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Vocational Education and Training  \nSubmission 51  \nSUBMISSION TO THE FEDERAL STANDING COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION AND TRAINING.  \nAmanda Ellwood  \nCareers Counsellor and VET Coordinator  \nSt Mary’s College (East St Kilda/Windsor, Victoria)  \nSubmission to the Inquiry into the perceptions and status of vocational education and training (VET), and Commonwealth supported information on VET available to students, and how they impact:  \n• education and training choices of students, particularly those who lack the necessary foundation skills, or experience other disadvantages; and  \n• employer views and practices in relation to engagement with VET.  \nBACKGOUND  \nI have been a Careers Counsellor for 36 years and the VET Coordinator at CBC St Kilda (Boys only) for 25 years, as well as for the last three years at St Mary’s College (Coeducational) . Thus, I have experience of Vocational Education and Training both as VET in the VCE studies in the senior school and as a post school option. I was a founding member of the Inner Melbourne VET Cluster, which was established in 1998 to liaise with TAFEs and schools to provide affordable and accessible VET programs, enabling students to choose from a wide variety of programs and venues. I serve currently as a Board Member of the Youth 2 Industry College, a small, no cost, independent, flexible Senior Secondary College that caters for students requiring supportive vocational options.  \nThough only a small school of about 500 students, St Mary’s College has approximately 50- 60 students undertaking VCE VET studies each year, plus a further 6 in School-Based Apprenticeships. Students undertake these as either part of their VCE or their VCAL, now Vocational Major, studies. We actively promote VET studies for VCE as well as Vocational Major students. This year, students are enrolled in 21 different VET Courses at 13 providers across the metropolitan area. Some of these are brokered through the Inner Melbourne VET Cluster, others are organised by direct application to the Institutes or schools. In addition, we have approximately 30 Year 10 students each year undertaking VET Outdoor Recreation or Sport and Recreation certificates offered in house, auspiced by a private provider, iVET.  \nOver the years, there has generally been a 60/40 split between University and TAFE/VE among those who undertake tertiary study after Year 12. Most recently that split has been 70/30 . In addition, about 15% of each cohort goes on to pre-apprenticeship or apprenticeship.  \nPERCEPTIONS OF VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AS A POST-SCHOOL OPTION  \nVocational Education pre-apprenticeship certificates are quite popular with those who have not completed one during school. Occasionally, employers have insisted that a prospective  \nInquiry into the Perceptions and Status of Vocational Education and Training  \nSubmission 51  \nemployee does one anyway, as they have distrusted the VET Delivered to Secondary Schools system (VETDSS) to deliver adequate training. Free TAFE has helped students feel more certain about trying a trade-related Certificate 2.  \nPost-school, this option is often seen as the poor cousin, a kind of giving up on aspirations and a failure to enter University, rather than a viable option in itself. I have had students and parents tell me that “TAFE is a waste of time and money” and one has expressed the view that, failing to gain a place at university, they would prefer to work than “waste a year”in a vocational course. So, a pretty poor perception of VE! It is hard to say whether the small decline in VE numbers is due to more flexible access to university places, more negative attitudes to VE or a greater desire post-pandemic to take a gap year. A bit of each, I suspect.  \nA lot of this seems attributable to the way previous governments have funded Vocational Education. News articles of politicians in previous governments denigrating vocational courses, such as art thera","cbCaitcNJs1Z7b1R","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaitcNJs1Z7b1R","pdf",226425,"English","# Submission to the Inquiry into the perceptions and status of vocational education and training (VET)\n## Background and VET delivery at St Mary’s College\n## Perceptions of vocational education as a post-school option","[{\"question\":\"Who is Amanda Ellwood and what is her role regarding VET?\",\"answer\":\"Amanda Ellwood is a Careers Counsellor and VET Coordinator, with extensive experience across VET in senior school studies and post-school options.\"},{\"question\":\"How does the submission describe student participation in VET?\",\"answer\":\"It describes VCE VET studies and School-Based Apprenticeships at St Mary’s College, including enrolment in many VET courses across multiple providers and additional Year 10 VET programs.\"},{\"question\":\"What perceptions about VET does the submission highlight among students and families?\",\"answer\":\"It reports that VET is sometimes viewed as a poor alternative to university, with statements that TAFE can be seen as a waste of time and money, leading some students to prefer work over vocational courses.\"}]","Inquiry into the Perceptions and Status of Vocational Education and Training - Submission 51 | PDF",1789911088,13]