VET ________________________________________Page

VET at St Joseph’s in 2016 has been fantastic! Having now been the coordinator of this program at St Joseph’s for nearly five years I am beginning to see the hard work paying off. More and more students are starting to see the benefits of undertaking a VET subject as a part of their VCE or VCAL studies and The Joseph Innovation Trade Training Centre has never been busier.

The hands on learning environment provided by VET courses, has proven to be very popular amongst the senior year levels. In 2016 there has been just over 280 students completing VET courses at the College, nearly a third of the whole cohort!

Students completed a number of different courses both on site at the College and at other training locations/providers around the Geelong region. The most popular courses were in the fields of Sport & Recreation, Carpentry & Furniture Making. The students continued to produce work of a very high standard. Some of the amazing projects completed included hand built cubby houses in VET Building & Construction (Carpentry), and in Furniture Making, beautiful handcrafted desks, chairs, toolboxes and hand tools. Allied Health students conducted vital signs health checks for staff members as a part of their training and VET Electrotechnology students learnt how to create circuits. Community partnerships were also formed this year with students supporting the Give Where You Live and MS foundations.

VET students were given the opportunity to see where their studies could take them through a number of excursions attended over the year. The Ararat Windfarm was a major highlight for the VET Electrotechnology students. The Windfarm was in construction phase, so the perfect place for attendees to see the differences in the scale of electrical works. VET Building & Construction along with Furniture Making students attended an excursion with the Master Builders’ Association of Victoria to various job sites in the Geelong region as well as trips to local job sites during VET classes. The common feedback received from students after attending the excursions was extremely positive and in most cases students found it made what they were learning more relevant.

A number of students completed school based apprenticeships/ traineeships over the year. Fields ranging from Plumbing and Carpentry through to Information Technology showed positive uptake. The students worked towards gaining a nationally recognised qualification whilst still attending school and working one day per week. Feedback from the employers hosting the students was very positive and in a number of cases the students were offered full time positions for 2017. Structured work placement was completed by a number of students alongside of their VET classes. The placements allowed the students to apply the skills and knowledge learnt in their VET courses to their work. The students showed a high level of maturity and work ethic whilst on their placements, qualities that are highly regarded and sought after by local employers when they finish their schooling. In 2016, VET students seem to be extremely motivated and enthusiastic about their studies. Whenever I walk into these classes I am greeted with smiling faces, knowledgeable trainers and start to feel a sense of maturity. Each individual student is focused and engulfed in their learning, behaviour isn’t an issue and the students are very aware of how much of a difference completing their chosen study could be on their journey to start work.

I am blessed to be able to work in such a rewarding role. There is not a better feeling in the world than helping others to succeed and learn. St Joseph’s College is the platform to which our students can begin their life journey. With strong numbers of students continuing to elect VET as a subject in 2017 I am sure I will be in for another rewarding year.

- Jarrod Gore, VET Coordinator

Students with turbines at the brand new Ararat brand new Ararat Windfarm

Students completing their electrical board their electrical board jobs

Cubby Houses The graduating VET Electrotechnology class of 2016 The VET students standing next to a brand new trench digger at the Ararat Windfarm