Apprenticeships and Traineeships Guide
Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses are nationally accredited qualifications available to Year 11 and 12 students.
Completing a VET qualification provides increased opportunity for students to connect with industry and school, ensures the focus and content of training is relevant, and that skills are developed to industry standards.
VET completion can count towards the completion of SACE and, in certain cases, the calculation of an ATAR. VET courses also articulate into other trade and para-professional qualifications at a higher level after school.
Certificate II units generally award credit at Stage 1 and Certificate III units (also typically associated with an apprenticeship), award Stage 2 credits.
Flexible Industry Pathways (FIPs)
Students can gain access to a wide range of VET options off-campus delivered by Training organisations such as TAFE SA and other private providers. Students will need to travel to the delivery sites to access this training.
The Department for Education has identified 26 Flexible Industry Pathways (Studentpathways.sa.edu.au) in which they offer subsidies to students to complete qualifications in areas considered to be strategically important to the economy in terms of job growth and skills shortages. The FIPs available for delivery to students in 2023 include:
- aged care and disability
- animal care
- agriculture
- aquaculture
- automotive retail, servicing and repair
- building and construction
- business start-up (entrepreneurial)
- civil construction, resources and infrastructure
- conservation and land management
- cyber
- early childhood
- education
- electrotechnology
- food processing
- forestry
- hair and beauty
- health support
- horticulture
- hospitality and tourism
- information technology
- manufacturing and engineering
- maritime
- plumbing
- resources and infrastructure
- thoroughbred racing
- screen and media production, game development and visual effects.
VET enrolment process
All VET courses are applied for by the VET Coordinator on the student’s behalf via an online application system called VETRO (VET Readiness Orientation).
Upon application, students must provide evidence of industry immersion in the field they are applying for. This typically comes via work experience, but may also take the form of volunteering or paid work.
Course fees are heavily subsidised by the State Government and are usually no more than $300 per qualification. A handful of courses will have a higher fee. Students who have access to School Card funding will pay no more than $100 per course.
Ideally, applications are submitted in Term 3 and students are notified of their success in Term 4. It is a requirement of all “VETRO” courses that students complete a Language Literacy and Numeracy Assessment to ensure that students’ diverse needs are catered for.
Individual training providers also have their own enrolment forms that will need to be completed and submitted as the enrolment process is finalised.
School-based apprenticeships and/or traineeships (SBAT’s)
From the age of 15, students may, if they wish, enter a part-time, school-based apprenticeship or traineeship while still at school. This allows them to complete the SACE while, at the same time, commencing an apprenticeship or traineeship and then, on completion of Stage 2, transition straight to work. The minimum work requirement for these ASBAs is one day a week but, in Year 12, if students have completed all the compulsory aspects of SACE, they can participate in a Flexible Apprenticeship/Traineeship and more workdays can be negotiated per week.
The following link can be used to learn more about School-based apprenticeships and traineeships.
https://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/school-based-apprenticeships
Workplace Learning
Workplace learning supports students to gain exposure to the world of work, make career decisions and gain employability skills. Workplace learning is a broad term that covers work placement programs including structured workplace learning and work experience. Time is set aside for students to complete work placement in Term 2 and Term 4 (this can be negotiated at another time depending on employer and student availability).
Work experience is where students take part in a short-term industry placement, giving them exposure to and an awareness of the world of work, and potential career pathways.
Structured work placements are linked to the VET program which the student is undertaking and may be provided on the job, by a teacher or trainer in a school, or by another training organisation.
The workplace learning agreement form, including the WHS checklist can be found on our Blackwoodhighcareers.com webpage. This must be completed and signed by all parties and returned to the VET/Pathways Coordinator a week prior to commencing the workplace learning to be processed.
Career pathway resources
These websites allow for students to explore occupations, complete career, and personality quizzes, find out about relevant industries and the labour market, explore apprenticeships and traineeships and connect with industry for work experience and employment opportunities.
https://studentpathways.sa.edu.au/
