About VET

There are three options for including VET as part of your VCE and these are described below.

1. What is a VCE VET program?

You can choose a VCE VET program as part of your VCE. A VCE VET program offers you a vocational certificate with VCE credit built in, just like other VCE studies. VCE VET programs will give you credit at Units 1–4. This means that you will be undertaking training in a specific vocational area, for instance hospitality, agriculture, information technology or engineering.

As part of your training you should complete structured workplace learning that provides you with the opportunity to put your knowledge and skills into practice.

This training will contribute towards satisfactory completion of your VCE and it will give you a nationally recognised vocational qualification. The vocational qualification will provide you with access to further training, for instance at a TAFE institute, and may improve your chances of getting work when you leave school.

A number of the programs also have a study score available and these and most other VCE VET programs contribute to the ENTER. There are currently over 30 VCE VET programs to choose from. See: A list of VCE VET programs.

A program booklet for each of the VCE VET programs is available on the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) website at www.vcaa.vic.edu.au

Your school has copies of these program booklets also.

You can check with your school's VCE coordinator or VET coordinator to find out how an individual VCE VET program will contribute to your VCE.

2. What is a School Based Apprenticeship or Traineeship?

Another way for vocational training to contribute towards your VCE is through a School Based Apprenticeship or Traineeship. In order to become an apprentice or trainee you have to be in paid work and sign a contract of training which must be registered with the Office of Training and Tertiary Education (OTTE).

Your VCE program would share time with your part-time work and vocational training. So your VCE would contain three parts:

Currently there are eleven industries where the VCAA has built in VCE credit arrangements and you can undertake an apprenticeship or traineeship as part of your VCE:

A customised Metcard describing contact information for VCAA

The School Based Apprenticeship or Traineeship qualification you receive will contribute to satisfactory completion of the VCE in the same way that VCE VET programs contribute; that is, it will give you credit at Units 1–4. School Based Apprenticeship or Traineeship programs contribute to an ENTER in the same way that VCE VET programs contribute.

You will need to check with your school to find out how a School Based Apprenticeship or Traineeship can be set up for you.

VCE VET and School Based Apprenticeship or Traineeship programs can also form part of a student's VCAL learning program. VCAL is explained later in this book.

3. Block Credit Recognition in the VCE

If you are interested in doing a vocational training certificate that is not available through VCE VET programs or the eleven School Based Apprenticeship or Traineeships referred to above, you may be able to count the training towards satisfactory completion of your VCE.

This credit arrangement is called ‘Block Credit’. There are some rules about how credit is given in the VCE through this avenue. You should speak to your VET coordinator or VCE coordinator for more information.