MESC Senior School Handbooks

Senior Program Options Year 11 & 12

What are VCE, VCE VM and VET ?

Senior Program Options Year 11 & 12

What are VCE, VCE VM, VPC and VET ?

Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)

The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is the certificate that the majority of students in Victoria receive on satisfactory completion of their secondary education. The VCE provides diverse pathways to further study or training at university or TAFE and to employment. The Victorian Certificate of Education is generally taught in Year 11 and 12. All VCE studies are organised into units (VCE subjects typically consist of four units; each unit covers one semester of study). Each unit comprises a set number of outcomes (usually two or three); an outcome describes the knowledge and skills that a student should demonstrate by the time the unit is completed. On completing a unit, a student receives either a 'satisfactory' (S) or 'non-satisfactory' (N) result. Students are not required to complete all the units of a subject as part of the VCE course, meaning they are able to change subject choice between Year 11 and Year 12. 

 

Minimum Requirements

The minimum requirements for a student’s program for satisfactory completion of a VCE Pathway is 16 units which includes:

  • at least THREE consecutive units from the English Group, TWO of which must be a Unit 3–4 sequence (English, English Language, EAL or Literature)

AND

  • THREE sequences of other Units 3 and 4 studies other than English, which can include VCE VET sequence.

At MESC students study more than the minimum 16 units so that they have a ‘top 4' selection and gain ‘bonus’ results.

 

VCE (Baccalaureate)

The Victorian Government, through VCAA, developed a new award the VCE (Baccalaureate). 

To be eligible for the award of the VCE (Baccalaureate), students will be required to meet the requirements of satisfactory completion of the VCE and:

  • satisfactorily complete a Units 3 and 4 sequence from English or Literature or  English Language with a minimum study score of 30 or English as an Additional Language (EAL) with a minimum study score of 33
  • satisfactorily complete a Units 3 and 4 sequence in either Mathematical Methods or Specialist Mathematics
  • satisfactorily complete a Units 3 and 4 sequence in a VCE Language.

If a student does wish to study a course at tertiary level which requires an ATAR then a student must satisfactorily complete their VCE with both “S” results for Units 3 and 4 in any subject in the English field (at least one English field subject is compulsory) and at least sixteen units in total. They will need to complete all of their SACs and sit all their end of Year 12 examinations.

 

Victorian Certificate of Education Vocational Major - VCE VM

 

The VCE Vocational Major (VCE VM) is a vocational and applied learning program within the VCE designed to be completed over a minimum of two years. The VCE VM will give students greater choice and flexibility to pursue their strengths and interests and develop the skills and capabilities needed to succeed in further education, work and life.

 

It prepares students to move into apprenticeships, traineeships, further education and training, university (via non-ATAR pathways) or directly into the workforce.

 

The purpose of the VCE VM is to provide students with the best opportunity to achieve their personal goals and aspirations in a rapidly changing world by:

  • equipping them with the skills, knowledge, values and capabilities to be active and informed citizens, lifelong learners and confident and creative individuals; and
  • empowering them to make informed decisions about the next stages of their lives through real life workplace experiences.

What do I have to complete to be awarded the VCE Vocational Major?

 

To be eligible to receive the VCE VM, students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 16 units, including:

  • 3 VCE VM Literacy or VCE English units (including a Unit 3–4 sequence)
  • 2 VCE VM Numeracy or VCE Mathematics units
  • 2 VCE VM Work Related Skills units
  • 2 VCE VM Personal Development Skills units, and
  • 2 VET credits at Certificate II level or above (180 nominal hours)

Students must complete a minimum of three other Unit 3–4 sequences as part of their program. Units 3 and 4 of VCE VM studies may be undertaken together over the duration of the academic year to enable these to be integrated.

 

The VCE VM can be tailored to the needs and interests of the student, to keep them engaged while developing their skills and knowledge. Students can also include other VCE studies and VET, and can receive structured workplace learning recognition.

Most students will undertake between 16-20 units over the two years.

 

How is the VCE VM structured?

 

New curriculum in VCE VM Literacy, Numeracy, Personal Development Skills and Work Related Skills has been developed by panels of current applied learning practitioners. The new curriculum is engaging, based in real life and gives students in-demand skills needed for the future world of work.

 

Applied learning teaches skills and knowledge in the context of ‘real life’ experiences. Students apply what they have learnt by doing, experiencing and relating acquired skills to the real-world. It enables flexible, personalised learning where teachers work with students to recognise their personal strengths, interest, goals, and experiences.

 

This is a shift from the traditional focus on discrete curriculum to a more integrated and contextualised approach to learning. Students learn and apply the skills and knowledge required to solve problems, implement projects or participate in structured workplace learning.

 

Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC)

 

The Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) is an inclusive Year 11 and 12 certificate designed to meet the needs of students who require a more individualised and flexible program for their last two years of secondary schooling.  The certificate can be an end point in itself, with students recognised for and proud of what they have achieved. Alternatively, a student may use it as a jumping off point to one of the other learning programs, most usually when they feel confident in their learning ability.

 

The VPC provides an enriched curriculum and excellent support for students to focus on developing the skills, knowledge, and qualities for success in personal, workplace, and civic life.

 

The VPC is termed an accredited ‘foundation secondary qualification’ under the Education and Training Reform Act 2006. The level of learning it delivers is aligned with Level 1 of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). Studies in the VCE and the VCE VM are aligned to Levels 2, 3, and 4 of the AQF.

 

The VPC is not a senior secondary qualification, however, students can use it as a pathway to the VCE, VCE VM, or VET certificates. VPC units, being at AQF Level 1 do not provide credit into the VCE or VCE VM.

