Senior Secondary Certificate Reform - The information contained within this presentation remains subject to the VRQA accreditation process that is ...
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Senior Secondary
Certificate Reform
VCAA summary of new pathways
for schools
1
The information contained within this
presentation remains subject to the VRQA
accreditation process that is underway.
2
1
As you may know, Victoria is moving to a new integrated senior secondary
certificate that brings together our VCE and VCAL certificates.
This will give all students the learning opportunities to develop the skills and
capabilities needed to succeed in further education, work and life.
From 2023, the VCE Vocational Major will replace the existing VCAL at the
Intermediate and Senior levels. A fully integrated VCE will be implemented
from 2025.
The VCE Vocational Major is a 2-year vocational and applied learning program
within the VCE. The program aims to equip students with the skills,
knowledge, confidence and agency needed to prepare for the world of work
and further education and training.
The VPC is an inclusive Year 11 and 12 certificate that will meet the needs of
the minority of students not able or ready to complete a certificate at the
VCE level. The VPC is at Australian Qualifications Framework Level 1 and not
recognised as a senior secondary certificate.
Students, parents and schools choose in partnership the most appropriate course
based on student need, aspiration and capability.
The final design and curriculum VCE Vocational Major and the VPC are currently
subject to an accreditation process by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications
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Authority (VRQA).
From 2025, a fully integrated VCE certificate will build on the Vocational Major introduced in
2023 and remove barriers for participation in vocational and applied learning pathways.
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The senior secondary pathway reforms are part of a suite of 38
recommendations from the Review into Vocational and Applied
Learning Pathways for Senior Secondary Schooling (the Firth Review),
commissioned by the Department of Education and Training. The Firth
Review found that we need to do more to make vocational and applied
learning in schools consistently high quality, relevant to the needs of
students and employers, and accessible to all students across the
state.
The new pathway reforms are designed to enable all students to
develop the skills and expertise they need to succeed in further
education, training and work.
Including the Vocational Major within the VCE will overcome
entrenched public perceptions of VCAL and demonstrate that all
pathways for achieving the VCE, whether through Vocational Major or
the standard VCE program, share a common goal—successful post-
school transitions for students.
4
Applied learning incorporates the teaching of skills and knowledge in
the context of ‘real life’ experiences, where students discover how to
apply what they have learnt by doing, experiencing, reflecting and
relating acquired skills to the real-world.
Moving students out of the classroom to enrich their learning allows
them to make the shift to becoming more independent and responsible
for their own learning and increasing their intrinsic motivation.
It's also about nurturing and working with a student in a holistic
manner, taking into account their personal strengths, interests, goals,
previous experiences and using this as the starting point for their
learning.
An applied learning approach emphasises skills and knowledge that
may not normally be the focus of more traditional school curricula. It
also recognises individual differences in ways of learning and post-
educational experiences.
Applied learning may involve students and their teachers working in
partnership with external organisations and individuals to access VET
and work integrated learning placements. These partnerships provide
the necessary contexts for students to demonstrate the relevance of
the skills and knowledge they have acquired in their study and training.
5
Applied learning is beneficial for all students, as it:
• Facilitates and prepares students for successful post-school
pathways including transitioning to the workforce, going on to further
education and training, as well as succeeding in personal and civil
life.
• Encourages personalised student-led learning, aligned to student
interests and aspirations
• Provides opportunities for students to gain industry exposure and
experience through work integrated learning opportunities.
• Enables students to explore potential careers and develop technical
and employability skills for the future.
Vocational and Applied Learning pathways not only equip young people
for entry into the world of work also but provide them with functional
competencies and skills (including soft skills like effective
communication, interpersonal skills and self-management) that are
needed to participant in the economy and society.
Students learn important work-readiness and personal development
skills linked to community involvement and civil responsibilities.
Vocational and Applied Learning pathways can offer a great way to re-
engage students who might otherwise consider leaving school before
they reach Year 11 and 12.
6
The VCAA is developing resources and a program of professional
learning to support providers during 2022 as they prepare for the
implementation of the VPC and VCE Vocational Major in 2023.
Resources will be released in late April/early May 2022 following
accreditation of the new pathway courses and curriculum by the
Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority.
Resources will include an Advice for Teachers publication to
accompany each study. The Advice for Teachers will provide teaching
and learning advice for Units 1–4 and assessment advice for Units 3
and 4. It will also include:
• advice on developing a program
• teaching and learning activities
• sample approaches to developing assessment tasks
• sample assessment rubrics/performance descriptors.
The VCAA will also run webinars and onsite workshops across regional
and metropolitan Victoria.
The VCAA will also introduce an enhanced quality assurance program
which will ensure standards and requirements set out in the curriculum
are being met by schools and providers. More details on the quality
assurance program will be released in 2022.
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The VCAA is developing resources and a program of professional
learning to support providers during 2022 as they prepare for the
implementation of the VPC and VCE Vocational Major in 2023.
