School-based vocational certificate helps student achieve her dream of teaching

Lara Wilson’s earn-and-learn experience is a real-world example of the “joined-up’’ tertiary system championed by the Albanese government.

Lara Wilson,18, is studying to be a primary school teacher in Adelaide after completing a Certificate III in School-based Education Support, while she was still in high school. She is the Australian School-Based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year 2024 winner. Picture: supplied

From the age of seven, Lara Wilson dreamed of becoming a primary school teacher.

Her head start came from a vocational certificate incorporated into her high school studies, so she graduated last year with a qualification to work as a teacher aide.

Now the 18-year-old is studying a four-year Bachelor of Primary Teaching at UniSA while working part-time as a support officer at a hospital-based school in Adelaide.

“I work two or three days a week at the hospital school and study full-time at university,’’ Ms Wilson said.

“I benefit from coming to work and doing my job because I get hands-on unsheltered experience and can see all the nitty-gritty.’’

Ms Wilson, who was the Australian School-based Apprentice or Trainee of the Year Award winner in 2024, said she gained a jump-start in her career by completing a Certificate III in school-based education support, through MADEC Australia, during years 11 and 12 at Underdale High School.

She jumped straight into a part-time job as a qualified teacher aide at Hospital School SA, which teaches children who are hospital patients, or whose parents are being treated in hospital.

“I’m looking at the theory books and attending lectures, and am already able to relate the topics and information back to what I’m doing at work,’’ she said.

“I love being in an environment where I’m a ‘safe space’ for students; just to see them smile and say thank you, it makes my day.’’

UniSA has not given Ms Wilson any formal academic credit for the vocational certificate she studied in high school but her earn-and-learn experience is a real-world example of the “joined-up’’ tertiary system championed by the Albanese government, as it works to integrate practical vocational training into traditional academic degrees.

Minister for Skills and Training Andrew Giles on Tuesday said the nation needs a “joined-up tertiary education system’’. He said 650,000 Australians had enrolled in fee-free TAFE courses, with 170,000 already graduated.

He said vocational education and training did not mean “Plan B’’ for students who didn’t get into university. “VET is a key driver of national productivity and individual opportunity,’’ he said in a speech to mark National Skills Week. “We aren’t on track to match qualifications to job requirements. We need to change this by saying VET does not mean ‘Plan B’.’’