School training overhaul to put students on career paths early

The “biggest overhaul in a generation” will have students’ vocational training verified by the industry they want to enter, giving them a much better chance at a post-schooling job.

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Vocational courses undertaken by high school students will have to be industry-approved to attract State Government funding, in a shake-up aimed at ensuring teens are set on genuine career paths.

Education Minister John Gardner will on Thursday announce a VET for school students policy billed as the biggest overhaul in a generation.

It is designed to make high school VET the starting point for meeting future workforce needs, rather than just a fallback option for disengaged students.

Readiness assessments will be introduced for all vocational students in subsidised courses, so they are not set up to fail.

And the Government has committed to publishing “destination data” from 2021, showing where VET students have gone post-school, as an accountability measure.

“It is vital that our schooling sector is preparing students to take advantage of emerging industries, and we know that growing areas such as defence, space, cyber security and health all require employees with vocational qualifications,” Mr Gardner said.

The Government’s newly established industry skills councils will play a key role in determining VET course content and clear roadmaps for students to get into their desired careers.

The roadmaps, to be ready by mid-2020, will include recommendations SACE subjects that complement VET choices, “employability” skills training, and details of any other industry requirements.

Only courses tied to such roadmaps, officially called “flexible industry pathways” and prepared for areas of industry need, will be funded.

Over five years to 2017-18, more than half of high school VET students did not complete a course and almost a third of state funding, $38 million, subsidised training that did not result in a qualification.

Business SA has found that fewer than 5 per cent of school VET students (not including school-based apprentices) indicate an interest in pursuing a career related to their course.

From second semester next year, students who want to take up subsidised courses will have to undergo a “VET readiness orientation”, or VETRO, by the relevant training provider.

Only courses that are prepared for areas of industry need will be funded.

The policy says it could result in coaching, mentoring, or extra help in areas such as literacy and numeracy “to address any living, learning, and transition issues that impact VET completion”.

Other initiatives include:

FLEXIBLE apprenticeship schemes, allowing students to spend up to four days a week in the workplace in Year 12 but still finish their SACE, will be expanded after successful pilots.

TRAINING in employability skills such as teamwork, conflict resolution and resilience will be embedded in the SACE subjects related to the career roadmaps.

THE YEAR 10 Personal Learning Plan subject, which has become a “tick and flick” exercise narrowly focused on SACE subject choices, instead of a proper investigation of students’ career aspirations, will be overhauled.

ALL high school students will also have access to VET “tasters” in Year 10, to help them make better informed choices.

RESTRICTIONS on SACE credits from non-subsidised VET courses will be “seriously considered”, to deter students from using VET to “game the ATAR” system.

STUDENTS will be able to negotiate their SACE Research Projects directly with employers.

ALL high school students will have access to an “ePortfolio” documenting their skills and learning, including resumes, work-based certificates such as white cards and first aid, work experience logs, work samples and employer references.

A NEW online portal will match employers and students for apprenticeship and work experience opportunities.

The policy’s “measures of success” include raising completion rates of VET courses and SACE, and growing numbers of apprentices, trainees and young people studying VET post-school, though specific targets have not been set.

The SA Training and Skills Commission estimates 42 out of the top 50 fastest growing job areas in the next decade will require VET, not uni, qualifications.

The policy was informed by almost 50 submission and 2000 survey responses.