The VCE - VM Program at Nazareth College seeks to educate the whole person through an Applied and Vocational Learning Framework, which takes into account the students’ personal strengths, interests, goals and experiences. Within the VCE - VM program we aim to build the relationship between community, industry and education, with an emphasis on what is being taught in the ‘real world’ outside of the school –making connections that are purposeful, meaningful and relevant. This is achieved through a range of community work through our feeder parishes, Nazareth College’s Community Association, SCOPE Australia, Vinnies and one day a week in a structured work placement. We do this by providing authentic, valuable and hands on experiences targeted at learning specific industry skills and by gaining industry qualifications within our Vocational Education and Training (VET) program.
VCE - VM tasks are flexible and link to real life scenarios or current community issues, allowing students to progress at their own pace or negotiate individualised assessment.
VCE VOCATIONAL MAJOR
Pathways Summary
VCE - VM LITERACY
The broad purpose of the Literacy Skills Units is to develop Literacy skills to meet the demands of:
• Personal life skills, needs and aspirations
• The Workplace
• Further Study
• The Community
VCE - VM Literacy includes reading, writing, speaking and listening skills, and digital Literacy Skills.
VCE - VM LITERACY
DESCRIPTION
VCE - VM Literacy focuses on the development of the knowledge and skills to be literate in Australia today. It empowers students to read, view, write, speak and listen in a variety of contexts as Literacy is a life skill.
Specific domains of Literacy have been identified as corresponding with these contexts:
• Literacy for Personal Use: focuses on aspects of personal and family life, and the cultures which shape these
• Understanding and creating digital texts: focuses on forms of communication mainly used in workplace and institutional settings and in communication with such organisations
• Understanding Issues and Voices
• Accessing and understanding informational, organisational and procedural texts.
Literacy includes reading, viewing, writing and speaking and listening skills.
VCE - VM LITERACY
Unit 1 Literacy for Personal Use and Understanding and Creating Digital texts
On completion of this unit, the student should be able to:
• Demonstrate an understanding of text types for different purposes, audiences and contexts, through a range of responses
• Apply an understanding of the conventions of literacy and digital communication by creating and responding to a range of digital content, suitable for a community, workplace or vocational context.
Unit 2 Understanding Issues and Voices, and Responding to Opinions
On completion of this unit, the student should be able to:
• Explain the purpose, audience and main ideas of diverse arguments in different text types through annotations written, oral or multi-media responses
• Interpret the values and opinions of others and present in oral form with supporting evidence.
VCE - VM LITERACY
ASSESSMENT
A range of assessment options are used according to the needs of the student group and the learning situation.
A folio of evidence is collected through a combination of the following:
• Records of teacher observations of students’ activities, oral presentations, practical tasks, etc.
• Samples of students’ written work and annotated reading tasks
• Online folders of students’ presentations, including slides, videos, audio, podcasts, digital journals and social media posts
• Written reports of investigations or problem-solving activities
• Student self-assessment surveys, reflections, journal entries or interviews
• Pictures, diagrams, models created by students
• Use of technology, for example: Simon, Google Suite, digital cameras, web-based publishing, online etc, and device software tools such as Read Aloud, Comments, Talk to Text, etc.
• Performance and activities associated with Community Service
• Employer or Supervisor observations and evaluations
• Annotated texts and folios
• Multimedia or artistic presentations
• Role plays, debates and discussions
• Guest speaker, documentary, YouTube, podcast notetaking and questioning, and online comments
• Speeches and debates
VCE - VM NUMERACY
The curriculum for Numeracy Skills is designed to develop and enhance Numeracy Skills to make sense of personal, public and vocational life.
Numeracy skills corresponding with these social contexts include mathematical knowledge of number and quantity, measurement, shape, dimensions and directions, data and chance, applied to everday routines and practices, and the workplace and community.
VCE - VM NUMERACY
DESCRIPTION
Numeracy gives meaning to Mathematics, where Mathematics is a tool to be applied efficiently and critically in a range of different contexts and situations. Numeracy is therefore, a life skill.
