A review of VET for school students

Consultation Process

Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 13 June 2019 to 26 July 2019. Below is a record of this engagement.

Tell us what we can do to strengthen vocational pathways from school to employment for South Australian secondary school students.

What is being decided?

The state government has committed to increasing the number of vocational pathways from school to employment, increasing student demand for these pathways and providing a supply of skilled workers to support the needs of South Australian industry. To achieve this we need to lift the status of VET and unlock the potential it has to drive jobs and growth in South Australia. This potential is currently being hampered by a range of challenges facing delivery of VET to school students.

The Minister for Education has released a VET Issues Paper which explores the key challenges of delivering VET in secondary schools and seeks community and stakeholder feedback on how they can be addressed.

Feedback will inform the development of a VET for Schools Policy which will articulate the approach to ensuring young South Australians not only have access to high quality VET, but also that they understand the opportunities it presents to them.

VET and Vocational Pathways

The vocational education and training (VET) sector provides nationally recognised qualifications from Certificate I and II entry-level training through to Graduate Diploma, to prepare students for work. VET providers include TAFE colleges, private providers, Adult Community Education and enterprise training providers. A vocational pathway provides students with the option to train with a VET provider in work based skills and knowledge to complete a qualification.

Get Involved

Read the Issues Paper and provide your feedback.

• Complete the online survey
• Attend a consultation forum
• Fill in the online submission form
• Email: Education.VETPathways@sa.gov.au
• Mail your submission to:

Further Education and Pathways
Department for Education
GPO Box 1152 Adelaide SA 5001

How can your input influence the decision?

Your feedback will be considered in the development of a policy paper released later in 2019. The new policy will outline the state government’s long term approach to ensuring young South Australians have access to high quality VET.

What are the next steps?

The launch of the Issues Paper opens a six-week consultation period, closing Friday 26 July 2019.

This consultation will be complemented by a review of best practice career counselling in government schools already underway and a review of VET funding in schools.

All of this work will inform the policy paper released later in 2019, setting out our plan to deliver stronger vocational pathways in South Australian schools. Positive changes will take effect from 2020, with further implementation to continue through 2021 and beyond.

Contact

For more information contact:

Will Denny 
Senior Policy and Project officer

Email: Education.VETPathways@sa.gov.au
Phone: (08) 8226 0349

Closing date: 5pm Friday 26 July 2019

Background

Now Closed

This online engagement was hosted on YourSAy from 13 June 2019 to 26 July 2019. Below is a record of this engagement.

The importance of VET

The Education Council through its review of the Melbourne Declaration points to the need for schools to prepare students for a lifetime of learning and effective social and economic participation.

Gonski found that top-performing education systems support the individual learning growth of each student, in each year of schooling. The Department for Education’s new approach to school improvement aspires to the growth of every child, in every class, in every government school and for some students VET is a means of achieving this.

VET provides nationally recognised qualifications from Certificate I and II entry-level training through to Graduate Diploma, developed by industry to prepare students for work. VET providers include TAFE colleges, private providers, Adult Community Education and enterprise training providers. A vocational pathway provides students with the option to train with a VET provider in work based skills and knowledge to complete a qualification.

VET is a valuable contributor to secondary school learning for students, providing a recognised pathway to employment or further education and training. Completion of VET at school develops competencies that position young people well to participate in the workforce.

Embarking on a vocational pathway at school allows students to get a head start in the world of work and commence a lucrative and worthwhile career. VET for school students has long been regarded by industry as critical in strengthening the connection between education, training and the labour market and supporting the transition from school to work. VET qualifications continue to be in high demand as identified by the Training and Skills Commission.

The South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) already recognises the important role VET can play in South Australia’s secondary education, with students able to gain up to 150 credits (of the required 200 credits) for successfully completing VET units of competency. The SACE recognises VET qualifications that are listed on the training.gov.au website as the national register of qualifications. The SACE VET Recognition Register lists more than 300 of the most common VET qualifications undertaken by SACE students and indicates how these qualifications may contribute towards the SACE.

For more information read the Review of VET for School Students issues paper.