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Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses contribute to the broad education of students. They have the capacity to engage and challenge students to maximise their individual talents and capabilities for further education and training and lifelong learning.
Students in NSW have the option of studying VET courses at school or through TAFE NSW or other training providers.
Students in Years 9 and 10 may access VET courses through two curriculum pathways:
VET courses can only be delivered by registered training organisations (RTOs) that meet national standards and have the relevant qualification and units of competency on their scope of registration.
For NSW school students in Years 9-12 VET is 'dual-accredited'. Students receive recognition towards their school qualification (Record of School Achievement or HSC), as well as a nationally recognised VET qualification (Certificate or Statement of Attainment).
Read answers to frequently asked questions about VET in Stage 5.
Guidelines for access to VET courses by students in Years 9 and 10
The guidelines outline principles approved by NESA for access to VET courses by students in Years 9 and 10. They also highlight important planning considerations to allow schools/colleges to make appropriate choices for their students in their local context.
Advice and planning tools
Advice from other schools and TAFE colleges and training pathways planning can assist schools in planning VET curriculum pathways from Years 9 and 10 into Years 11 and 12 and post-school.
Read information and advice about VET courses and students with special education needs.
Stage 5 VET Board Endorsed courses
View the Stage 5 VET Board Endorsed course descriptions.
Frequently asked questions
Who can study VET courses in Years 9 and 10?
Access to VET courses by students in Years 9 and 10 should only be an option if it suits students’ individual needs – it is not necessarily appropriate for all schools, or for all students. It should be seen as one strategy within a suite of strategies used by schools to address engagement, retention and participation in education and training.
The support of the relevant school system authority and RTO is essential prior to schools offering VET courses to students in Years 9 and 10.
For further information and advice, please refer to the Guidelines for access to Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses by students in Years 9 and 10.
What type of VET curriculum pathways are available for students in Years 9 and 10 to study?
Students in Years 9 and 10 (Stage 5) may access VET courses through two curriculum pathways:
What VET courses should be offered to students in Years 9 and 10?
Schools and TAFE colleges should carefully consider the type and range of courses offered to students in Years 9 and 10, taking into account things such as:
- the course requirements (including work placement)
- the level of the course (Stage 5 or Stage 6 VET course)
- the AQF level of the qualification(s) available in the course
- student readiness and maturity.
For details of the range of VET courses and course requirements that are available, see the course description or syllabus for:
Why aren’t there more Stage 5 VET Board Endorsed courses?
Stage 5 VET Board Endorsed courses include outcomes and content (drawn from national industry training packages) endorsed by NESA for study by students in Stage 5.
These courses meet curriculum standards similar to those required of other Stage 5 courses. The AQF VET qualification outcomes of Stage 5 VET courses are at a lower level than those contained in Stage 6 HSC VET courses. Stage 5 courses would generally not include units of competency contained in Stage 6 HSC VET courses.
The Board has endorsed a range of 100-hour elective Stage 5 VET Board Endorsed courses for delivery that lead to Certificate I AQF VET qualifications.
If schools wish to offer other AQF VET qualifications that may be appropriate for endorsement at the Stage 5 level, they should contact the VET team at NESA on (02) 9367 8310.
Can students do Certificate I in Manufacturing (Pathways) with both a timber and a metal specialisation?
No. Students can only undertake the Manufacturing (Pathways) course in one specialisation. They cannot repeat the course to study a different specialisation.
The Manufacturing (Pathways) Stage 5 VET Board Endorsed course is a 100-hour course based on Certificate I in Manufacturing (Pathways). This qualification requires a focus on one specialisation to achieve the qualification. The course reflects the structure of the qualification.
There is a Construction Stage 5 VET Board Endorsed course available that provides a pathway to a Statement of Attainment towards Certificate I in Construction. Students may do this course in addition (or as an alternative) to Manufacturing (Pathways).
Why is it important to complete a Training Pathways Planning Tool for each industry area?
The Training Pathways Planning Tool is designed to support schools and TAFE colleges to identify the range of information needed to plan viable pathways for students and to ensure that there are curriculum options available for the continued engagement of students to the end of their schooling. Schools and TAFE colleges have indicated that the Training Pathways Planning Tool has been a crucial element of their planning processes.
This tool helps schools and TAFE colleges to identify:
- potential qualification pathways
- entry and exit points throughout planned pathways
- curriculum options available and whether there will be a need to apply for additional VET Board Endorsed courses
- a range of potential issues such as viability of cohorts or transition arrangements across campuses for collegiate schools
- the need for further collaboration with RTOs such as TAFE and cluster schools to be able to offer initial, specialisation study and/or extension courses with viable cohorts.
Do students undertaking early commencement of VET in Years 9 and 10 have to complete the HSC: All My Own Work program before they start the course?
Yes.
All students undertaking Preliminary or HSC courses must complete the HSC: All My Own Work program (or its equivalent) before the school submits students’ Preliminary or HSC course entries. This includes all students in Years 9 and 10 undertaking early commencement of a Stage 6 VET course.
Students are considered to be early commencing a VET course if they are completing a Stage 6 Industry Curriculum Framework or VET Board Endorsed course.
Principals are required to certify students’ completion of the HSC: All My Own Work program (or its equivalent) via Schools Online.
Do students in Years 9 and 10 have to do work placement?
Where a VET course includes a mandatory work placement requirement all students, including students in Years 9 and 10, must meet this requirement. Schools and TAFE colleges should take into consideration mandatory work placement requirements before offering a course to students in Years 9 and 10.
Schools and TAFE colleges experienced at having students in Years 9 and 10 undertake work placement advise that work placement is an issue that needs to be considered carefully. They recommend the following:
- the need to consider access to, and the availability of, potential work placements
- careful selection of work placement venues and careful matching of students to placements
- the need to consider the student’s maturity level and potential timing of work placement when selecting students to undertake VET courses with a mandatory work placement requirement
- careful consideration of the timing of work placement to enable students to be work ready.
Can students start school-based apprenticeships and traineeships in Year 10?
Year 10 students may commence a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship. School-based apprenticeships and traineeships are available to students as part of their HSC pattern of study. Early commencement of a Stage 6 VET course is the appropriate curriculum pathway.
How do I enter my Year 9 or 10 students who are doing a Stage 5 VET Board Endorsed course or early commencement of a Stage 6 VET course on Schools Online?
Year 9 and 10 students undertaking a Stage 5 VET Board Endorsed course should be entered in the relevant course via Schools Online in the calendar year in which they undertook the course. Students should always be entered as a Year 10 entry. This applies to students doing the course in either Year 9 or Year 10.
Year 9 and 10 students undertaking early commencement of a Stage 6 VET course should be entered in the relevant course via Schools Online in the calendar year in which they undertake the course. Entries should be made as a 'Year 11/Preliminary' entry for students commencing the course or as an 'Year 12/HSC' entry for continuing students. Year 10 students will have two enrolments — their Stage 5 enrolment and their Preliminary or HSC VET enrolment.
Remember to use the same student number allocated for managing all courses of a single student.
Visit Schools Online for additional support information on setting up and managing the course records of Stage 5 and Stage 6 students.