Abstract:
In common with other states and territories the NSW Board of Studies in cooperation with NSW TAFE, the NSW Department of School Education and the Catholic Education Commission, developed a course for students in the post-compulsory years that was designed to link vocational education with general educational studies.
The course incorporated many of the principles enunciated in the Finn, Meyer and Carmichael reports and provided students with the opportunity to gain dual accreditation for their vocational studies from the Board of Studies through the Higher School Certificate and from the NSW Vocational Education & Training Accreditation Board. A key element of the course was the provision of an 80 hour work placement component that enabled students to practice and apply skills learnt in the classroom in a real work setting.
The course introduced three assessment modes: one based on the assessment of specific competencies, the second an assessment of practical performance on a set task and the third based on the normative model associated with the NSW Higher School Certificate.
Students should they wish could elect to be awarded a Tertiary Entrance Ranking based on their performance in the course that could be used in determining entrance into university studies.
This paper reports student outcomes and levels of satisfaction with the course based on data collected over a two period from a total population of over 600 Year 11 and Year 12 students. Based on student data, implications for the further development of such courses are drawn and the potential roles of vocational courses within the overall post-compulsory curriculum are explored.
The course incorporated many of the principles enunciated in the Finn, Meyer and Carmichael reports and provided students with the opportunity to gain dual accreditation for their vocational studies from the Board of Studies through the Higher School Certificate and from the NSW Vocational Education & Training Accreditation Board. A key element of the course was the provision of an 80 hour work placement component that enabled students to practice and apply skills learnt in the classroom in a real work setting.
The course introduced three assessment modes: one based on the assessment of specific competencies, the second an assessment of practical performance on a set task and the third based on the normative model associated with the NSW Higher School Certificate.
Students should they wish could elect to be awarded a Tertiary Entrance Ranking based on their performance in the course that could be used in determining entrance into university studies.
This paper reports student outcomes and levels of satisfaction with the course based on data collected over a two period from a total population of over 600 Year 11 and Year 12 students. Based on student data, implications for the further development of such courses are drawn and the potential roles of vocational courses within the overall post-compulsory curriculum are explored.