The Numeracy Skills Units enable students to develop logical thinking and reasoning strategies in their everyday activities. It develops their problem solving skills to make sense of numbers, time, patterns and shapes. Numeracy students will understand the Mathematical processes for personal organisation matters involving money, time and travel. Skills are also applied to unfamiliar circumstances through projects. The integration of digital technologies in the learning of Mathematical processes is an integral part of everyday and working life.
VCE - VM NUMERACY
FOCUS AREAS
Applied Learning in VCE - VM incorporates the teaching of skills and knowledge in the context of ‘real life’ experiences. Learners apply what they have learnt by doing, experiencing or relating it to the real world. Students’ interests and experiences are considered in the design of learning activities.
Students can expect to plan, organise and budget for individual and group projects, design and construct collaborative projects for community organisations and prepare for life beyond school while investigating and comparing everyday living expenses.
Unit 1
VCE - VM Numeracy develops practices to make sense of personal, public and vocational lives, with consideration of local, community, national, global environments and contexts, and an awareness and use of appropriate technologies.
Four Areas of Study Underpin Unit 1
1. Numbers
2. Shape
3. Quantity and measures
4. Relationships
On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
• Select, interpret and use the Mathematical key knowledge and skills in familiar, routine and less familiar contexts
• Select, interpret and use the four stages of the problem solving cycle, using a range of both formal and informal processes, representations and conventions across the chosen range of Numeracies.
• Select and effectively and accurately use the appropriate Mathematical tools and applications from a developing toolkit across the chosen range of Numeracies
Outcomes are framed from six different Numeracies over two units (Unit 1 & 2):
• Personal Numeracy
• Civic Numeracy
• Financial Numeracy
• Health Numeracy
• Vocational Numeracy
• Recreational Numeracy
VCE - VM NUMERACY
FOCUS AREAS
Unit 2
Four Areas of Study underpin Unit 2 Numeracy:
1. Dimension and direction
2. Data
3. Uncertainty
4. Systematics
The 3 Outcomes of Unit 2 Numeracy are framed by the same six Numeracies as Unit 1.
On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
• Select, interpret and use the Mathematical key knowledge and skills embedded in familiear, routine and some less familiar contexts across the range of Numeracies.
• Select, interpret and use the four stages of the Mathematical problem solving cycle, using a range of formal and informal processes, representations and conventions.
• Select and effectively and accurately use the appropriate Mathematical tools and applications from a developing Mathematical toolkit.
VCE - VM NUMERACY
FOCUS AREAS
Unit 3
The progression of learning is evident with the development of more complex Numeracy and Mathematical skills and knowledge.
Four areas of study underpin Unit 3 Numeracy:
1. Number
2. Shape
3. Quantity and measures
4. Relationships
The 3 Outcomes of Unit 3 Numeracy are framed by the same six numeracies as Units 1 - 2:
• Personal Numeracy
• Civic Numeracy
• Financial Numeracy
• Health Numeracy
• Vocational Numeracy
• Recreational Numeracy
On completion of this unit students should be able to:
• Extract, evaluate and apply mathematical key knowledge and skills for number, shape, quantity, measures and relationships in a range of routine/ non-routine, unfamiliar and specialised contexts across a range of Numeracies.
• Select, evaluate and apply the four stages of problem solving, using an expanding range of formal and informal processes, representations and conventions
VCE - VM NUMERACY
FOCUS AREAS
Unit 4
There are four areas of study for VCE - VM Numeracy Unit 4:
1. Dimension and direction
2. Data
3. Uncertainty
4. Systematics
The 3 Outcomes of Unit 4 Numeracy are framed by the same six numeracies in Units 1 - 3:
• Personal Numeracy
• Civic Numeracy
• Financial Numeracy
• Health Numeracy
• Vocational Numeracy
• Recreational Numeracy
On completion of this unit, students should be able to:
• Extract, evaluate and apply the Mathematics, key knowledge and skills for dimension and direction, data, uncertainty and systematics, embedded in a range of routine/non-routine, unfamiliar and some specialised contexts across the chosen range of Numeracies
• Select, evaluate and apply the four stages of the Mathematical problem solving cycle, using an expanding range of formal and informal Mathematical processes, representations and conventions relevant to dimension and direction, data, uncertainty and systematics and across the chosen range of Numeracies
• Flexibly, effectively and accurately use a range of appropriate tools and applications chosen from an extensive Mathematical toolkit relevant to dimension and direction, data, uncertainty and systematics across the chosen range of Numeracy.
