VCE Vocational Major

The Structure of the VCE VM

The VCE VM program is a minimum two year senior secondary qualification. It will give you greater choice and flexibility to pursue your strengths and interests and develop the skills and capabilities you need to succeed in further education, work and life. It prepares you to move into apprenticeships, traineeships, further education and training, university (via non-ATAR pathways) or directly into the workforce.

Courage to Dream Big

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

Equipping you with the skills, knowledge, values and capabilities to be active and informed citizens, lifelong learners and confident and creative individuals
By empowering you to make informed decisions about the next stages of your lives through real-life workplace experiences.

VM Applied Learning Involves Engaging in Authentic
and Motivating Learning Experiences

VCE VM Curriculum and Subjects

VCE VM Curriculum and learning involves
Literacy or VCE English Numeracy or VCE MathematicsWork Related SkillsPersonal Development SkillsPLUSVET at a Certificate II level or above (180 nominal hours)May involve Structured Workplace Learning (Work Experience)
A total of 16 UNITS.
Please download or view our Parent and Student VM Handbook here.

About Literacy

VCE VM Literacy develops the essential communication and critical thinking skills students need for workplace success and further education. Through practical, hands-on learning, students master everyday literacy tasks like navigating digital platforms, understanding workplace documents, and creating professional communications including reports, instructions, and presentations. The course builds confidence in reading complex texts such as contracts and safety procedures, while developing digital literacy skills for online research, content creation, and respectful digital communication. Students engage with real-world issues, learning to analyse different perspectives and present their own well-reasoned viewpoints through written work and oral presentations. By connecting literacy learning directly to vocational contexts and career interests, this subject provides the strong foundation in communication skills that employers value and that students need for success in apprenticeships, traineeships, further study, or direct entry into the workforce.Explore more about VM Literacy here

About Numeracy

VCE VM Numeracy develops practical mathematical skills that students need for confident participation in adult life, work, and further education. Through real-world applications across personal, financial, civic, health, vocational, and recreational contexts, students master essential number operations, measurement skills, data analysis, and problem-solving using both traditional methods and modern technology. The course progresses from foundational skills like working with fractions, percentages, and basic geometry to advanced capabilities including complex calculations, statistical analysis, risk assessment, and the sophisticated use of mathematical software and spreadsheets.
Students learn to navigate with maps, interpret data and graphs, manage financial calculations, and apply mathematical thinking to workplace scenarios, building the numerical confidence and analytical skills that employers value. By connecting mathematics directly to practical situations students will encounter in their chosen careers and daily lives, this subject provides a strong foundation for apprenticeships, traineeships, further study, or direct entry into the workforce where mathematical literacy is increasingly essential.
Explore more about VM Numeracy here

About Work Related Skills

VCE VM Work Related Skills prepares students for successful transition into employment or further education by developing essential workplace capabilities and professional understanding. Students learn to research career opportunities using credible sources, set achievable goals, and understand labour market trends to make informed decisions about their future pathways. The course develops crucial employability skills including professional communication, teamwork, interview techniques, resume writing, and portfolio creation, while building understanding of workplace rights, responsibilities, and professional standards. Students explore workplace wellbeing, diversity and inclusion, legal protections, and how to navigate workplace challenges professionally and safely.
Through Structured Workplace Learning opportunities and practical applications, students gain real-world experience while developing the self-advocacy, networking, and presentation skills that employers value. By connecting classroom learning with authentic workplace experiences, this subject provides students with the confidence, knowledge, and professional capabilities needed to succeed in apprenticeships, traineeships, further study, or direct entry into their chosen career field.
Explore more about VM Work Related Skills here

About Personal Development Skills

PDS takes an active approach to personal development, self-realisation and citizenship by exploring interrelationships between individuals and communities. PDS focuses on health, wellbeing, community engagement and social sciences, and provides a framework through which students seek to understand and optimise their potential as individuals and as members of their community.
This study provides opportunities for students to explore influences on identity, set and achieve personal goals, interact positively with diverse communities, and identify and respond to challenges. Students will develop skills in self-knowledge and care, accessing reliable information, teamwork, and identifying their goals and future pathways.Through self-reflection, independent research, critical and creative thinking and collaborative action, students will extend their capacity to understand and connect with the world they live in, and build their potential to be resilient, capable citizens.
Explore more about VM Personal Development Skill here

Satisfactory Completion of VCE VM

The minimum VCE VM requirement is satisfactory completion of 16 units that must include:

3 VCE VM Literacy units or 3 units from other English studies group (including a Unit 3–4 sequence)
2 VCE VM Numeracy or other units from the Mathematics studies group
2 VCE VM Work Related Skills units
2 VCE VM Personal Development Skills units
2 VET credits at Certificate II level or above (students may accrue 2 units of credit following the completion of units of competency [UoCs] to the total of 180 nominal hours drawn from multiple VET courses).

In addition to their Unit 3–4 sequence from the English group, students must complete a minimum of 3 other Unit 3–4 sequences as part of their program.Students will receive the appellation of ‘Vocational Major’ on their VCE certificates upon satisfactorily completing the VCE VM program.A VCE VM student will be awarded the VCE, without the VM appellation, if they meet the minimum requirements for satisfactory VCE completion, but not the minimum requirements for the satisfactory completion of the VCE VM appellation.
Parent and Student VM Handbook here.

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