Initial professional learning dates will soon be released. The VCAA
Bulletin will provide further information on upcoming professional
development opportunities.
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The VCE Vocational Major will replace Intermediate and Senior
VCAL.
It is a two-year vocational and applied learning program within the VCE
which aims to provide a more structured and defined course of study
for students who wish to follow a pathway into vocational education
and training or work.
The VCE Vocational Major will prepare students to transition
successfully into apprenticeships, traineeships, further education and
training, university (through alternate entry programs) or directly into
employment.
The purpose of the VCE Vocational Major is to empower students to
make informed decisions about the next stages of their lives, through
real life workplace experiences providing them with the best
opportunity to achieve their personal goals and aspirations in a rapidly
changing world.
VET will continue to play an important role in the VCE, and VCE VET
programs will continue to be offered in 2023 and beyond. Students will
continue to receive VCE credit for other training or school-based
apprenticeships/traineeships. VET is a key element of the VCE
Vocational Major program, with students required to complete a
minimum of 180 nominal hours of VET at Certificate II level or above.
10
Design
• To be awarded the VCE Vocational Major, students must
satisfactorily complete the mandatory minimum 16 units.
• Students that meet the requirements will receive the appellation of
‘Vocational Major’ on their VCE certificate.
New Curriculum
The Personal Development Skills, Work Related Skills, Numeracy and
Literacy study designs aim to equip students with the necessary skills
and knowledge to engender confidence and self-agency in their
preparation for the world of work and further training and education.
The new Vocational Major units have a strong focus on the application
of knowledge and skills in practical contexts. Many of the units are
underpinned by community-based activities and the development of
self-agency.
Students enrolled in the Vocational Major program will be able to enrol
in other VCE studies in addition to the minimum required units for the
Vocational Major.
11The award of satisfactory completion for a unit will be based on the
teacher’s decision that the student has demonstrated achievement of
the set of outcomes specified for the unit, assessed through a range of
learning activities and tasks.
The types and range of assessment tasks for the outcomes are
prescribed within the study design or curriculum.
The VCAA will publish Advice for Teachers for each study or
curriculum, which will include advice on the design of assessment
tasks and the assessment of student work for a level of achievement,
including assessment rubrics.
Teachers will be supported to develop courses that provide appropriate
opportunities for students to demonstrate satisfactory achievement of
learning goals.
12The Victorian Pathways Certificate will replace Foundation VCAL and is
designed to support students to transition to the VCE Vocational Major,
entry level VET, or employment.
The certificate will involve a minimum 12 units which can be completed
over a flexible time period. The Victorian Pathways Certificate can
include VCE units, VET and structured workplace learning.
14The Victorian Pathways Certificate is an inclusive Year 11 and 12
certificate that will meet the needs of students not participating in the
VCE (including the Vocational Major).
The Victorian Pathways Certificate provides students with a standards-
based certificate and is specifically designed for students not working
at the VCE level and will provide opportunities to progress to the VCE
Vocational Major.
The Victorian Pathways Certificate is particularly suited to students
who have missed significant periods of school; vulnerable students at
risk of disengaging from their education; or students with additional
needs.
The Victorian Pathways Certificate has been developed at Level 1 of
the Australian Qualifications Framework, which is the same skill level
as Foundation VCAL. Within the Victorian Pathways Certificate there
are opportunities for extension beyond Australian Qualifications
Framework Level 1 by including VCE or VET studies in a student’s
study program or by extending individual students within the Victorian
Pathways Certificate curriculum. It is not a senior secondary certificate.
The Victorian Pathways Certificate will not be suitable for all students
and should be provided to students on an as-needs basis.
15Discussions about suitability to undertake the Victorian Pathways Certificate
are best conducted between the school, student and their family.
15Proposed design
• The Victorian Pathways Certificate will have flexible entry and
enrolment, with a minimum of 12 units.
• Literacy units can include units from the VCE English group
including VCE Vocational Major Literacy
• Numeracy units can include units from the VCE Mathematics group
including VCE Vocational Major Numeracy
New Curriculum
• Enhanced assessment and reporting based on acquired skills and
knowledge
• Learning goals under each module will describe the intended
learning outcome.
• The approach to achieving the learning outcome is centred on
applied learning principles
• Completion is demonstrated through the application of key
knowledge and skills.
16LITERACY
• focuses on the development of the knowledge and skills required
to be literate in Australia today.
• enables the development of knowledge, skills and attributes
relevant to reading, writing and oral communication and their
practical application in the contexts of everyday life, family,
employment, further learning and community.
NUMERACY
• enable students to develop their everyday numeracy practices to
make sense of their personal, public, and future vocational lives –
develop problem solving skills; logical thinking and reasoning
strategies by applying numeracy to everyday activities.
• empower students to use mathematics to make sense of their
world and to apply mathematics in a context of their local, national
and global environments
• the use of digital technologies is embedded throughout the
numeracy curriculum to support student confidence and skills to
18integrate new technologies for everyday numeracy tasks.
