CONFERENCE PAPER No. 14
The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning: A Futures Oriented Curriculum
Presented by
Robert Fearnside & Jill Anwyl
The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning: A Futures Oriented Curriculum
Robert Fearnside & Jill Anwyl
Introduction
The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) is now in its third full year of operation. In 2005, over 10,000 students at the post compulsory level are enrolled in the certificate. This year VCAL has become the responsibility of the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) which also administers the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). The Victorian Qualifications Authority (VQA) which oversaw the development, trialing and initial implementation of the certificate, still has some responsibility for new pilot projects together with the evaluation of these.
VCAL is helping to meet government targets which are:
o By 2010, 90 per cent of young people in Victoria will complete Year 12 or its equivalent
o By 2005, the percentage of young people aged 15-19 in rural and regional Victoria engaged in education and training will increase by 6 per cent.
VCAL is also helping to eliminate the human and financial wastage caused by young people dropping out of education and training before obtaining a qualification which can be built on (Access Economics 2005).
Background
The need for another post compulsory certificate was established in the Kirby Report (Kirby 2000) which recommended that courses and qualifications broadly equivalent to the VCE should be offered in Victoria to recognise a broader range of learning outcomes for young people, to integrate cross sectoral programs and services, and to recognise these programs by accrediting them and monitoring their outcomes.
Following a successful trial of VCAL in 2002, the first phase of implementation began in 2003 with enrolments totalling 5316. Anwyl (2003) outlines the development, trialing and early implementation of VCAL. Fearnside et al (2005) detail the expansion of VCAL in 2004.
About VCAL
VCAL aims to provide students with the skills, knowledge and attitudes to make informed choices about pathways to work and further education. VCAL learning programs are based on applied learning, an approach which emphasises the relevance of what is being learnt to the world outside the classroom, and makes that connection as immediate and transparent as possible. Applied learning involves students and their teachers in partnerships and connections with organisations and individuals outside school through activities such as community based projects and structured workplace learning.
VCAL is accredited at three levels: Foundation, Intermediate and Senior. The three qualification levels cater for a range of students with different abilities and interests. They also provide a progression of skills, knowledge and attitudinal development. At Foundation level the focus is on knowledge and employability skill development, supported by a strong emphasis on literacy and numeracy skills and preparatory learning. At Intermediate level the focus is on knowledge and employability skills development that lead to independent learning, confidence and a higher level of transferable skills. At Senior level the focus is on knowledge and employability skills that lead to a high level of interpersonal skills, independent action and achievement of tasks that require decision-making and leadership. The demonstration of knowledge and skills which can apply directly to the workplace or further training is also important.
VCAL is a framework qualification which enables accredited curriculum from a range of sources to be grouped into coherent Learning Programs. To be awarded a VCAL, students must successfully complete a Learning Program which is made up of 10 credits. Curriculum components may be drawn from VCAL units (accredited by the VQA), VCE units, VCE VET units and VET or Further Education accredited units which require completion of 100 hours. The 3 qualification levels provide flexible entry and exit points for a range of student abilities and interests.
VCAL is delivered as a complementary qualification to the VCE. Students can transfer credit for successful completion of units in a VCAL to the VCE and vice versa.
VCAL has four curriculum areas, called strands. These are:
o Literacy and Numeracy Skills
o Industry Specific Skills
o Work Related Skills
o Personal Development Skills
The curriculum selected for the Learning Program must cover all four VCAL curriculum strands. A minimum of two VCAL units, one Literacy Skills unit and one Numeracy Skills unit must be included. In the Literacy and Numeracy Skills strand, curriculum can be selected from VET or Further Education (FE) modules or the VCE as well as from VCAL accredited Literacy and Numeracy units. In the Industry Specific Skills strand, accredited VET units are selected. Curriculum in the Work Related Skills strand and the Personal Development strand are selected from VCAL accredited units.
All VCAL units are based on learning outcomes and enable content to be developed or planned at the local level to suit the individual needs of students and to utilise community resources. Each unit is 100 nominal hours which include both scheduled and unscheduled time. VCAL units are available at all three award levels (VCAA:2005).
There are no formal entry requirements for VCAL. Students can enter at the level of VCAL to suit their learning needs, abilities and interests. Decisions about which VCAL level a student is placed in will take into account the student’s literacy level, interests, goals and ability.
Each VCAL unit learning outcome has a set of assessment criteria which must be met for satisfactory completion of the unit. Assessment tasks need to be designed to enable the learning outcomes to be demonstrated. This can be through one integrated activity or spread over a number of activities. Students need to keep a portfolio that contains evidence of successful completion of the learning outcomes for each VCAL unit they are enrolled in. Evidence from a wide variety of sources is encouraged.
A Quality Assurance process for the VCAL units has been put in place. Nine regional Quality Assurance Panels comprising 3 VCAL practitioners and the Regional Consultant review sample assessment tasks in Semester 1 and sample portfolios of assessment in Semester 2.
Themed VCAL certificates are available to students through some local providers and these can be offered at Intermediate and Senior level and give students the opportunity to develop their knowledge of a particular industry area. Themed VCAL programs have been developed by providers in industry areas linked to skill shortages such as Bricklaying and Civil Construction. VCAL providers are encouraged to integrate studies across the four curriculum strands, not only in Themed VCAL Learning Programs but also in programs where learning outcomes in a number of curriculum strands is linked to a single project.
