We all want to feel like we’ve got a choice in our education and our pathway. Good thing – long gone are the days where everyone believed uni was the one and only way to a successful future. Now we’ve got heaps of ways to carve out our own future, and doing VET in school is definitely one of those.
What is VET?
No – we don’t mean who you take your dog to when it’s sick.
VET stands for Vocational Education and Training, which includes a whole range of qualifications and courses aimed at boosting young people’s skills to equip them for a range of work environments and career paths. This includes things like certificates, trades, apprenticeships, and diplomas.
What is VET in school?
VET in schools are courses and programs that students can enrol in and complete while they’re still in high school. They can use these courses to gain qualifications that will help them get a job straight out of school, do further study, or get points towards their senior certificate.
Students can learn hands-on, workplace skills for a bunch of occupations through studying VET courses. Students can receive their training at school if their school is registered to deliver the training, or from an outside training organisation such as a TAFE.
So, what does it give you?
Students who study a VET course while at school can:
- Earn a qualification from Cert I up to Cert III
- Study areas such as health, hospitality, horticulture, community services and engineering (yep – VET is not just trades!)
- Receive their training at school if their school is registered to deliver the training or from an outside training organisation such as a TAFE
- Use their VET subjects towards gaining their QCE
- Put VET units towards their ATAR
- Be granted Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for completed VET studies if they choose to progress to a higher level of study.
Increase your options
Doing VET in school gives you so many options and opportunities like:
- Finishing with a qualification that makes you eligible for employment straight after finishing school
- Keeping the doorway open to uni if that’s something you want to consider
- Developing relationships with industry professionals
- Gaining real-life training and experience that will equip you for whatever path you choose.
Your school can help you come up with options that work for you. If you want to keep your options open or just aren’t sure yet about what you want to do after finishing school, doing a mix of school subjects and VET might be a good option to try out. Either way, doing VET in school is a great opportunity to pursue subjects of interest to you, all while working towards your QCE – just so you have all the options available to you. It’s kind of like having the world at your feet!
