10-12 Curriculum

2021 Information Evening for Year 9 & 10 Students

The 2021 Information Evening has already been held via a webinar on Wednesday 28th. You can view a recording of the webinar below:

Curriculum Handbook

Curriculum handbooks are available from the Publications page. Please click here to view.

VCE Information (Victorian Certificate of Education)

VCE stands for the Victorian Certificate of Education. The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) administers this certificate. Details of the rules and procedures are available in a range of documents and can be obtained from the school or from the VCAA’s website www.vcaa.vic.edu.au The VCE is intended as a two year course of study although it can be completed over a longer period of time. Students at Echuca College study 12 units in year 11 (6 units per semester) and 10 units in year 12 (5 units per semester).

VCE Graduation Requirements

To qualify for the VCE the following requirements must be met:

A minimum of 16 units must be satisfactorily completed, including:
Three units for the English Group, 2 of which must be from units 3 and 4. The English Group consists of Foundation English, English, English Language and Literature.
Three 3 & 4 sequences (other than English).

Units 1& 2 can be completed as single units and Units 3 & 4 must be undertaken as a sequence.

Tertiary Entrance Requirements

To satisfy VTAC requirements the following must be completed:

A minimum of 16 units must be satisfactorily completed, including a sequence of Unit 3 & 4 from the English group.
A sequence of VCE/VET Units 3 & 4 in three studies apart from the English requirement.
Prerequisite requirements set by each Tertiary Institute.

Learning Outcomes

Each VCE unit has a set of two to four outcomes, these outcomes must be achieved for the satisfactory completion of
the unit. Achievement of the outcomes is based on the teacher’s assessment of the student’s performance on
assessment tasks designed for the unit.

A student may be granted satisfactory completion of a unit if:

The work meets the required standard.
College deadlines have been met (extensions may be applied for in certain circumstances).
The work can be authenticated.
Rules have not been breached, including attendance rules.

Assessment

Failure to meet deadlines set by the school may result in an ‘N’ (not satisfactory) for the unit regardless of whether the
outcomes have been satisfactorily met. Satisfactory completion of each unit is based on a decision that the student has
demonstrated achievement of a set of outcomes specified for the unit.

VCAL Information (Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning)

The Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning [VCAL] is an applied learning option for senior students. The VCAL provides the opportunity to build personal skills important for life and work, including literacy and numeracy skills, as well as practical work related experience via structured workplace learning for employability skills. It has a vocational focus.

Students who choose to do VCAL are more likely to be interested in going on to training at TAFE, an apprenticeship, or getting a job after completing school. VCAL does NOT mean a student cannot go to University. VCAL completed at the Senior level is accepted by some universities for admission—but there is no guarantee.

All students:

are to do Work Placement
must do at least one VCAL Personal Development unit at the Certificate level
must do a VET Certificate or be enrolled in an ASBA (by the end of March)
must complete a Literacy unit at the certificate level in which they are enrolled
must complete a unit in Numeracy or Mathematics

Vetis Information (Vocational Education And Training In Schools)

VETis provides additional breadth to the traditional programs available, and it gives students the opportunity, before leaving school, to obtain a nationally recognised training credential endorsed by industry. Students can choose a VETis program as part of the VCE/VCAL course. A VETis program offers a vocational certificate with VCE credit built in, just like other VCE studies. VCE VET programs will give credits at Units 1-4. This means that a student would undertake training in a specific vocational area.

As part of their training students will complete structured workplace learning, this can be between 10 & 30 days over the 2 year program, depending on the certificate that is chosen. The structured workplace learning will provide students with the opportunity to put their knowledge and skills into practice. This training will contribute towards satisfactory completion of the VCE/VCAL and the student will be awarded with a nationally recognised vocational qualification. The vocational qualification will provide students with access to further training, for instance at a TAFE institute, and may improve their chances of getting work after school.

VETiS Certificate courses will be offered in the following areas:

Certificate II in Automotive Studies
Certificate II in Building and Construction [Pre-Apprenticeship]
Certificate II in Community Services
Certificate II in Hospitality (Kitchen Operations)*
Certificate III in Music *
Certificate II in Sport and Recreation*
Certificate II in Health Support Services
Certificate II in Applied Languages (Indonesian)
Certificate III in Information, Digital Media and Technology*

A pre-apprenticeship is a nationally recognised qualification that has an automatic training and duration credit into the apprenticeship in the same industry area. A pre-apprenticeship training program prepares the student for entry into a trade based apprenticeship by equipping the student with foundation knowledge and skills.

Reasons to consider a Vocational Education Course

Students can graduate with 2 Certificates (VETis Certificate & VCE or VCAL).
A majority of the VETis Certificates have a Unit 3/4 scored assessment (these are marked with *) which can be counted towards a student’s ATAR.
Students do work placements which means that they are getting experience that employers may consider in the employment selection process.
They are designed to help a student prepare for employment if they don’t want to continue their education after Year 12, or may help them to choose a career pathway.
Some courses are taught off campus.
Students should speak to the Pathways Managers.

Please note:

As of 2018, there is no additional charge for Echuca College students.

ASBA (Australian School Based Apprenticeship)

Some students know what they would like to do in the way of a career after leaving school. A student can apply for an Australian School Based Apprenticeship program as part of their subject selection in Years 10, 11 & 12. As ASBA’s are completed over 2 years it is preferred that students start in Years 10 or 11.

A School Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship offers students enrolled in the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) or the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) the option of combining part-time employment, school and training. The program is undertaken under a training contract with an employer, has a training plan signed by the school and RTO which is formally registered with Skills Victoria and leads to a nationally recognised qualification at Certificate II, III or IV level.

A Registered Training Organisation provides learning modules, the employer provides 1000 hour of work placement over 2 years which usually means one day per week on the job (students must undertake at least 7 hours of employment and 6 hours of training per week) and the remaining four days are at the College completing VCE/VCAL units.

School Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship programs generally provide the same contribution to the VCE as their related VET in the VCE programs. Many school based apprentices and trainees move on to a full-time contract with their employer after leaving school, while others choose to continue their education and training at TAFE or university.

School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships in the following industry areas have been approved by industry bodies and the VCAA for students undertaking VCE:
Agriculture; Automotive; Business; Community Services; Engineering; Food Processing (Wine); Horticulture; Hospitality; Information Technology; Sport and Recreation.

School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships in other approved industry areas, may also contribute to the VCE through Block Credit Recognition.

An ASBA:

Means flexible training and experience in the workforce and a nationally recognised qualification while still studying at school.
Enables students to finish Years 11 and 12 while starting their apprenticeship.
Means students are paid a training wage or apprentice wage for the time they spend ‘on-the-job’ with their employer.
Ensures students are covered by a training contract, which links to an industrial award or agreement.
Improves educational and vocational pathways beyond school.

Extra Curricula Programs For Students In Years 10-12

The College offers a range of extra curricula activities that aim to meet students’ interest as well as adding additional breadth to their experience at Echuca College. Some of the extra curricula activities available to Year 10, 11 and 12 students include:

Debating competitions
Camps – Year level
Student Representative Council
Instrumental Music Program
After School Maths Program
Student Exchange programs
Equestrian Team
Mathematics and Science Competitions
Theatre Sports competition
Dance performances
Energy Breakthrough
A Gifted and Talented Program
A vast number of sporting teams
Varied lunch time activities