Beyond Secondary School

There are four main post-school options:

1. Tertiary Education at Universities and Colleges.
2. TAFE Courses.
3. Traineeship, Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship Training.
4. Seeking employment.

1 - Tertiary Education

To gain entrance to Universities and Colleges of Advanced Education the applicant must normally satisfy:
a) The general entrance requirements:
Satisfactory completion of the VCE, and
Satisfactory completion of work requirements in Units 3 and 4 English;
b) Specific course requirements:
Pre-requisites study, usually at level 3 and 4, but sometimes at level 1 and 2, are specified in
many courses.

The list of courses available and their pre-requisites and ENTER scores are published annually in the VTAC Guide and are also available online. Hard copies of the VTAC guide are available from the Careers Advisor for student use and overnight borrowing. Personal copies are available for students to purchase at local Newsagents for less than $10 each August. Course applications to most Universities are made through VTAC. The Careers Advisor assists students in the VTAC application process.

2 - TAFE Courses

Accredited Vocational courses in TAFE colleges are:

  • Apprenticeships - Satisfactory completion of Year 11 is required.
  • Certificates - some post-Year 11, some post -Year 12
  • Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas and Selected Degrees - post -Year 12
  • Traineeships and other programs, are also conducted by TAFE colleges and through Private Providers.

The application procedures for TAFE vary between colleges, and sometimes between courses. For post-Year 12 courses, application is made through VTAC or by Direct Entry. Information can be obtained through the VTAC Guide (available from your local Newsagent) or by accessing TAFE websites.

3 - Traineeship, Apprenticeship and Pre-Apprenticeship Training.

Agencies such as G-Force, Create, MEGT and St Laurence can place students in pre- apprenticeships, full apprenticeships and Traineeships with employers. Agencies can be contacted and an interview scheduled to discuss your child’s future career pathway.

4 - Employment

Students have been made aware of the issues related to seeking employment through the Year 9 and 10 Careers Education and Work Experience and MIPS (Managing Individual Pathways) Programs. These programs allow students to seriously consider career pathways for themselves. The Job Guide provides valuable information and careers resource centres such as Centrelink, Youth Access Centres and the Careers Reference Centre are further resources in addition to the Covenant Careers Program.