Vocational education and training in schools in victoria: an appraisal six years down the track

Abstract

This article examines the impact of an initiative designed to integrate vocational education and training in the senior school leaving certificate in the Australian state of Victoria. Drawing on two studies of senior secondary school students conducted by the Educational Outcomes Research Unit at the University of Melbourne, it attempts to assess whether, on the basis of data available to date, the VET in Schools programme has been a success. The article describes the programme's features and the way it has attempted to integrate general and vocational education within a common leaving certificate – the Victorian Certificate of Education. It presents data comparing the attitudes to workplace learning of students enrolled in the VET in Schools programme and students not enrolled in the programme. Finally, it presents data on the labour market and study destinations of students graduating from the programme. The article finds that the programme has been remarkably successful in terms of enrolment growth, positive attitudes to workplace learning and successful transitions to work and further study.