Get a head start on your dream career in Digital Technologies or Creative Industries with the VCE Vocational Major.
The VCE Vocational Major (VCE VM) can help transform your dream career into a reality. Through the plethora of VET certificates (job-ready qualifications) on offer across the program, you’ll be able to hone in on the industry you have your heart set on. Better yet, you’ll even get a taste of what it’s like to work in your dream industry before you finish secondary school.
Do you envisage yourself performing at Naarm’s majestic Forum Theatre as part of RISING? Maybe you’re the next wiz web developer who will design the stunning Now or Never website? What about screening your film at the Melbourne International Film Festival?
Whatever it is that you’re dreaming of doing after school, the VCE VM can provide the qualifications needed to begin your career journey. The VCE VM is a two-year vocational and applied learning program that helps you build a variety of workplace skills. With real-world experience in the VCE VM, the program is all about getting you started on your chosen pathway.
The city could be your canvas
The middle of the year in Melbourne may welcome dark nights and frosty mornings as winter starts to settle, but it also welcomes some of the city’s favourite arts and culture festivals. From RISING in June, to Leaps and Bounds in July, to Now or Never in August, there is no shortage of inspiration across the city for a range of creative careers.
If you dream of one day performing at one of Melbourne’s many stunning winter festivals, studying VET subjects in the Creative Industries is the perfect choice. This pathway covers a range of sectors within the overarching creative industries, such as screen, visual art, music and dance.
The Creative Industries area is also a great option to consider if your dream job is being part of the teams that bring creative visions to life. A Certificate II in Creative Industries teaches you everything you need to know about production, whether you’re lighting musicians on stage or building sets for theatrical productions. Likewise, a Certificate III in Music is a valuable way to develop the skills needed to perform on stage.
The tech industry is calling
It’s undeniable that jobs in the Digital Technologies industries are shaping – and will continue to shape – how the world functions. Studying VET in Digital Technologies will give you a taste of the kinds of jobs awaiting you in the industry.
VET certificates within Information and Communications Technologies or Integrated Technologies, which you can undertake as part of your VCE VM, help you build the skills and confidence to pursue a future in Digital Technologies. Not only do they provide an insight into a multitude of industries within the tech sector, but they also equip you with skills that are in high demand, in a high-growth industry – opening you up to a world of career possibilities.
A Certificate II in Integrated Technologies could help you learn how to work in the gaming industry, developing some of the games that showcase at Melbourne International Games Week. Likewise, a Certificate II in Applied Digital Technologies will help you learn the valuable skills needed to identify potential cybersecurity threats to any festival’s website.
Your World, Your VCE
The VCE VM is all about crafting a body of knowledge and skills to explore what you’re passionate about and give you a head start in your dream career while still in secondary school. If you are passionate about any of the jobs that sit within the Creative Industries or Digital Technologies industry areas, the VCE VM and VET are a great way to get your foot in the door before you’ve even finished school.
While the VCE VM differs slightly to the traditional VCE, you’ll still be graduating with a certificate. Basically, the VCE VM sits within the overarching VCE program, it’s just a different way of learning. Instead of formal examinations that acquire you an ATAR, the VCE VM focuses on industry-specific skills and learning based in the real world. However, all students will still participate in the General Achievement Test (GAT). This test is taken by all VCE students and helps measure core skills in literacy and numeracy.
Within the VCE VM, there are four core studies – although they do have some flexibility. If you’re undertaking the VCE VM, you’ll do VCE VM Numeracy or another VCE Maths, VCE VM Literacy or another VCE English, Personal Development Skills, Work Related Skills and Vocational Education and Training (VET). A lot of VCE VM students also take on at least one other VCE subject of their choosing.
The VCE Vocational Major helps you build a pathway to your dream job. It’s a helpful course for secondary students of all kinds, whether you want to pursue further studies through TAFE, traineeships, apprenticeships or non-ATAR university pathways, or dive straight into the industry you’re passionate about. It’s your VCE, so make it your own.
Ready to explore your own pathway? Learn more about the VCE Vocational Major and how to make your VCE your own HERE.
This article was made in partnership with the Department of Education.
