Curriculum Trends across Australia in 2000 - State by State

ACACA Compulsory Years of Schooling Group

Published by the Board of Studies NSW for the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Certification Authorities (ACACA)

Queensland

3. Vocational Learning

3.2 What initiatives/programs are being planned or implemented in your state/territory in vocational learning and structured workplace learning and in what years?

 

Of the 1999 cohort of school leavers, 22% of students completed an AQF Certificate I and 17.6% of students exited with a Certificate II recorded on their Senior Certificate. In addition, nearly 30% of students eligible for an Overall Position (OP — tertiary entrance rank) had at least one VET result recorded on their Senior Certificate, and almost half of all students who received a Senior Certificate completed at least one VET competency. Of the OP-eligible students engaged in SATs, over 40% were awarded OPs in the top half of the student distribution.

The numbers of SAT commencements in Queensland in 1999 was nearly 2300 (of whom 80% attended state schools), which constituted more than half of the national total. Co-operative partnerships with the Department of Employment, Training and industrial Relations ensured that industrial relations issues were expedited to enable this reform agenda process to progress smoothly and quickly.

The extend to which vocational learning has been generally embraced in Queensland ifs reflected in these figures, as is the extend to which VET has been accepted by students who are eligible for tertiary entrance. The growing number of students choosing to combine traditional academic subjects with VET courses ideally places our students for the changing work and study patterns of the future.

Vocational learning in the compulsory years can be accessed through the key competencies embedded in all recently developed subjects, through work experience, and through access to career guidance and life skills programs.

A significant and increasing number of Queensland schools participate in national enterprise education programs, including Australian Business Week, Young Achievement Australia, E-Teams, Plan Your Own Enterprise Competition and Enterprise Day initiatives.

In addition, specific enterprise educational skills and competencies are now being incorporated into new and developing curriculum areas, e.g. the Syllabus for the Years 1 to 10 Technology key learning area and the new Certificate II in Workplace Practices course for secondary students.