Senior secondary schooling pathway reforms

Senior secondary education is about developing and realising every student’s potential.

We are reforming senior secondary schooling to better engage and inspire Victoria's students.

The Victorian Government has invested nearly $750 million in reform to senior secondary education since 2018, including an additional $109 million in the 2024/25 State Budget.

Our reforms will build the aspirations and skills of young people so that their secondary schooling sets them up for future careers and meets the needs of the modern economy.

Reforming senior secondary education to better embed vocational and applied learning will build students’ critical and creative thinking, communication skills, teamwork collaboration, curiosity and innovation and provide students with real-world knowledge, including about the workplace, and practical and transferable skills.

The recommendations in John Firth’s Review into vocational and applied learning pathways in senior secondary schooling (Firth review) provide a roadmap for this reform.

Senior secondary certificate reform

Senior secondary education in Victoria is changing.

Victoria is moving to an integrated senior secondary certificate.

This will give all students the learning opportunities they need to develop skills and capabilities for success in further education, work and life.

Whatever their passions and talents, students can choose a VCE to suit their world.

To learn more, visit:

• Your world. Your VCE.
• Senior secondary certificate reform on the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority website
• VCE Vocational Major and Victorian Pathways Certificate Provision on the Policy and Advisory Library.

VCE Vocational Major

The VCE Vocational Major is a 2-year vocational and applied learning program within the VCE. The program equips students with the skills, knowledge, confidence and agency needed to prepare for work and further education and training.

The VCE Vocational Major prepares students to transition successfully into apprenticeships, traineeships, further education and training, university, or directly into employment. It supports them to develop knowledge, confidence and skills for work and life. It employs a more diverse range of assessment strategies rather than exams, alleviating some of the pressure that students face when completing the VCE.

The VCE Vocational Major has replaced the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) at the intermediate and senior levels.

For more information visit About the VCE Vocational Major.

Victorian Pathways Certificate

The Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) is a flexible foundation secondary course that meets the needs of the minority of Year 11 and 12 students not able or ready to complete a certificate at the VCE level.

The VPC provides students with a standards-based certificate that has been developed to be flexible, without a mandated period in which a student must complete the certificate. This allows students to complete it in a timeframe that suits their capability.

It provides an enriched curriculum and excellent support for students to develop the skills, capabilities and qualities for success in personal and civic life.

The VPC supports students to transition to the VCE (which could be the VCE Vocational Major), entry level VET or employment.

The VPC replaced Foundation VCAL.

For more information visit About the Victorian Pathways Certificate.

Single senior secondary certificate reform timeline

For more information on the senior secondary certificate reform, visit the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority website.

VET delivered to school students

We are helping to improve access to a range of high-quality VET courses for all students.

This includes a core set of VET certificates within 12 pathways:

Priority pathways

• Health
• Community services and early childhood education
• Building and construction
• Digital media and technologies
• Hospitality
• Clean energy and engineering.

Flexible pathways

• Automotive
• Agriculture and environment
• Hair and beauty
• Creative industries
• Sport and recreation
• Business.

These certificates are aligned to growth areas, student interest, and local industry needs.

We aim for all schools to provide students with access to at least 8 certificates:

• one certificate from each of the 6 priority pathways, and
• two certificates from the flexible pathways.

Expanding student access to VET will help them gain skills that align to their aspirations and get the jobs they want in Victoria’s growing economy.

Read more about:

• VET pathways in schools
• VET Delivered to School Students on the Policy and Advisory Library.

School-based apprenticeships and traineeships

We are supporting high-quality school-based apprenticeships and traineeships (SBATs) for more students.

SBAT students complete their schooling while spending time in paid employment, developing the vocational skills that prepare them for successful career pathways after senior secondary school.

The Head Start apprenticeships and traineeships program provides wrap-around support to SBAT students and employers. Head Start is available to students in every government secondary school in Victoria, providing more opportunities to undertake an apprenticeship or traineeship in an in-demand sector while completing school.

