20 years ago, students either went right through school to Year 12, probably with the intention to do further study or they opted to leave in Year 10 to get a trade and move straight into the workforce. Some students may have even opted for a trade college.
What if I told you that now you can do both…study a mainstream curriculum AND complete a vocation based subject. The rise of VET (Vocational Education and Training) subjects allow a student to start exploring their work based interests whilst studying and achieving an HSC. VET students gain hands on experience in industry specific situations.
New jobs data in the “growth area”, indicates that service industry positions are dramatically increasing; roles such as aged and disabled carers, child carers, software and application programmers, waiters, education aides, chefs, kitchenhands, advertising, public relations and sales managers are all areas of significant growth and therefore over time more positons becoming available. There is a VET course that a student could take to become skilled in each of these job areas.
Charlton is at the forefront of VET subjects and we are expanding our offerings as demand increases. We selectively partner with other local schools and colleges, to form a network of subject offerings. This is integral to the success of school-based VET courses and in most cases reduces the need for students to be held captive to the TAFE system. School-based VET courses also keep students connected with peers and teaching staff while immersing themselves in vocation based subjects within a school context.
In 2018 a Charlton Hospitality student achieved a rank of 4th place in the state for the subject, she will graduate with an ATAR and the possibility of university study if she wishes, but she also completed 2 Hospitality certificates which put this student above her competition when it came to applying for café and hospitality work.
VET subjects give students on the job training, work experience and a certain skill set that is very competitive when they leave school. The future opportunities are also broader with different options than those opting for a more traditional HSC pathway.
Some of our most popular VET subjects are: Hospitality, Entertainment and Construction.
If you or your child are curious to know what VET subjects we can offer please call/email Emma Rae our College registrar.
Here are two articles that explore the rise of VET courses in Sydney based schools.
Mrs Emma Davidge / Head of Senior School
