By Callum Ludwig
The VCE Vocational Major (VM) was introduced to all government schools in 2023, replacing the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL), and with thousands of students opting to undertake the programs since its inception.
The VM combines four core subjects: Work Related Skills, Personal Development Skills, VM Literacy/VCE English and VM Numeracy/ VCE Mathematics, combined with a vocational education and training (VET) course and three other VCE Unit 3 and 4 classes.
The VM is offered at almost all government schools, but isn’t required to be offered at private schools, so the Star Mail reached out to a number of local private schools to see which schools are offering the option to their students.
Mater Christi College in Belgrave adopted the VM in 2023 and Deputy Principal of Learning Tara Baker said it was to provide students with greater flexibility and choice in their learning.
“While we already had a successful vocational and applied learning program, it previously operated separately from our VCE offerings,” she said.
“By integrating the VCE VM pathway, we now offer a unified VCE certificate that allows students to select from a broader range of VCE, VCE VM, and VET subjects—all within a single certificate, this integration enhances students’s access to relevant vocational education and applied learning opportunities,”
“This approach has significantly benefited our students by allowing them to follow their individual pathways, it also provides an alternative for those not pursuing a traditional ATAR route, enabling them to engage in VCE subjects that genuinely interest them—without the pressure of achieving an ATAR score.”
Mater Christi has students enrolled in a range of VET subjects through the VCE VM and who are completing traineeships as part of their studies. Mater Christi College’s VCE VM dux Emma Costello chose the VM pathway as it ‘offered a practical, hands-on approach to learning that aligned with my interests and career goals. It provided real-world experience and a clear pathway to further education and work, making it a great fit for my strengths.’
Mount Evelyn Christian School (MECS) also offer the VCE VM, collaborating with Ranges TEC in their Trades Training Centre as well as onsite at the MECS campus.
MECS Head of Secondary Emma Allison and VET and Careers Coordinator Amelia Koole said MECS is committed to providing alternate pathways as society continues to wake up to the fact that the ATAR is not everything and may not be the best way to represent sound understanding of subject matter or suitability for course entrance.
“It is important for us, as a Christian school, to provide choice in students’ senior years as students discover who they are and their gifts and abilities. We believe in preparing students well for their future as well as allowing them to do real work for real people through their learning now,” they said.
“Offering a senior years program that immerses them in the skills relevant to future careers boosts students’ confidence, enhances their engagement in learning, and helps them transition into the workforce,”
“This choice for students is crucial at this late stage in their education, by this point, students must own their own learning, many parents will appreciate the struggle of trying to force their child to study when the desire or motivation isn’t there. Students who may have ended up withdrawing from school or experiencing school refusal issues, now find that their learning has purpose and relevancy for the workplace, or future TAFE studies, and they are therefore more motivated towards successful completion.”
According to the Victorian Department of Education, enrolments in the VCE Vocational Major grew by almost 20 per cent in 2024. The VCE VM was completed by 8,290 students last year, up from 6,454 in 2023, contributing to the growth in Year 12 students successfully completing a senior secondary certificate from 91.7 per cent in 2021 to 97.5 per cent in 2024.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education Ben Carroll said Victoria is the only state to record continued VET enrolment growth in schools for the last four consecutive years – and last year, for the first time, more than 30 per cent of Year 11 and 12 students in Victorian government schools chose vocational education.
“The VCE Vocational Major is the biggest reform to senior secondary schooling in a generation – ensuring that no matter what you want to be when you leave school, Victoria has a pathway for you to achieve it,” he said.
“Thanks to the Allan Labor Government’s investments, more and more students are choosing the Vocational Major, learning in-demand skills in health, construction, engineering and agriculture and looking at careers that help drive the future of Victoria.”
In 2023, the year the VCE VM was introduced, a total of 22,313 Year 11 and 12 students were enrolled in the VCE VM. 15.530 students were from metropolitan schools, 3635 from schools in a regional centre, 3136 in rural areas and 12 interstate.
In 2024, this jumped up to 26,611 students; 18,304 metropolitan, 4656 from a regional centre, 3636 in rural areas and 15 interstate.
Not all the feedback is glowing however, and the Star Mail understands from conversations with a local government school that wished to remain anonymous that the VM has created timetabling pressures, with classes offered by VET providers impacting other classes offered in the same timeslots. The school has also expressed concern about the impact on resources for other VCE classes.
MECS also pointed to a VCE VM graduate from last year who said choosing the VCE VM was definitely one of the best decisions of their life.
“It allowed me to get my Year 12 pass whilst focusing on an area of passion (creative design) without the stress of exams,” she said.
“There was a lot going on in my home life at the time and the VCE VM helped me cope with that and balance my life better.”
While still in Year 11, this student led the set design team for the MECS school production,
coordinating students and staff to design and create multiple sets to a very high standard. This student undertook the VETDSS Cert III in Visual Arts whilst in Year 12 at her local TAFE, and upon completion of her VCE VM, she was accepted into her first preference university course, currently completing a Diploma/Degree of Graphic and Digital Design at Collarts (Australian College of the Arts). She has also been appointed as the Digital Content Creator at her local church.
A spokesperson for Mount Lilydale Mercy College said the VCAA (Victorian Curriculum And Assessment Authority) requires all secondary schools to offer VM as part of the ‘One VCE’ certification launched in 2023 and to be fully implemented by 2025.
“We welcomed this change as it offers broader choices for our VCE students and our VCAL program was highly successful in providing pathways for students so we saw the VM as the right progression for us as a College,” they said.
“We cater to a diverse range of students who are preparing for a wide range of career pathways. it is important that we provide a variety of subject offerings that meet our students’ interests, along with their academic, pastoral and spiritual needs,”
“The rise in VM class sizes is one measure of success, the level of enquiry from parents (current and prospective) is another encouraging indicator, as they can see how this pathway has resulted in actual destination outcomes for their child, this is supported by MLMC VCE Destinations data. We have developed strong relationships with employers and they are keen to take on MLMC students who have managed their learning and wellbeing needs through the VM program.”
