Ballarat High School Newsletter

Vocational Major

Structured Workplace Learning

 

VCE Vocational Major (VM) students are required to take part in Structured Workplace Learning (SWL) during the two years of their programme.  SWL is similar but different to Work Experience as it is about on the job training, during which the student is expected to master a set of skills related to their Vocational Education and Training (VET.)  SWL is a component of VET programmes and compulsory for  completion of some certificates.   Ballarat High School requires 40 hours of SWL for VCE Vocational Major students each year. 

 

Structured workplace learning provides students with the opportunity to:

  • integrate practical on-the-job experience and learning in workplaces with nationally recognised VET undertaken as part of the VCE Vocational Major.
  • undertake work placement to complement an applied learning program as part of the VCE Vocational Major.

VM students in the Applied stream participate in SWL on Fridays throughout the year and VM Flexible students complete SWL in blocks. 

  • Weeks 8 and 9 of Term 2 - Monday 3rd June to Friday 14th June are allocated for Year 11 VM flexible students to participate in SWL. 
  • Week  9 of Term 2 -  Tuesday 11th June to Friday 14th June is allocated for Year 12 VM flexible students to participate in SWL

Students have already started to research possible employers in their Learning and Wellbeing class (LaW) and they can seek support from all of their VM teachers. Students have also had a session with guest speaker Jenny Sheriff, pictured above,  from the  Highlands Local Learning Education Network  (HLLEN) who introduced them to the portal where they can search and express interest in a range of SWL positions and other opportunities.  Our Managed Individual Pathways Team, (MIPs)  Ally and Joanne are also experts in this area and can support students in securing an SWL. Finding an SWL is not always easy and students may need to make several attempts to secure a position; an early start is key here. 

 

If anyone in the school community has the capacity to participate in our  SWL programme  please contact me at the school for more information. I am sure that we will have a student interested in your industry. 

 

Jenni Nicholls

Applied Learning Specialist

 

 

Northcote Experience

 

On February 14th our Year 11 VM Applied class went to Northcote to find ideas that we could make and sell on Mother’s Day. We started off at the train station and took the train down to the Southern Cross Station. We then took the tram through Melbourne and out to Northcote. We had a meeting when we got there about what we were going to do for the day. After the meeting, Ms Hammond and Ms Beyen  let us go for a walk to have a look at the different shops and the very different items that they sell. We had to take pictures of some of the items that we wanted to use as inspiration to make our Mother’s Day items. 

After we had gone through the shops that we wanted to, we took the tram back to Melbourne Central to have a look at some shops and get some food to eat. Finally we then made our way back to the train and went back home.

 

Jett Roberts

Year 11