VCAL 2022

THIS YEAR SAW THE FINAL YEAR OF THE VICTORIAN CERTIFICATE OF APPLIED LEARNING IN ITS CURRENT FORM. FROM 2023 IT WILL BECOME THE VCE-VOCATIONAL MAJOR. OUR VCAL PROGRAM AT MENTONE GRAMMAR HAS BEEN AN ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY TO THE VCE SINCE 2017, OFFERING STUDENTS OPPORTUNITIES TO UNDERTAKE VOCATIONAL AND WORKPLACE TRAINING AS PART OF THEIR FINAL YEARS OF SECONDARY SCHOOLING.

Some of the first students to complete the program in 2018 and 2019 are now fully qualified tradespeople, having begun their apprenticeships while still at school. Others have gone on to TAFE and university courses, are pursuing sporting ambitions or are enjoying the challenges of working life. All of them remain connected to Mentone Grammar, have wonderful memories of their time in the VCAL program and are immeasurably grateful for the experiences and opportunities it afforded them.

In 2023, the introduction of the Vocational Major within the existing VCE certificate replaces the 2017-2022 VCAL model. The change aims to showcase Many Talents, One VCE, so all students will receive their VCE upon completion of their selected program. Most aspects of our award-winning program will remain the same as we aspire to provide even more opportunities for students to develop work-related skills and prepare for further education and training.

At the end of 2022 we farewelled our Senior VCAL students and wished them well in their adventures, with more than a third going on to university pathway programs and more than half already having secured full time apprenticeships. We are immensely proud of our 2021/2022 VCAA VCAL Achievement Award recipients:

James Commerford

2021 VCAL Intermediate Work Related Skills

Ella Heidecker

2021 Intermediate VCAL Outstanding Achievement Award

Fergus Rann

Year 11 2022 Intermediate Personal Development Award

Ella Heidecker

Year 12 Senior Outstanding Achievement Award.

SHELLEY MUIR VCAL COORDINATOR HEAD OF PATHWAYS & CAREERS

APPLIED LEARNING - VCAL CAPTAIN’S REPORT

This year was filled with unique experiences and many learning opportunities. We started 2022 with a transition camp at Shoreham, creating a chance for all the VCAL students to get to know each other and create a family bond within our VCAL Program.

We then jumped into the first full and very busy VCAL year on Campus since 2019. We started with a pizza lunch, selling four types of pizzas made, cooked, and sold all by students, to gain valuable workplace skills. Later that term, our Year 11 students embarked on their second camp of the year. They ventured on a three-day trip stopping at multiple iconic landmarks along the Great Ocean Road and participated in numerous activities, supporting hard-hit communities and businesses as part of their Seasoned Travellers Project.

Our Year 12s also had some great projects during the term, including learning about the uses and technology behind drones, where we were able to fly drones as part of the project.

In Term 2 the Senior VCAL students (Year 12s) completed a stunning camp in Sydney. We roamed the historic streets on engaging tours and scaled the impressive Sydney Harbour Bridge. The students completed a fantastic Amazing Race, having to independently navigate Sydney’s unknown and complex streets and undertake a range of challenges before designing our own race in Melbourne, to run as an event for the Year 11 students.

From the multiple musical performances that our VCAL students are a part of to the Subject Supermarket and Open Days, where we shared our VCAL experiences, Term 3 was a busy one. We completed School improvement projects, personal branding assets and mock interviews, while having some of our last visits to Shoreham on a preparation hike for our Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

The Year 11 students visited Melbourne city in a new light, being guided through the city and exploring the widely different experiences of marginalised people in Australia. They also participated in the Wheeltalk program, gaining a deeper understanding of people living with a disability and constructed bat boxes to help the dwindling microbat population in the bayside area.

The term ended with a bang, attending the VCAL hike or the annual Cadet camp. Both camps pushed the students and made them grow as individuals and as leaders and team members. The Year 11s have shone throughout the year, showing their love and excitement for the Program. With the badging of next year’s Applied Learning Captain Ashlee Monk, the future of VCE-VM is in good hands.

Thank you to all the teachers who supported us along the way.

ELLA HEIDECKER APPLIED