 

The VPC is designed to develop and extend pathways for young people, while providing flexibility in delivery and assessment to support the different needs of students choosing this certificate.  The VPC is suitable for students whose previous schooling experience may have been disrupted for a variety of reasons, including students with additional needs, students who have missed significant periods of learning and vulnerable students at risk of disengaging from their education. Students will gain the skills, knowledge, values and capabilities to make informed choices about pathways into a senior secondary qualification, entry level vocational education and training (VET) course or employment.

The curriculum accommodates student aspirations and future employment goals. The four main curriculum areas are Literacy, Numeracy, Work Related Skills, and Personal Development Skills with a further 3 subjects under development for 2026.  VPC learning programs connect students to industry experiences and active participation in the community. Through participation in the VPC, students will gain necessary foundation skills to allow them to make a post-schooling transition onto work or further study.

 

Your VPC subject options:

You’ll need to complete 12 or more units, including at least:

  • 2 VPC Literacy units (or units from the VCE English group including VCE VM Literacy)
  • 2 VPC Numeracy units (or units from the VCE Mathematics group including VCE VM Numeracy)
  • 2 VPC Work-Related Skills units
  • 2 VPC Personal Development Skills units.

The remaining four units can come from other VPC units or from a VET Certificate I or above subject.

You could also spend time learning in a workplace. You can combine the VPC with VCE or VCE VM units, or VET at Certificate I level or above.

 

VET Delivered to Secondary Students (VETDSS)

VET is designed to expand opportunities and pathways for senior secondary students. VETDSS comprises nationally recognised VET certificates undertaken by secondary school students as part of their Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), or VCE Vocational Major (VCE VM). VETDSS provides a vocationally oriented program of studies and are typically delivered through partnership between the school, industry and Registered Training Organisations. Some certificates include opportunities for students to participate in structured workplace learning. Students enrolled in VETDSS may also combine study and employment through School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships which allow students to do an apprenticeship or traineeship while they undertake their studies. It is important to note that not all VET programs will count towards a student's ATAR and that MOST VET courses, due to their speciality, have associated costs involved - please keep these costs in mind when developing a VCE course. 

 

The Year 11 and 12 Co-ordinators have a responsibility to ensure that each student puts forward a program of study that allows them to succeed at this level. It is each student’s responsibility to demonstrate, during Year 10, that they have developed the range of skills necessary to enable them to confidently take on their chosen VCE.  It would be irresponsible of the College to allow any student to proceed with a program if the student had not been judged as being capable of satisfactorily completing such a program.  The three key areas that will be assessed in each case are:

  1. Attendance
  2. Academic ability
  3. Work ethic.

Specific judgments about the suitability of a student to enter a particular pathway, and to take up particular subjects, will include but not be limited to:

  1. The student needs to have a very good attendance record. In Years 11 and 12 students must have less than a 5% VCE/VCE VM unapproved absence rate to satisfactorily complete their subjects. Students need to demonstrate the ability to meet this requirement during Year 10.
  2. VCE VM requires a wide variety of skills including the ability to work independently and within teams. Students need to be able to follow directions and need to demonstrate a solid work ethic. Students need to demonstrate these skills clearly during Year 10.
  3. The student must have achieved an ‘At the Victorian Curriculum standard’ result in English to undertake VCE Units 1/2 English;
  4. The student must have achieved an ‘At the Victorian Curriculum standard’ result for the vast majority of assessments completed during Year 10 in most of their subjects. A student not obtaining this result would be considered an unlikely candidate for the VCE program since; at this level it would be unlikely that the student would achieve success; 
  5. The student must have achieved an ‘At the Victorian Curriculum standard’ result in Year 10 subjects relevant to the VCE Units 1/2 subjects they wish to study;
  6. In most situations to undertake study in a particular VCE subject at the Unit 3/4 level students need to satisfactorily complete at least one Unit of this subject at Year 11 level and must achieve C results in the majority of their assessments in this subject. 
  7. To undertake a full Unit 3/4 VCE program, students need to satisfactorily complete at least 4 subjects (8 units) at the Unit 1/2 level. Students not achieving this should consider an alternative pathway or may be eligible to complete a three year VCE program.

The College believes that, in the majority of cases where students have performed poorly at a level leading up to the Senior School, they should attempt to satisfy the requirements of that level in order to adequately develop the skills required to succeed at Year 11 and 12. Students who achieve outstanding results after undertaking a Unit 3/4 sequence at Year 11 may also have the opportunity of undertaking a first year university (Year 13) subject during Year 12. Entry into such programs, where available, would need to be discussed with the Senior School Coordinators. 

 

Student Declaration

 

Before undertaking any VCE or VCE VM studies, all students must sign an agreement to abide by the VCAA regulations. It is therefore important to recognise that by undertaking these studies it is the individual student who is responsible for supplying  ‘complete and accurate information’ to the Authority with regard to personal details, and that it is the student who agrees to the rules and instructions relating to the VCE and VCE VM assessment programs and matters of discipline. 

 

Early next year each student will be able to access the College Administrative Handbook on Compass. The Handbook will contain detailed information about the rules the VCAA, the College and students adhere to in implementing the VCE and VCE VM programs. 

 

Attendance

 

All VCE units involve at least 50 hours of scheduled classroom instruction. A student needs to demonstrate sufficient class attendance to fulfil the time and work requirements of the unit. The school sets minimum class time and attendance rules. If a student has completed work but there has been a substantial breach of the school’s attendance policy, the school may be unable to authenticate the student’s work completed across the outcome. Where the school chooses to assign an N result for the unit, because the work cannot be authenticated, the school must assign an N for the outcome or outcomes that cannot be authenticated. (VCAA administration handbook). Any absences must be approved by the senior school year level coordinators through the submission of either a medical certificate OR additional documentation.