The reforms will also include improvements to make sure SBAT arrangements are appropriate to each individual student. This will include establishment of minimum standards and best practice guidance, resources and supports for schools, and a minimum workplace hours policy.

Read more about:

• key information for parents and students about SBATs
• SBATs on the Policy and Advisory Library.

Career education

Effective career education starts early, connects to work and supports students to understand their interests, skills and goals to make informed career decisions.

It is essential to learning and wellbeing, supporting students’ engagement and motivation and building their confidence about the future.

We are supporting all government schools to embed delivery of 4 key activities: career action plans, My Career Insights, work-based learning and career counselling.

Career action plans

Annual career action planning creates continuity through students career development in secondary school. Career action planning is required for all students from Years 9 to 12, but can begin in Year 7.

All students in government schools can access My Career Portfolio, an online resource to help students plan their futures through Career Action Plans and store files related to their course and career planning.

My Career Insights

All Year 9 students in government schools have access to My Career Insights. This program supports students to complete Morrisby, a comprehensive online career discovery and diagnostic tool.

Once they have completed their Morrisby assessment, students can unpack their Morrisby profile and report during a one-on-one interview with an external accredited career practitioner.

Work-based learning

Work experience placements and other work-based learning is an important opportunity for school students to explore career options and increase their work-readiness.

This is particularly important for disadvantaged students and can have a significant impact on their education and outcomes beyond school.

We are working to increase the number of school students completing work experience, including 10,000 additional placements in clean energy and other priority industries by 2027. Measures that will support this include:

• reducing the administrative burden of work experience on schools
• partnering with industry to create new quality opportunities
• providing targeted support to disadvantaged cohorts of students.

Course and subject counselling

All government school students receive course and subject counselling before:

• choosing their senior secondary pathway
• applying for post-school study
• leaving school without completing Year 12.

We are supporting school staff to upskill in their delivery of career advice through professional learning opportunities.

Read more about:

• Career education in government schools
• Career education funding on the Policy and Advisory Library
• other transforming career education initiatives.

Growing the VET workforce

A great senior secondary education requires a highly skilled and world class workforce, including teachers, trainers and other staff in schools to support vocational learning.

We are working to increase the supply, quality and retention of new and existing VET trainers and VET teachers in our schools.

This includes providing pathways for:

• industry professionals to become VET trainers in schools
• VET trainers to become classroom teachers
• classroom teachers to become VET trainers where they have existing vocational skills.

We are also piloting a new system to deliver professional learning opportunities for VET trainers to improve their practice and sustain their industry currency.

To access opportunities, visit:

• Professional learning programs: Vocational and applied learning.

Engaging students to remain in learning

Young people who complete Year 12 are better equipped to achieve their goals after school.

We are working to improve the system of support that helps young people who are at risk of disengaging to remain in learning, complete Year 12, and continue into further learning and work.

This includes improving support available to early school leavers to support engagement in post-school pathways, and funding TAFEs to deliver the VCE and VPC.

VET Champions

The VET Champions initiative shines a light on high-achieving Victorians who have risen to success through a vocational pathway. Since 2021, VET Champions have promoted the benefits of vocational pathways to students, schools, educators and the broader community.

VET Champions are available to attend your local school or industry event and talk about their VET experiences.

Hear individual stories or book a VET Champion on the VET Champions website.

Trade and Tech Fit

Trade & Tech Fit is a career expo for female and gender diverse school students to experience exciting career opportunities in traditionally male fields.

Each year, thousands of students from hundreds of schools explore trade and technology careers at the expo.

For more information, visit Trade & Tech Fit career expo.

More information

Further information is available at:

• Your world. Your VCE.
• Firth Review
• Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority

Or email:

• vcaa.seniorsecondaryreform@education.vic.gov.au
• pathways.reform@education.vic.gov.au.