VET in Schools: Current and future trends and dilemmas

1
VET in Schools Current and future trends and
dilemmas

• Changing landscapes from a practitioner point of
  view
• Kerrie Mackey-Smith

2
VET in Schools

• (Currently) Vocational Education and Training
•  
• The Recognition of VET Policy allows three
• options for recognising vocational education and
• training (VET) outcomes towards the SACE
•  
• Embedded VET units of competency
• delivered within Board-accredited subjects,
• in particular, Work Studies and Vocational
• Studies
•  

(SACE Board website accessed 27/8/09)
3
VET in Schools

• Stand-alone VET units of competency
• delivered without reference to Board
  accredited subjects, and recognised as SACE
• units (50 hour equivalents)
•  
• SSABSAVET subjects units of competency in an
  industry-specified SACE subject.
•  

(SACE Board website accessed 27/8/09)
4
VET in Schools
5
VET in Schools

• In 2008, 46 of students who completed the
• SACE included VET in their studies.
•  
• Of the 12 237 South Australian students who
• completed the SACE in 2008, about 900 would
• not have done so without stand-alone VET.
•  
• The SSABSAVET suite of subjects included sixteen
  specific industry areas and allowed students to
  gain recognition for completion of relevant units
  of competency and for work experience within that
  industry.
• (SACE Board as accessed
  27/8/09)

6
New SACE requirements
(SACE Board website accessed 27/8/09)
7
VET in Schools

• Proposed Certificate III VET study at Stage 2 to
  qualify for 60 credits
• No longer academic integration with VET as
  embedded in the Workplace Practices courses that
  hold an assessment component that recognises
  competency. The current Vocational Studies
  curriculum allows 40 15 to be held as
  competent (students currently attain 100 of that
  component) .

8
Assessment

• A - E grades in every subject
• Performance standards make clear what students
  need to achieve for particular grade in each
  subject
• Students need to achieve A, B or C grade in all
  compulsory subjects
• (SACE Board website accessed 27/8/09)

9
Features of the SACE

• A-E grades in every subject
• 30 per cent of all Stage 2 (Year 12) subjects
  marked by someone outside the school
• Double-checking of marks in all Stage 2 subjects
• (SACE Board website accessed 27/8/09)

10
University entrance

• Students wishing to apply for
• university entry from 2012 must
• Complete the SACE
• Complete 80 Stage 2 credits including at least
  three 20 credit Stage 2 subjects approved by
  universities
• Complete prerequisite requirements for some
  courses

(SACE Board website accessed 27/8/09)
11
VET in Schools

• At Stage 2 in SA (not including NT figures)
• 193 schools offered English
• 181 schools offered Maths
• 208 schools offered VET
• -------------------------------------------------
• 2,176 students completed English Studies
• 6,736 students completed English Comm
• 2,672 students completed a Work/ Vocational
  Studies subject (not including stand alone VET
  5,629) (SACE Board website accessed 27/8/09)

12
VET in Schools

• Dilemmas
• Cert III capabilities for Stage 2 increases
  rigour, however, increases streaming in effect
  from year 9
• It appears VET is increasingly delineated from
  integration or valuing of VET within Academic
  or Traditional Curriculum
• Simplifies outcomes for a complex student cohort
  and socially logicises students future choices.