Student Learning
VCAL offers a futures oriented curriculum by creating for students productive pathways which go beyond their school years. This is reinforced not only by what is learned but also how it is learned. The applied learning approach empowers all students, many of whom were becoming disengaged. In 2003, a project was conducted to gauge the pathways of the 2002 students and to sample attitudes and aspirations of 2003 VCAL students. The key findings of this project suggest there are clear indications that VCAL is making a difference to both participation and pathways of learners. The data indicated that 33% of students would have left school if VCAL had not been available (VQA: 2003). A similar project undertaken in 2005 show that 31% of the current students would have left school if VCAL had not been available (VQA 2005). Most of these students would have tried to find work, or more likely have been unemployed. Moreover, 81% of students completing Year 12 in Victoria in 2004 gave VCAL as their reason for straying at school (Ibid). .
The Work Related Skills strand of VCAL allows students to have direct experience of the workplace and brings them in contact with future employers who may offer jobs or apprenticeships. VCAL students cement these pathways sometimes before completing their Year 12. The advantages of the direct contact between students and employers is likely to be attributable to the knowledge the employer gains about the student’s capacities. The VQA promotes widely the benefits of VCAL to employers (VQA 2004).
A recent study for the VQA (VQA, GTA 2005) confirmed employers’ information needs on VET students’ performance. Information they required was reasonably pragmatic and they looked at the highest level of schooling reached, the relevance of studies to the job and practical elements undertaken in the learning. A range of information was considered and the VET qualification was only one element, generally considered as a signal of potential for the job. The employer wanted to know the whole person and grades were not vital. The study found that descriptive comments were more important than grades and attention was paid to the generic skills that were cited, prior work history, personality and appearance, personal presentation, attitude and communication skills.
In placing the emphasis on pathways, the VCAL has built in links with employers and promoted the outcomes of the qualification to associated employer bodies. Evidence that this approach is gaining results can be seen in that 40.3% of VCAL students completing Year 12 in 2004 went on to apprenticeships (VQA 2005).
Other evidence comes from examples in the evaluation of the 2004 VCAL program (Ryan et al 2005). In the Work Related Skills strand of VCAL many students spend time in the workplace with employers, developing skills which are acknowledged in their qualification. Although employers at times see the placement of a school student in their enterprise only as possible recruitment for a position, there are others who see the value more broadly. Ryan et al (2005) quote one such employer:
Kids getting a look at employers and those they’d like to work with
and employers similarly get to look at kids and select for
apprenticeships etc.
School Based New Apprenticeships are increasingly forming the basis for student VCAL Learning Programs, particularly in Themed VCAL certificates. A School Based New Apprenticeship provides the required credit towards a VCAL certificate in the Industry Specific and Work Related Skills strands..
The Personal Development Skills strand of VCAL gives recognition for a wide range of learning undertaken through local projects or in conjunction with statewide organizations or other government departments.
Students have many opportunities to work together with groups undertaking projects with senior citizens, the environment, local government, and the arts. Working with children in primary schools in sport, tutoring or recycling, also forms ongoing partnerships. Many of the partnerships which can benefit students and the local community can be formed through existing networks which teachers and students already have, or with the help of brokerage provided at the local level.
Partnerships
VCAL is breaking down traditional boundaries between education and other sectors formerly not often part of either school curriculum or delivery. VCAL providers include schools, TAFE, Adult and Community Education (ACE) settings and in a number of cases cooperative arrangements between them. The partnerships often involve one provider and at least one partner. In many cases these are schools and another education provider and the partnership is to enable delivery of a particular strand of the program, eg numeracy/literacy (ACE) and Registered Training Organizations or TAFE for VET delivery. Partnerships with Group Training Companies in general are in relation to School-based New Apprenticeships. Often it is hard to identify all the partners in the development of a particular project as so many are involved.
A significant player in helping develop partnerships for VCAL are Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLENs). Local Learning and Employment Networks support the development of partnerships in their regional areas. There are 31 LLENs across Victoria set up following recommendations in the Kirby Report, that all the key education and employment stakeholders work together to “develop collaborative approaches towards planning and improved delivery of post compulsory education training programs and services” and “investigate and trial key elements of regional coordination and delivery of programs” as outlined in the report. (Kirby 2000, p. 19). Several LLENs themselves are involved as partners with VCAL providers, and many others provide the contacts and support to form new partnerships.
The involvement of LLENs in VCAL support is widespread This ranges through promotion of VCAL in the local community, organising career expos, hosting and involvement in VCAL networks. Community projects bring together a number of partnerships and this is a significant component of VCAL. Examples are partnerships between schools and local organizations such as nursing homes, kindergartens, crisis accommodation agencies and environmental groups
The following are examples of 2004 projects which were the result of a number of partners working together:
o The Wimmera Hot Rod Project was a project with partnerships between a number of providers and organizations, thus creating a model for other VCAL programs. This program involved the construction of a 1932 Ford Hot Rod. It involved four schools, fifteen students, the Wimmera and Southern Mallee LLEN, the University of Ballarat, Western Campus. Horsham, over forty automotive suppliers and twenty employers offering Structured Work Placement.
o Ballarat Work Ready Card was a LLEN sponsored project involving industry Occupational Health and Safety personnel, Ballarat group training, Work Cover, VET and VCAL teachers and the Ballarat Learning Exchange. During late 2003 and 2004 the “work ready” card program was created. VCAL students from Ballarat VCAL providers plan to undertake the pilot program in term 2 in 2005.
o RED Card Training resulted from VCAL coordinators concern about the need to obtain ‘Red Cards’ for students undertaking Structured Work Place Learning on construction sites. The Red Cards are issued by signatories to the ‘Foundations of Safety’ to ensure that everyone who works on construction sites has undergone a general industry safety induction. After discussions with the University of Ballarat and the Master Builders Association Red Card Training sessions were held for VCAL and VET students in Ballarat and Horsham in early 2005
Many organizations have become involved in VCAL through projects they sponsor or are responsible for. They include:
o Duke of Edinburgh Awards Scheme
o Youth Achievement Australia enterprise programs
o Red Cross