North Central students in years 10 to 12 have the opportunity to undertake VET as part of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) and Year 9 students undertake elective subjects through the North Central Trades Training Centre based at Charlton.
There are many benefits to students undertaking vocational studies including an enhanced Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) score which can improve access to further education, pathways to employment, or further VET education.
Recent studies by the Australian Government indicate vocational education today remains an effective and efficient way of imparting the skills needed for employment - if anything, it’s likely that work-based learning models will be more important in the future as technology-driven changes to the ‘way we do things’ need to be quickly transmitted across industries and around workplaces. VET provides a practical focus in a wide range of industry areas and students can obtain workplace experience locally through Structured Workplace Learning (SWL) gaining direct experience in industry areas of interest, as well as possible access to School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships.
It can also offer employment opportunities for students who may pursue part time work while undertaking further study at university or other providers.
Employers highly value VET because it builds entry level skills in different industry areas and provides a practical introduction into workplace requirements, therefore enhancing employability skills. It also enables industry to contribute to programs within schools and community networks.
Local students participate in VET studies at the state-of-the-art North Central Trade Training Centre (TTC) based at Charlton which services St. Arnaud Secondary College, Boort District School, Charlton P-12 College, Donald High School, East Loddon P-12 College, Pyramid Hill P-10 College, Wedderburn P-12 College, and Wycheproof P-12 College.
The North Central TTC was opened in 2014 and features a commercial kitchen, hairdressing facility, allied health facility, agriculture facility, automotive workshop, and a construction workshop and engineering workshop.
The facility is a significant boost for education in our local communities whereby it guarantees rural students having access to modern facilities and equipment to undertake courses in areas of local skills shortages. This includes the delivery Certificate II and III qualifications in community services, agriculture, allied health, automotive, construction, engineering, hairdressing, and hospitality. Other subjects available to students include Animal Studies, Beauty, Music, and Sport & Recreation.