At the start of Senior School, our Year 9/10 students participate in our World of Work Program. Students work collaboratively in project based teams (Production, Service, Marketing/Finance) to run the school café. Students focus on the employability skills; learning to work within and run a business and begin to identify interests and strengths for their future pathway.

In Year 10, we will hold a parent information session regarding your child's Senior Secondary Pathway options. Students will also participate in industry visits to choose course preferences. Staff from across our Senior School (Year 9-12) will consult on the most appropriate pathway which will meet your child's needs.

If you would like more information about our Senior Secondary Pathways or post-school options, please contact our Jobs, Skills and Pathways Coordinator, Vu Nguyen.

At Jackson, we have two Senior Secondary courses on offer: Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) and ASDAN. In Year 12, Vu will arrange a Pathways Student Support Group (SSG) with families to discuss your child's options.

ASDAN - Towards Independence

ASDAN offers a range of internationally approved qualifications. At Jackson School we deliver the Towards Independence program in Years 9-12 (Age 14+). Towards Independence provides a framework of activities to develop and accredit personal, social, work-related and independent living skills. There are more than 70 modules, which can be used separately and accumulated to build a record of personal achievement. This has also included supported work experience programs, community access and travel education in the community.

Our staff members are trained to deliver the ASDAN Towards Independence program. Jackson School is a registered provider of ASDAN and we are externally moderated annually on the quality of delivery and assessment.

Levels of support are used to show how the learner has achieved the activity. They show individual progression and differentiation between learners:

Experience recorded
Gestural help
No help
Physical help
Sensory experience
Spoken/signed help

Our core modules are:

Starting Out (Mandatory Module)
Literacy: Developing Communication Skills
Developing Numeracy Skills
Independent Living Skills
Using Transport

Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC)

The Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) which is an accredited foundation secondary qualification under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic) and aligned to Level 1 in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). The VPC curriculum provides learning based on applied learning principles and a practical pathway into further education, training and employment to become contributing members of the wider community.

The VPC is designed to engage students through applied learning and provides flexibility to meet an individual’s learning needs. The VPC aims to build the skills, knowledge, values and capabilities that enable students to make informed choices about pathways into further education, training and/or employment. Through participation in the VPC students will gain the necessary foundation skills to allow them to make a successful post-schooling transition.

At Jackson School, VPC is delivered to Years 11/12 students over a two-year period through a project-based learning model to ensure authentic, real-world learning experiences aligned to the Principles of Allied Learning (Pillars). The coursework is designed and delivered at a more accessible level than the VCE and VCE Vocational Major. The VPC is delivered at student's own pace and our teachers assess students progress through a range of classroom and offsite learning activities.

The minimum requirement for the VPC is satisfactory completion of 12 units, which must include at least two units of:

Studies	Units
Literacy	VPC Literacy Unit 1 VPC Literacy Unit 2 VPC Literacy Unit 3 VPC Literacy Unit 4
Numeracy	VPC Numeracy Unit 1 VPC Numeracy Unit 2 VPC Numeracy Unit 3 VPC Numeracy Unit 4
Personal Development Skills	VPC Personal Development Skills Unit 1 VPC Personal Development Skills Unit 2
Work Related Skills	VPC Work Related Skills Unit 1 VPC Work Related Skills Unit 2 VPC Work Related Skills Unit 3 VPC Work Related Skills Unit 4

The remaining four units may include units of competency (UoC) from nationally recognised Vocational Education and Training (VET).

Structured Workplace Learning (SWL)

Jackson School offers a wide range of Structured Workplace Learning including Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses through partial completion "Trade Taster" courses, Certificate I, Certificate II or sometimes Certificate III. Some student may also undertake School-Based Apprenticeships (SBAT), including through HeadStart.

The VPC can include units of competency from nationally recognised VET qualifications. Training from a nationally recognised VET qualification may contribute towards the VPC through the following recognition arrangements:

enrolment in a VCAA-approved VET program or a School-based Apprenticeship or Traineeship (SBAT)
enrolment in any other nationally recognised qualification at Certificate I or above (block credit recognition)
successful completion of 90 nominal hours of units of competency from a nationally recognised VET qualification at Certificate I level or above provides one unit of credit towards the completion requirements of the VPC

In conjunction with registered training organisations (RTOs), students can work towards obtaining units of competency from the following qualifications:

Carpentry, Demolition and Automotive Trade Taster (AGA)
Certificate II in Sport and Recreation
Certificate II in Cookery
Certificate II Kitchen Operations
Certificate II in Food Processing
Certificate II in Hospitality
Certificate II in Construction
Certificate II in Plumbing
Certificate II in Animation
Certificate II in Animal Studies
Certificate II in Automotive Vocational Preparation
Certificate II in Automotive (Panel & Spray Painting)
Certificate II in Automotive Maintenance
Certificate II Salon Assistant
Certificate II Horticulture
Certificate III Horticulture
Certificate III in Sport and Recreation

Students may complete parts of VET courses through "Trade Tasters", also called micro-credentials. Micro-credentials in vocational education and training (VET) offer more flexible ways of learning. Micro-credentials support people to experience different industries and can be used as building blocks towards full qualifications. Not all course are offered each year.

To learn more about VET in the Victorian Pathways Certificate.

PAL Resources

Further information and resources