VCE Vocational Major

It is wonderful, after all these years, to be welcomed back to Preshil. Each day as I wander through the special environment, that is our school, I reflect on my time as a student here. I remember building huts at Arlington with my friends and going into Mugs kitchen to help carry the handmade paint that was being prepared on the stove back to the fives. Several years later, when the senior school was established, I was one of the first students to participate in the Year 12 Schools Tertiary Certificate, and now I have returned to support a new generation of students in the VCE Vocational Major.

The VCE Vocational Major is a 2-year vocational and applied learning program that will support students to transition into apprenticeships, traineeships, further education, training and university (via non-ATAR pathways). The students will be encouraged to explore and pursue their strengths, interests, and aspirations while they develop knowledge and understanding of potential workplaces and career directions. As part of the course, I will be inviting past Alumni to come and share experiences and insights with each group.

A critical aspect of this course is its ability to support the students to plan for their future beyond school. I am delighted to be working closely with Bronte Howell to enable the students to navigate and access further career and study options. Bronte’s extensive knowledge in futures planning serves to fully compliment the Vocational Major pathway.

The development of the Vocational Major program is well underway. Each of the four subjects (Literacy, Numeracy, Personal Development, and Work-Related Skills) have been scoped and sent to the Department of Education for review and approval. While we wait for their feedback, I am in the process of designing the curriculum for 2024 and planning forward for the students to successfully complete this course.

In just a few weeks’ time we will be running our annual early commencement for the students that are transitioning through the senior years at Preshil. I am looking forward to welcoming the students into our new space at Kalimna. Together we will be valuing creative approaches to learning and engaging in a critical discourse about their future pathways.

Emma Borland

Vocational Major Program Coordinator (& Preshil Alum)