Notice to Schools 50/2022 – 28 April 2022

Curriculum now available for VCE Vocational Major for 2023

Principals/directors, VCE coordinators, and VCE and VCAL teachers and students

The new VCE Vocational Major (VM) is now fully accredited by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) and the curriculum is available.

Teachers can download the detailed VCE VM study designs and support materials (previously known as Advice for Teachers) for each study.  

The Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) will soon be accredited, and the curriculum will be released upon accreditation.

These pathways will ensure every student will be supported to develop the skills they need to find rewarding careers and reach their full potential. 

VCE Vocational Major  

The VCE VM is a vocational and applied learning program within the VCE that will replace Intermediate and Senior VCAL programs. It is designed to be completed over a minimum of two years.  

The VCE Vocational Major has specific studies, each with four units, designed to help students clarify their future:  

• VCE VM Literacy  
• VCE VM Numeracy  
• VCE VM Work Related Skills  
• VCE VM Personal Development Skills   

VCE VM students must also complete 180 nominal hours of VET at Certificate II level or above. Students can also do other VCE studies and receive credit for time in the workplace through Structured Workplace Learning Recognition (SWLR). Most VCE VM students will undertake between 16-20 units over the two years.  

These new studies have been developed by panels of current applied learning practitioners working with VCAA education specialists to ensure that the curriculum is engaging, based in real life and delivers in-demand skills for the future world of work. A new sequential curriculum based on the VCAL strands offers breadth, less repetition, an easy-to-follow structure, enhanced assessment and reporting based on both skills and knowledge, and detailed VCE study designs with accompanying support materials for each study.

On satisfactory completion of the VCE VM, students will receive a Victorian Certificate of Education with the additional words Vocational Major.

Victorian Pathways Certificate  

The VPC will be a flexible certificate at Year 11 and 12 designed to meet the needs of students who are not ready or yet able to complete the VCE or VCE VM, and will replace Foundation VCAL.  

The VPC will soon be accredited, and the curriculum will be released upon accreditation.

Students undertaking the VPC will complete a minimum of 12 units, with four new studies:  

• VPC Literacy  
• VPC Numeracy  
• VPC Work Related Skills  
• VPC Personal Development Skills  

Students can also add VCE and VCE VM units or VET units of competency to their VPC program. Students can also receive structured workplace learning recognition.  

VPC students will receive the Victorian Pathways Certificate and a Statement of Results from the VCAA listing all enrolled and completed units.  

Students will also receive a Full Qualification or Statement of Attainment for completed VET studies from their RTO.  

Transition arrangements  

Current VCAL students will receive credit into the VCE VM or the VPC for units they have successfully completed by the end of 2022. 

Further information will be available soon. The transition arrangements will ensure that every student will receive credit for units successfully completed. This will include a range of common scenarios which can be applied to individual students in each provider. 

Professional learning  

A series of face-to-face professional learning workshops about the implementation of the VCE VM and the VPC in 2023 will run across Victoria this year.   

The ‘Applied learning in practice’ workshops will run throughout the state in Term 3. 

The workshops are opportunities for VCE VM and VPC teachers to: 

• understand the new study designs and advice for teachers publications 
• build capacity in applied learning approaches 
• develop teaching and learning programs that are student-centred with engaging projects connected to the real world and the community 
• network with teachers from similar schools

The workshops will cover all four curriculum areas. There will be two morning sessions and two afternoon sessions. Participants will need to register for each session they wish to attend: 

• Morning session 1: Work Related Skills; or 

• Morning session 2: Literacy 
  8.45am–12.30pm, registration from 8.30am 
• Afternoon session 3: Numeracy; or 
• Afternoon session 4: Personal Development Skills 
  1–4pm, registration from 12.30pm 

Registrations are open. You are encouraged to register early and please finalise your registration 14 days before the scheduled workshop. 

Become a VCE VM or VPC provider  

Providers currently registered by the VRQA and authorised by the VCAA to offer and deliver VCE and VCAL (all levels) will automatically be able to offer and deliver the VCE, the new VCE VM and the VPC. Providers not currently registered and authorised to deliver VCAL but seeking to deliver the VCE VM and VPC in 2023 can find information on the Apply to deliver page, where a series of instructional modules, exemplars and other support is accessible to assist providers applying to expand scope.  

Action required

Critical dates

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Additional information

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