VET
Vocational Education and Training in Schools
VET subjects are part of the VCE but are based on more practical/'hands on' studies. Theory is put into practice, providing students with the opportunity to develop work skills and knowledge that relate to real jobs in industry. What is learnt directly, applies to work situations.
By undertaking a VET subject, students gain:
- VCE credits towards their VCE or VCE VM program
- credit towards the calculation of their ATAR score (when a recognised 2-year program is studied)
- a nationally recognised VET qualification
- confidence, communication, and employment skills
- industry skills that can enhance their career opportunities
VET costs
Most of the costs associated with VET courses are covered by the school and by the Department of Education. As with other subjects in VCE, parents will still need to pay for some costs such as for uniform requirements or personal protective equipment, that are used and retained by the student.
Where VET subjects are studied
All VET subjects, other than Sport and Recreation, are studied away from Norwood, usually on Wednesday afternoons. The following table displays current offerings.
| Subject | Certificate | Provider and Location |
|---|---|---|
| The following courses are open to Year 10, 11 and 12 students. Classes will run on Wednesday afternoon at times yet to be confirmed. | ||
| Acting (Screen) | 3 | Australian College of the Dramatic Arts (Boronia) |
| Allied Health Assistance | 3 (Partial) | Box Hill Institute (Box Hill) |
| Animal Care | 2 | Box Hill TAFE (Lilydale or Box Hill) |
| Automotive Technology | 2 | Ringwood Training |
| Beauty Services | 3 (Partial) | Box Hill TAFE (Box Hill) |
| Building and Construction (Carpentry)* | 2 (Pre-app) | Swinburne TAFE (Croydon) |
| Community Services | 3 | Box Hill TAFE |
| Cookery | 2 | Aquinas College |
| Dance | 2 | Ringwood Secondary College |
| Early Childhood Education (Partial) | 3 | Box Hill TAFE (Box Hill) |
| Electrotechnology | 2 | Swinburne TAFE (Croydon) |
| Engineering Studies | 2 | Ringwood Training |
| Equine Studies | 3 | Box Hill TAFE (Box Hill) |
| Hospitality | 2 | Aquinas College (Ringwood) |
| IT (Networking and Cybersecurity) | 3 (Partial) | Ringwood Training |
| IT (Games Design) | 3 (Partial) | Ringwood Training |
| Music (Performance) | 3 | Box Hill TAFE |
| Music (Sound Production) | 3 | Melba College |
| Plumbing* | 2 (Pre-App) | Swinburne TAFE (Croydon) |
| Retail Cosmetics | 2 (1 year) | Inspiring Training (Boronia) |
| Salon Assistant (Hairdressing) | 2 (1 year) | Inspiring Training (Boronia) |
| Screen and Media | 3 | Box Hill TAFE |
| Sport & Recreation | 3 | Norwood Secondary College |
| Visual Arts | 3 | Melba College |
Full Day VET Courses
**(Only Available to VCE-Vocational Major Students)
| Subject | Certificate | Provider and Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
Beauty Services (Full Certificate) | 3 | Inspiring Training | For Year 2 students who have completed VET Retail Cosmetics in Year 1 |
| Building and Construction - Bricklaying | 2 | Swinburne TAFE (Croydon) | |
| Design Fundamentals | 3 | Swinburne TAFE (Wantirna) | Year 1 - All day Wednesday Year 2 - Half day |
| Horticulture | 2 | Ranges Tech (Lilydale) | *If interested in Landscaping this is a good option. |
Note: Specific details about each VET course will be available from the VET handbook.
*Swinburne VET programs covering Electrotechnology, Carpentry and Plumbing may require students to attend a full week of study in the Term 2 or Term 3 holidays.
To complete the Sport and Recreation VET certificate, students will need to participate in camps and excursions. This means they will miss some classes for other subjects. Students must be committed to catching up on any work that is missed.
What else should a student be aware of?
You need to think carefully about how important it is for you to do a VET study as you cannot change your VET study after the first two weeks.
You need to be aware that:
- It is the student’s responsibility to organise their own transport to and from the VET course location
- Students completing a scored VET course (see table above) will be required to sit a VCAA exam during the Year 12 exam period. (Not required for VCE VM students)
- Attending any VET program, apart from the Norwood VET course, will involve missing out on lessons in other subjects. Depending on the time it commences, an afternoon VET program will involve leaving Norwood at the beginning of either period 3 or period 4. This means that students will potentially miss out attending periods 3 and 4 every Wednesday. It is the responsibility of students to regularly discuss with their classroom teacher what work has been missed and to catch up on these lessons.
- VET students will have three spare lessons during the week, which they can use to catch up on missed lessons by studying in the Library.
- Salon Assistant (Hairdressing) and Retail Cosmetic courses only take one year to complete.
- The Norwood VET application form is available online and needs to be completed and submitted online, by Friday, 7 August 2026.
- For current Year 9 students the same application process as applying for a VCE subject will follow as a VET course is considered an advance placement for a Year 9 student. When an application is approved, a Norwood VET application form must be completed online. Year 10 students have priority placing over Year 9 students.
- Some providers require additional forms to be completed and submitted. Enrolments are not complete until this process has been finalised. In the past students have missed out on a place in a VET course when they did not complete applications on time.
- Some VET subjects may require you to do work placement. It is preferred that this placement occurs during the Term 1, 2 or 3 holidays.