Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning

The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) is a senior secondary certificate of education recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

VCAL is a recognised qualification that has three award levels – Foundation, Intermediate and Senior. At Southern Autistic School, some students will undertake the Foundation VCAL certificate over two years (Years 11 and 12).

The qualification aims to provide the skills, knowledge and attributes to enable students to make informed choices about employment and education pathways. Personal development, personalising the curriculum around students’ interests and their specific pathway choices, in the context of applied learning, underpins the design of VCAL.

Students at Southern Autistic School are enrolled in the following strands;

• Literacy and Oral Communicaton

• Numeracy 

• Personal Development Skills Unit 1 and 2

• Work Related Skills Unit 1 and 2

• Industry Specific Skills 

School Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship

As part of their VCAL studies in the strand area of Industry Specific Skills, students will undertake a School Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship (SBAT). An SBAT offers students the option of combining a senior secondary program with part-time employment, school and training. An SBAT is an integral part of the student’s senior secondary learning program and study timetable. The program is undertaken under a Training Contract with an employer and has a training plan registered with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA). 

Careful  consideration is made with the class cohort when determining the SBAT course to be undertaken. Passions and interests, skills and abilities are all explored with the students before a decision is made.