Teaching and Learning Report – April 28, 2016

April 27, 2016

Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) in 2017

As noted by John Crowley in last week’s Crest, the College is well advanced in its planning to introduce VCAL in 2017. The introduction of the Certificate of Applied Learning will be our next step in our ongoing commitment to develop and introduce programs and pathways to meet the diverse learning needs of our boys.

Our planning to-date has focused on implementing a program that remains true to the principles of applied learning, and one that will be targeted specifically to meet the needs of those boys who learn best through doing and whose personal learning goals are centered on being work-ready.

Our development team has also considered that we will have boys coming into the program from a variety of starting points. This will include students seeking to attain the VCAL who are:

  • Completing a VET certificate at St Patrick’s

  • Completing an external VET certificate with the Ballarat Cluster of schools or through another external provider

  • Participating in a School Based Apprenticeship

  • Not studying any VET certificate

  • Supported and/or funded students who wish to be work-ready

  • Commenced Senior School as an aspiring VCE student who, through unplanned circumstances, can no longer meet the minimum requirements of the VCE but could meet VCAL requirements by doing a small number of VCAL units.

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) provides parents and students with a range general information about the Certificate of Applied Learning. Examples of this can be accessed via the following links:

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vcal/index.aspx?Redirect=1 http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vcal/Publications/Publications/vcalinfobooklet.aspx -¢ http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vcal/Publications/Publications/infosheets.aspx

The College’s documentation will be finalised and printed before the end of this term. Current Year 11 students will be the first group of boys to get detailed information of the program at the 2017 Year 12 Student Information Session on Tuesday, June 14. Current Years 9 and 10 boys will be presented details of the 2017 VCAL program early in Term Three.