What do you want to be when you grow up? The VCE Vocational Major (VCE VM) is here to help you make your dream job in hospitality and events (and more!) a reality.
It’s no secret that Melbourne is arguably the events capital of the country. The year ending in June 2024 saw an almost $40 billion spend on tourism in Victoria, with industries like hospitality, festivals and events all benefiting from our state’s vibrant cultural scene and love for celebration.
While the jobs are certainly out there, finding the right pathways to reach them can sometimes feel like the most daunting part of the journey. The VCE Vocational Major reimagines school-based learning in real-world contexts, opening up doors for students looking to get hands-on experience in a wide range of industries. Basically, the VCE VM is all about turning your dream job into your future one.
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How the VCE Vocational Major works
The VCE VM will help you put your passions into practice with real-world experience. Students are able to kick-start their dream job with opportunities to harness their workforce skills without the pressure of an ATAR. It’s the kind of program that hospitality and other industry veterans wish they had when they were in high school.
This two-year applied learning program is still part of the VCE; that is, a VCE but not as you know it. There’s only one exam VCE VM students will need to complete – the General Achievement Test (GAT) – that all VCE students across the state take part in. You’ll also need to complete at least 16 units over the course of the program, which include four subjects; Literacy, Numeracy, Personal Development Skills and Work Related Skills.
Otherwise, you’ll be assessed in an entirely different way to other VCE studies. Your teacher will assess you on a range of activities as you discover more about how your future career works in a hands-on manner.
More than just learning
The idea of the program is to learn about the real-world industries that transform personal interests into jobs in the workforce. Instead of forcing yourself to fit into a world of academia and exams that just isn’t right for your learning style, the VCE VM fits into your world.
As part of the VCE VM, you start working on skills to catapult you straight into the industry of your choosing through VET. VET gives you the opportunity to develop specific skills in a dedicated industry that will harness you with foundational learnings of your future career while you’re still in school. It’s basically a head start on your career path, allowing you to develop practical skills before you’ve even entered the work force. That means that when you do, you’re doing so with confidence, capability and employability.
VCE VM students will need to complete at least 180 hours of VET studies, which will contribute credits toward your VCE VM. There are a range of industries that VET covers that are linked to job growth. You can choose anything from being a hero in Health or Renewable Energy, a superstar in Sport and Recreation or Building and Construction, a champion in Creative Industries or Community Services, plus heaps more.
One of the best things about the VCE VM is that while you’re getting a taste of an industry pathway through activities, you’re given the space to work out if it’s the right one for you. The program provides you the freedom to explore the possibilities of what’s out there, opening the opportunity for you to uncover your deepest passions. It’s also kick-starting your skillset to make you more employable if you’re wanting to jump straight into a job after school.
Is the VCE Vocational Major the right pathway for you?
If you’re dreaming of a job that suits your personality, now there’s a method of learning that does so too. If learning how to run an epic event or cooking up a storm in the kitchen floats your boat a little more than studying for a written exam, the VCE VM might just be the door you need to kick open to uncover the career screaming out to you.
There are a bunch of different pathways offered across the program, varying in industry and practice. Fancy a job in digital media and technology? What about a pursuit in creative industries? Reckon you’re a hospo legend in the making?
The VCE VM helps you prepare for whatever path you choose to take after school – whether that be jumping straight into the workforce, taking on an apprenticeship or traineeship, further education or training, or even going to uni through alternative entry programs.
The city is your classroom
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Anyone who works in hospitality and similar industries knows that there’s never any one way to go about building a career.
These aren’t any ordinary careers, either. Picture this: you’re helping to set up and run one of the state’s most vibing New Year’s Eve music festivals on the picturesque Barunah Plains at Beyond The Valley. Or maybe you’re working in the kitchen, slinging out exquisite meal-after-meal at Queen Victoria Market’s Summer Night Market. You could even be designing or rigging up the show-stopping displays across Melbourne’s Christmas Festival events.
As one of, if not the best, cities for events, festivals and festivities in the country, all you need to do is walk around the streets of Melbourne to discover the kind of job you could harness your passions into through the VCE VM.
The incredible amount of diverse career opportunities that Melbourne and Victoria are home to means that your dream job is only a short distance away from becoming a reality. And you know what is helping you fill in that distance between the two? The VCE Vocational Major.
You can find out more information on VCE Vocational Major here.
This article was made in partnership with the Department of Education.