Work Related Skills
• offers practical, authentic opportunities for students to develop
employability skills and prepare for their future pathway
• students apply their knowledge and understanding to practical and
collaborative activities to prepare for the process of applying for jobs and
being a valued and productive employee in the workplace.
Personal Development Skills
• through independent and collaborative activities, Personal Development
Skills builds the capacity of students to set personal goals and participate
in their communities with confidence, respect, safety and resilience.
• students develop their capacity to understand and connect with the world
they live in, and build their potential to be productive, independent and
capable citizens.
18VCE Vocational Major study designs
Designed per VCE study design guidelines, where:
• a unit includes Areas of Study, Outcomes (including Key
Knowledge and Key Skills) and Assessment
• the area of study outlines the context of learning outcomes and
provides detail on what students are expected to learn through the
unit. Areas of Study may be undertaken concurrently so that
outcomes are integrated where this is deemed appropriate by the
teacher.
• the outcome describes the intended learning outcomes, described
in terms of key knowledge and skills.
• the key knowledge describes the knowledge students need to
learn to be able to meet the outcome
• the key skills describe the skills students develop in order to apply
their knowledge and understanding
19Victorian Pathways Certificate curriculum guides
• a unit includes a set of modules, learning goals, applications and
evidence for satisfactory completion
• the module describes the expected breadth and depth of content
• the learning goal describes the intended learning outcome
• the application identifies the key knowledge and key skills
students need to achieve the learning goal
20Schools that have excelled in offering a high quality VCAL program will
be well-placed to leverage the new curriculum, which builds on the best
elements of VCAL including the flexibility to provide senior secondary
students with an education that is engaging, based in real life and
which delivers in-demand skills for the future world of work.
The new pathways offer:
✓ Breadth and quality of curriculum
✓ Less repetition
✓ Easy to follow structure
✓ Clear and detailed study designs
✓ Advice for Teachers resource for each study
✓ No intermediate exit point, however, students will receive an
enhanced Statement of Results
21VET enables students to gain qualifications as well as specific skills to
help them in the workplace.
• VET certificates allow secondary students to gain practical skills in a
specific industry while contributing towards the completion of a
senior secondary certificate.
• Students can complete VET through school-based apprenticeships
and traineeships.
School-Based Apprenticeships or Traineeships are an excellent
way for students to get a head start in their career while still at school.
• School-Based Apprenticeships or Traineeships allow school students
to spend time working while completing the necessary vocational
training along with a Year 11 and 12 qualification.
Structured Workplace Learning
• Structured Workplace Learning recognition provides the formal
framework and processes to enable students to integrate their on-
the-job experience and learning in a workplace with nationally
recognised VET undertaken as part of either the VCE, VCE
Vocational Major or Victorian Pathways Certificate.
• Structured Workplace Learning recognition is available for students
who undertake Structured Workplace Learning in an industry aligned
to the VCE VET program they are enrolled in. Structured Workplace
23Learning recognition is also available for students undertaking a School-
Based Apprenticeship or Traineeship.
23In 2022, there are no changes to the existing certificates. Students will
still be able to enrol in VCAL or the VCE.
Students commencing Senior or Intermediate VCAL in 2022 will
transfer into the VCE Vocational Major in 2023 with credit for
completed VCAL, VET or VCE subjects. Those students will continue
to study the Senior VCAL curriculum as part of a phased ‘teach-out’
transition in the first year. Students who meet the completion
requirements will be awarded the VCE Vocational Major.
Students studying Foundation VCAL in 2022 will transfer into the
Victorian Pathways Certificate in 2023 with credit for completed
subjects. These students will study the new Victorian Pathways
Certificate curriculum and will be awarded the Victorian Pathways
Certificate upon successful completion of the certificate requirements.
Students will receive information and guidance on the new pathway
options through their course counselling sessions in schools during
2022.
25Some examples of student pathways have been provided to illustrate
the transition.
• Ling could study Intermediate VCAL in Year 11 in 2022 and then
transfer into the VCE Vocational Major with credit in 2023.
• Jerome could study Foundational VCAL in Year 11 in 2022 and then
transfer into the Victorian Pathways Certificate with credit in 2023.
• Anya would commence the VCE Vocational Major in Year 11 in
2023, then graduate in 2024.
26All senior secondary students will receive an enhanced statement of
results, recognised by training providers, universities and employers.
The Statement is intended to provide a comprehensive record of
student progress and achievement in Year 11 and 12, irrespective of
whether they complete a formal certificate.
Consultation with students and teachers in 2021 provided important
feedback on the sorts of skills and competencies that could be
showcased via an enhanced Statement of Results. These ranged from
soft-skills recognition (attitude, effort, employability) to certificates,
graded results, and attendance data. Sliding scales of achievement
(from baseline to exit) was also put forward as a way
of recognising student progress.
Further development and targeted consultation will continue in 2022,
including feedback from industry and employers.
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