax and skype. To make an appointment with one of the VIS ACE providers, please call (03) 9425 0000.

“We don’t stop at the finish line”