VET Curriculum Framework

VET Courses are dual accredited courses that form a significant component of a student’s pattern of study. This means the course is accredited by NESA for HSC purposes and by ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority) for industry purposes. These courses may also be the first stage of a vocational pathway through TAFE NSW or other Registered Training Organisations.

Vocational HSC courses have the following characteristics. They are:

• Designed to meet industry training needs

• Supported by industry in curriculum design and course delivery

• Derived from national training standards

• Based on national training curriculum

• Written and assessed in competency-based terms

• Designed to provide clearly defined pathways

• Accredited by both NESA and ASQA.

Competency-based learning

VET courses are competency-based, which means that students are assessed against learning outcomes that relate to an industry standard, as overseen by ASQA. Student achievement of specific learning outcomes is reported to NESA. Industry Framework Courses also have a Year 12 written component that contributes to the ATAR.

Work Placement

Work placement, as part of a dual accredited vocational course, involves students participating in structured training programs at workplaces. The program is developed in partnership between the teacher and the workplace supervisor. It is intended to allow students to develop and demonstrate specific learning outcomes of the relevant course. Work placement in dual accredited vocational courses is therefore different from work experience and placements in Work Studies. Work placement is a NESA mandated component of VET courses. A minimum of 70 hours work placement is required per 240-hour course.

HSC Exam

The HSC exam is optional for students who study VET courses. At the beginning of Year 12, students will need to nominate whether they intend to attempt the exam. Those students who undertake the exam will have this course counted towards their ATARs as a Category B course. Year 12 exams in these subjects involve a written paper made up of multiple-choice items, short answer and extended response items. The examination is independent of the competency-based assessment undertaken during the course and has no impact on the eligibility of a student to receive Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) qualifications.

Please note: No more than 2 units of Category B Board Developed Courses may be included in the calculation of your ATAR. All VET courses are Category B subjects.