VET @ PRC

Since PRC became an RTO in 2023, a substantial number of our students have enrolled and studying Certificate II in Community Services as contributory requirement for the award of VPC and VCE VM certificates. The arrangement as described does not preclude students from opting to access their choice of VET courses elsewhere. Our membership of the NMVC (North Melbourne VET Cluster) has been enabling us to support our students to source and secure appropriate VET courses from a range of providers within the network. We have also developed, and constantly seeking to establish partnerships with other RTOs, employers and other related entities with a view to widening the VET opportunity space for our students. 

Overall, however, VET offers our students the opportunity to combine general and vocational studies: explore career options and pathways; undertake learning in the workplace: gain a nationally recognised qualification or credit towards a qualification that contributes to the VPC and VCE VM studies: and develop skills that equip them for the workforce and further study. 

 Another key strategic thinking behind the decision to offer our in-house VET course was the need to undertake such in the context of our much-cherished specialist support and the concomitant safe space for our students.

Our current progress report regarding the delivery of Certificate II in community services reveals a degree of consistency in the number of enrolment and attendance, active participation in and outside of the classroom environment as well as positive engagement with our student-friendly learning materials/resources 

To date, all students have commenced work in all the units so far introduced, namely

• Be an effective Volunteer
• Use strategies to respond to routine workplace problems
• Work with diverse people
• Manage personal stress in the workplace
• Organise and complete daily work activities

Most of the students have satisfactorily completed at least 3 units, thus on course to fulfilling the twin requirements of Nominal VET hours and associated credits toward their VPC and VCE VM between now and 2025. A small number are making steady progress in their course work, notwithstanding some of the additional challenges that are presented. The VET journey, therefore, at PRC appears to be relatively free of any major disruption. A state of affair enabled through a combination of sustained hard work and dedication by the entire team at the College.