Students Dump Hsc Lore

Illawarra Mercury

Tuesday April 4, 2006

By COURTNEY TRENWITH

THOUSANDS of Illawarra high school students are giving up maths and biology to learn how to make a coffee, produce a concert or build a picnic table.

Nearly half of all Illawarra Higher School Certificate students last year completed a vocational education and training (VET) subject and in some schools the figure was as high as 73 per cent.

Those students are swapping the more traditional, theory-based subjects for courses that provide them with a head start in the workforce.

VET has become so popular, the NSW Department of Education and Training is considering extending the program to Year 9 and 10 students.

"It's competency-based training, it's very different to traditional HSC subjects and they do a work placement," said the department's regional vocational education consultant Michelle Walls.

"It means they're better prepared to go into the workforce or get part-time work while they're at uni."

The University of Wollongong will host an international conference on VET this month, including discussing the best programs around the world and the future of VET in schools.

VET has grown rapidly since the new HSC was introduced in 1999.

Last year, more than 211,000 Year 12 students across NSW studied at least one of the nine VET courses offered in schools.

Students are learning how to grow crops and manage animals in the primary industries course, run school computer networks in the information technology course and fix seats and build tables in construction.

Ms Walls said students liked VET because it was hands-on and included 70 hours of work placement over two years.

Students left school with not only the HSC but also a Certificate II in their relevant course.

Oak Flats High School Year 12 student Karen Williams does three VET courses - primary industries, retail and hospitality.

"(I chose them) for the experience," Karen said. "You get the chance to actually work in the area and see what it's like before you leave school."

Warilla High School won the Illawarra VET in Schools Excellence Award last year for its innovative programs, which include students practising their skills on various tasks around the school, such as a coffee shop, working in the front office and building equipment.

Year 11 student Shane Andersen is studying construction and information technology, which will help with his ambition to work on a construction site or design software.

"It gives a lot of gateways to jobs straight after school," he said.

"It gives you common knowledge (of the area of study) and experience in what you want to do when you're older."

© 2006 Illawarra Mercury

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