VCAL

1
VCAL

• Senior secondary school qualification
• Accredited in July 2002
• Based on existing good practice
• Develops and extends pathways for young people
  to
• Work, apprenticeships/traineeships
• Training and further education

2
VCAL

• - Flexible
• - Applied
• - Student-centred
• - Develops partnerships

3
Applied Learning

• An approach emphasises the relevance of what is
  being learnt in the real world
• Focus on real life application
• Involves students and their teachers in
  partnerships and connections with organisations
  and individuals outside provider environment
• Partnerships provide necessary out of school
  context to demonstrate relevance of what students
  have learnt
• Takes into account differences in preferred
  learning styles and ways of learning
• Student centred Goals and outcomes should be
  negotiated with students and other stakeholders

4
Principles

• Start where learner is at
• Negotiate the curriculum engage in dialogue
• Share knowledge recognise knowledge that
  learner brings into the learning environment
• Connect with communities and real life
  experiences
• Build resilience, confidence and self worth
• Integrate learning reflects what occurs in real
  life
• Promote diversity of learning styles and methods
  everyone learns differently may require
  different teaching methods

5
VCAL qualification

• 3 VCAL award levels
• Foundation
• Intermediate
• Senior
• VCAL Intermediate VCAL
  Senior
• May include May include
• VCAL intermediate units VCAL
  Senior Units
• VET Certificates I and II VET
  Certificates II and III
• FE Certificate II FE Certificate III

6
VCAL CURRICULUM STRANDS

• Four compulsory curriculum strands
• Literacy and Numeracy Skills
• Industry Specific Skills
• Work Related Skills
• Personal Development Skills

7
VCAL Course Components

• A VCAL learning program may contain curriculum
  components drawn from
• VCAL units (LNS, ISS, WRS and PDS)
• VCE units (including VET in the VCE programs)
• Other VET curriculum or Training Packages
• Further Education accredited curriculum

8
Course Requirements

• A learning program must
• Be made up of accredited curriculum that leads to
  a minimum of 10 credits
• Include curriculum which can be justified against
  the purpose statement for each of the four VCAL
  curriculum strands

9
Course requirements contd

• Include
• A minimum of two VCAL units
• In the Literacy and Numeracy Skills strand,
  curriculum components to the value of one credit
  for literacy and one credit for numeracy

10
Course Requirements contd

• In each of the remaining 3 strands, curriculum
  components to the value of at least one credit in
  each
• Curriculum components to the value of SIX credits
  at the VCAL award level or above, of which one
  must be for literacy and one VCAL Personal
  Development Skills Unit

11
Course Requirements contd

• At VCAL Intermediate and Senior level, - VET to
  the value of a minimum of one credit in the
  Industry Specific Skills Strand

12
Sample timetable at PHSC
13
Current student program intended pathway

• Student A plans to begin an Automotive mechanic
  Apprenticeship next year.
• Currently studying VCAL INTERMEDIATE
• Literacy strand VCE Foundation English
• Numeracy strand VCE Foundation Math's
• Personal development strand VCAL specific
  program
• Work related skills strand SWL( 10 days),
  Responsible service of Food CERT other work
  programs.
• Industry Specific strand ASBA at a mechanics
  Cert II (at least 100 hours work.)

14
Current student program

• Student B plans to complete VCE next year.
• Currently studying VCAL INTERMEDIATE
• Literacy strand VCE English
• Numeracy strand VCE Foundation Math's completed
  in 2007
• Personal development strand VCAL specific
  program
• Work related skills strand SWL( 10 days),
  Responsible service of Food CERT other work
  programs.
• Industry Specific strand VET Fashion