VCE - VM NUMERACY
ASSESSMENT
A range of assessment options are used according to the needs of the student group and the learning situation.
A folio of evidence could be collected through a combination of the following to determine if the unit outcomes have been met including:
• Investigations and projects
• Multimedia presentation, poster or reports
• Portfolios
Outcome 1:
Outcome 2: Outcome 3:
VCE - VM WORK RELATED SKILLS
VCE VM Work Related Skills develops the knowledge, skills and experiences to be active and engaged citizens and future members of the workforce, with the ability to communicate effectively, advocate for themselves and be adaptable to change.
VCE - VM WORK RELATED SKILLS
DESCRIPTION
This unit provides a focus for the development of Employability Skills across all industries and provides young people with the tools they need to succeed in the future.
This course enables students to:
• Understand and apply concepts and terminology related to the workplace
• Understand the complex and rapidly changing world of work and workplace environments and the impact on the individual
• Understand the relationship between skills, knowledge, capabilities and the achievements of pathway goals
• Develop effective communication skills to enable self-reflection and self-promotion
• Apply increasingly complex transferable skills to work related contexts in lessons
• Undertake Community Service through weekly structured work-placement linked to a VET Course.
VCE - VM WORK RELATED SKILLS
FOCUS AREAS
Unit 1: Careers & learning for the future
On completion of this unit the student should be able to:
• Identify and discuss likely employment growth areas using credible data and apply findings to develop strategies to improve future career prospects
• Forecast potential employment possibilities, and evaluate several education pathways that would support the acquisition of skills and knowledge required for a selected industry growth area
Unit 2: Workplace skills and capabilities
On completion of this unit the student should be able to:
• Identify and evaluate individual aptitudes and interests as they relate to broad industry groups, and provide evidence of personal core skills, attributes and capabilities required by an industry of choice
• Demonstrated knowledge of the recruitment and interview process, and of the essential and technical skills required by broader industry groups
VCE - VM WORK RELATED SKILLS
FOCUS AREAS
Unit 3: Industrial relations, workplace environment and practice
On completion of this unit the student should be able to:
• Analyse and evaluate the characteristics of a healthy, collaborative, cooperative and harmonious workplace, and identify and explain strategies to contribute to a healthy workplace environment
• Outline the National Employment Standards and methods for determining pay and conditions, explain the characteristics of workplace bullying, discrimination and sexual harassment, and outline the processes and legal consequences for breaches and analyse the personal ramifications that may follow.
• Apply a variety of appropriate questioning and listening techniques with a workplace or simulated workplace, and understand how to develop networks, professional relationships and work effectively in diverse teams.
Unit 4: Portfolio Development
On completion of this unit the student should be able to:
• Analyse the limitations and advantages of the features and uses of physical and digital and/ or hybrid portfolios as they relate to potential employment in a chosen industry area or application to higher education
• Communicate personal skills and attributes, evaluate evidence and analyse presentation skills for future enhancement relevant to employment or study.
