Principal's Report

School Improvements

Half of Australia’s 25 year olds are unable to secure full-time employment, despite 60 per cent holding post-school qualifications, according to the latest report from The Foundation for Australians (FYA).

The New Work Reality report, which follows the journeys of 14,000 young people over a decade, reveals young Australians increasingly face a number of significant barriers when seeking full time jobs.

Three quarters of young Australians don’t believe they have the relevant vocational and practical work experience that the job market calls for, while seven out of 10 believe there is insufficient job availability. One in four believe they lack the necessary interview and job application skills.

Read the full report here.

A key recommendation of the report is the teaching of enterprise skills like problem solving, teamwork and communication. These skills are developed in all classes and subjects that students study at Brentwood. Teachers design learning programs that provide explicit opportunities for students to deliberately practice these skills.

Enterprise skills also feature prominently in Vocational Education and Training (VET) subjects. Students can complete a VET subject as part of their VCE program at Brentwood.  Students undertake nationally recognised training from either accredited state curriculum or national training packages which may contribute towards their VCE.  Students can study a VET subject for Years 10 and 11 or Years 11 and 12.

A letter titled ‘School Improvement Initiatives in 2019’ was sent to all families on 27 June by Principal John Ballagh via Compass News Feed. In 2019, Brentwood will be offering a selection of VET subjects on site for the first time.  VET subjects that are scored contribute directly to the ATAR either as one of the student’s best four studies (primary four) or 10% of their fifth or sixth subject.  Any contribution to the ATAR is subject to satisfactory completion of the designated Units 3 and 4 sequence.  Our VET offerings on site will be:

• Aviation
• Business
• Furnishing
• Sport and Recreation

A range of other VET Subjects are offered by the Mullum VET Cluster at various locations in the nearby community.  The study of a VET subject from within the Mullum VET cluster offerings will require students getting themselves to the alternate educational setting once a week, usually on a Wednesday afternoon.  A VET Parent Information Evening will be held on Wednesday 18 July at 6pm in C Block.  Please contact Ann-Marie Mackay (Director of Student Pathways) if you have any queries at Mackay.annmarie.a@edumail.vic.gov.au.

In 2020, Brentwood will be offering Year 11 students the alternate option of studying the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) on site, instead of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). VCAL is a hands-on option for students in Years 11 and 12. It gives students practical work-related experience, as well as literacy and numeracy skills and the opportunity to build personal skills that are important for life and work. Students will be required to apply for entry to the VCAL program, and demonstrate an overall willingness to develop their vocational readiness skills. You can access the ‘School Improvement Initiatives in 2019’ letter in your Compass News Feed or the attachment below.

Congratulations to the students on all their achievements this semester. Semester reports are available to access and download on Compass. A reminder that more detailed assessment feedback is available on the Learning Tasks tab. May I take this opportunity to wish all members of our community, including our staff and Year 11 students heading north through Central Australia, a safe and happy holiday.

Peter Rhodes, Associate Principal