The Victorian Government is strengthening access to VET in senior secondary schools and is supporting learners to make informed career decisions about pathways into training and jobs.
The VET Delivered to School Students (VDSS) program continues to provide vocational education and training in Victorian government schools. In 2024, the VDSS program delivered training to around 31,900 students across Victoria, a 10 per cent increase from the previous year.
Head Start continues to support students in years 10 to 12 to undertake school-based apprenticeships and traineeships to help develop the skills and confidence students require to succeed in a workplace.
Since its introduction in 2019, more than 3,300 students have commenced training contracts via Head Start. Of these students, approximately 80 per cent were retained in their training contract 12 months post commencement, while approximately 80 per cent of Head Start employers have indicated their preference for using the Head Start model to recruit into the future.
Through its refreshed Employment Projections Dashboard, the VSA now provides 10-year projections of jobs in demand in addition to its standard three-year projections. This supports learners to better understand potential employment pathways upon completion of their qualifications and make more informed career decisions in school.
Skills and Jobs Centres (SJCs) continue to provide free career, employment and training services for all Victorians.1 In 2023, SJCs provided one-on-one support to 27,000 people and provided job readiness workshops to over 45,000 people.
The Victorian Skills Gateway continues to provide comprehensive information on careers in VET and training pathways. There are now over 500 training pathways listed on the website, and around 300 occupation-specific pages. Since June 2023, there have been over 1 million visits to the Gateway.
A new addition to the Skills Gateway is a set of industry and region-level profiles for learners with information on training, skills and job opportunities in high-demand industries across Melbourne and regional Victoria.
- 15 industry profiles help learners understand training and careers in growing industries in Victoria, including jobs in demand, insights into working in the industry, training and job opportunities and information on financial assistance.2
- 13 region-level profiles provide information on the training, skills and job opportunities across four Melbourne3 and nine regional areas4 in Victoria.
- 24 training and career stories provide real world examples of people across Victoria who used VET as a pathway to build their careers.5
Dean Xiberras
Victorian Training Awards 2024 School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year finalist
Growing up, Dean found fascination and enjoyment dismantling remote-controlled toys, and electronic components including motors and circuitry. So, it was no surprise that he chose a school-based apprenticeship with an electrical and data company and enrolled in a Certificate III in Electrotechnology Electrician.
For Dean, an electrical career was the most interesting. with plenty of potential for job growth. From day one of employment he was hooked – running data cables around the office building. Although he encountered challenges such as adapting to a constantly changing work environment, and learning many new electrical terms, he soon adapted and became an invaluable help to his team.
Dean’s time training helped him improve his school performance, his self-confidence, allowed him to build positive relationships with peers, and inspired him to set higher standards. He plans to pursue further training and explore every avenue of the electrical industry.
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