VCE - VM WORK RELATED SKILLS
ASSESSMENT
A range of assessment tools are used to collect evidence of student attainment of the standard, including:
• Record of data analysis
• Research tasks
• Job outlook/web scavanger hunt
• Career speed interviews
• Reflection and collection of resources during career expos
• Reflection and participation in industry immersion activities
• Case studies
• Videos, podcasts, oral presentation
• Response to structured questions
• Creation of graphs/charts
• Career and education report, presentation, research task
• Creation of SMART goals
• Careers advisor meetings
• Career discovery quizzes
• Job interviews
• Creation of personal profile
• Discussions/debates
• Record and reflect on visits to community based program
• Committee membership
• Member of student leadership team
• Annotated resources
• Guest speaker notetaking
• Annotated photos
• Personal skills audit
• Mock interview
• Further education training plan
• Role plays/performances
• Collection of curated artifacts
• Completion of personality type indicator survey
• Cover letter
• Resume
• Visual or digital presentation, annotated poster
• Portfolio and feedback
VCE - VM PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SKILLS
The purpose of the Personal Development Skills Strand is to develop knowledge, skills and attributes that lead towards:
• The development of self-worth, goal setting and achievement measures
• Improved health and wellbeing
• Social responsibility to help others, work in effective teams and display leadership
• Building community, social connectedness, and an understanding of rights and responsibilities for example through volunteering and working for the benefit of others
• Improved self-confidence and self-esteem and ability to gain relevant information and communication effectively
• Valuing civic participation in a democratic society and understanding and responding to issues.
VCE - VM PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SKILLS
FOCUS AREAS
Unit 1: Healthy Individuals
On completion of this unit the student should be able to:
• Explain and discuss key concepts relating to personal identity and emotional intelligence, applying such strategies to projects and activities
• Plan, implement and evaluate an activity to improve health and wellbeing, using tools and techniques for monitoring progress
• Analyse the impact of technology on health and wellbeing, and plan, develop and evaluate a health promotion activity.
Unit 2: Connecting with Community
On completion of this unit the student should be able to:
• Describe concepts relating to citizenship and community, analyse factors that influence the formation of community, and apply strategies to promote community participation in an activity
• Identify issues and challenges within the community, analyse diversity and apply problem solving strategies when working on a community based activity
• Discuss the concept of engagement as an approach to address community issues, analyse features of effective engagement, and design, implement and evaluate a community engagement activity.
VCE - VM PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SKILLS
FOCUS AREAS
Unit 3: Leadership and Teamwork
On completion of this unit the student should be able to:
• Apply learnt social awareness and interpersonal skills to real life scenarios or simulation activities
• Describe the concept of effective leadership, analyse and evaluate leadership qualities and styles in a range of contexts and demonstrate a range of leadership skills in real life scenarios or simulation activities
• Describe the characteristics of an effective team, and through engagement in team activities, evaluate to the effectiveness of the team, identifying strengths as a leader and problem solver.
Unit 4: Community Project
On completion of this unit the student should be able to:
• Investigate and analyse an environmental, cultural, economic or social issue in the community and plan a community project to address the chosen concern
• Use project planning skills to implement a plan to apply timely, affordable and effective responses to a community issue
• Evaluate the effectiveness of project planning and implementation, drawing together findings in a presentation to an audience.
VCE - VM PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SKILLS
ASSESSMENT
A range of assessment tools are used to make a judgment if the outcomes have been met, including:
• Recorded reflection on Personal Attributes
• Reflective journal
• Case study
• Performance
• Oral or digital presentations, slideshows and/or written reports, and research projects
• Films, podcasts, collages, social media, annotated posters
• Community Service Activities performance (including with SCOPE and Nazareth College’s Community Association joint activities & fundraisers)
• Contributions to SCOPE’s Balloon Football League development of new activities/ideas for participants’ benefit
• Organisation of fundraising activities, team projects, incursions or excursions
• Feedback from key stakeholders or record of interviews, discussions, consultation
• Reflections or diary entries on community based activities
• Notetaking from guest speakers
• Survey results and analysis
• Record of meetings, discussions or debates
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (VET)
VCE and VCE - VM VET programs are vocational studies (career directed) approved by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) as appropriate for senior secondary school students. VET programs lead to nationally recognised qualifications, thereby offering students the opportunity to gain a VCE or VCE - VM Certificate and nationally accredited Vocational Education and Training Units of Competencies upon completion of their secondary studies.
Nazareth College offers selected VET certificates to selected Year 10 - 12 students who know what they wish to pursue as a career and have shown the motivation and organisational skills to study in a more adult environment where initiative and independence are crucial to success.
All VCE - VM students must select a VET study and complete a year of study in their chosen industry in Year 11. Again in Year 12 they may complete the two-year certificate or opt for a partial completion in a new VET.
