The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) was a 'hands-on' program for students in Years 10, 11 and 12 that was available from 2002 to 2023. It has now been superseded by the

VCE Vocational Major The VCE Vocational Major (formerly Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning) is a version of the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) allowing students to pursue vocational training as part of their VCE. After completing a VCE Vocational Majo ...

and the

Victorian Pathways Certificate Victorian or Victorians may refer to: 19th century * Victorian era, British history during Queen Victoria's 19th-century reign ** Victorian architecture ** Victorian house ** Victorian decorative arts ** Victorian fashion ** Victorian literatu ...

. The VCAL was an Applied Learning certificate awarded to

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

students in the

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

State of Victoria who chose the VCAL as an alternative to the

Victorian Certificate of Education The Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is the credential available to secondary school students who successfully complete year 10, 11 and 12 in the Australian state of Victoria (state), Victoria as well as in some international schools i ...

for the practical work-related experience, as well as literacy and numeracy skills and the opportunity to build personal skills that are important for life and work that it offered. Like the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE), VCAL was an accredited senior secondary school qualification developed by the

Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is a statutory authority of the Victoria State Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as the Victorian Government, is the executive government of the Australia ...

(VCAA). VCAL was delivered at three levels: Foundation, Intermediate and Senior. VCAL is a practical education stream, where students may work in a trade or part-time job on some days of the week and supplement this by doing a set course at school. In 2012, the Victorian Liberal/National Coalition, under the leadership of

Ted Baillieu Edward Norman Baillieu (born 31 July 1953) is a former Australian politician who was Premier of Victoria from 2010 to 2013. He was a Victorian Liberal Party, Liberal Party member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly from 1999 to 2014, represe ...

made large funding cuts (over $300m) to the TAFE public education system, a major deliverer of VCAL courses for the youth and mature aged students, and cut funding to Secondary school VCAL programs. This resulted in students being unable to access many courses and job losses for VCAL providers for secondary schools.

Replacement

In November 2019, the

Victorian Government The Victoria State Government, also referred to as the Victorian Government, is the executive government of the Australian state of Victoria. As a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, the State Government was first formed in 1851 when Vic ...

commissioned a review into vocational and applied learning at school. The review was led by John Firth, a former head of the VCAA. The report that resulted from the review was published in November 2020, and included a finding that 'Victoria should move to an integrated senior secondary certificate, with vocational education embedded in the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).' In response, the Victorian Government announced that the VCAL would be phased out, replaced by new programs with redeveloped curriculum building on VCAL's strengths. Education Minister

James Merlino James Anthony Merlino (born 19 August 1972) is a former Australian politician who served as 28th deputy premier of Victoria from 2014 to 2022 under Premier Daniel Andrews. He was the deputy leader of the Victorian branch of the Australian Lab ...

stated that a 'single VCE certificate would make it easier for students to get a range of skills, both academic and vocational.' Merlino also said the reform would be partly in response to the stigma that VCAL was solely for non-academic students. New programs to replace VCAL began delivery in 2023. At the intermediate and senior levels, VCAL is being replaced by the

, a new program within the VCE. At the foundation level, VCAL has been replaced by the Victorian Pathways Certificate.

References

External links

{{University Entrance in Australia, state=collapsed Education in Victoria (state) School qualifications

Replacement

See also

References

External links