Interviews with school-based staff revealed that there was no uniform model for VETiS delivery. There was considerable variation between schools in terms of the types of VETiS programs they offered, the delivery methods they used, the perceived objectives of the specific programs, and the types of students who participated in them. There was also considerable variation in the amount of adjustment schools made to their timetable and distribution of resources to enable or
facilitate the smooth operation of VETiS programs within the broader education needs, priorities and provisions in the school.
Yet despite the enormous variation and diversity, a key trend emerged that highlighted differences and similarities in schools’ use and provision of VETiS. This trend was for schools to implicitly or explicitly group their senior secondary subject, course and endorsed program provisions (including VETiS) into four markedly different senior secondary combinations (often referred to as ‘pathways’ in the interviews). Students would then be encouraged to choose Year 11 and 12 subjects, courses and programs that were consistent with one of the ‘pathways’, reportedly depending on the students’ post-school interests and intentions, as well as their past academic performance and behaviour. Furthermore, the grouping of subject, course and endorsed program provisions into the four pathways reportedly enabled schools to make resource and/or timetabling modifications (either for the whole cohort or specifically for students in one or two of the pathways) to cater for the different and specific needs of students in each of the pathways and ensure the pathways operated smoothly within the schools’ timetables and resource constraints.
The first of the pathways was akin to the traditional TEE-pathway, comprising no VETiS and primarily TEE subjects (or units from stage two or three WACE courses). In doing so, it complied with the TISC’s university admission requirements, sometimes supplemented with one or two wholly-school assessed (WSA) subjects. This pathway comprised students in the ‘4TEE+noUoC’ student sub-group and, as shown in Figure 6, was the dominant pathway in non government schools (accounting for 53% of Year 11 and 12 students between 2004 and 2007) but less than 25% of Year 11 and 12 government school students over the same period.
The second senior secondary pathway reflected the traditional non-TEE pathway, comprising only WSA subjects, units from stage one WACE courses, and no VETiS. Representing students from the ‘1-3TEE+noUoC’ and ‘NoTEE+noUoC’ student sub-groups, this pathway accounted for 26% of government school students and 20% of non government school students in the 2004 - 2007 Year 11 and 12 cohort (see Figure 6). Responses from school-based interviewees revealed that this pathway was most prominent:
• amongst government school students who were deemed by the school to lack sufficient literacy or numeracy skills, work ethic or behaviour standards to participate in the school’s VETiS programs (particularly if they were delivered off-site by the local TAFEWA college);
• in the relatively small proportion of non government schools that did not offer any VETiS programs, because they perceived that they lacked the necessary VET experience and expertise, and/or the school’s ‘brand’ was primarily founded on their traditional school curriculum; and/or
• in a small minority of government schools (but a substantial proportion of non government schools) that offered a narrow range of VETiS programs as part of a highly marginalised program that lacked promotion and esteem within the school relative to their predominantly university-focused course and subject offerings.
The third senior secondary pathway was a ‘VETiS-focused’ pathway, which comprised students who studied at least four VETiS units of competency (either as stand-alone endorsed programs or integrated into school subjects or courses) and fewer than four TEE subjects (or equivalent). This pathway comprised students from the ‘1-3TEE+4UoCs’ and ‘NoTEE+4UoCs’ student sub-groups, and was the dominant pathway in government schools, accounting for 33% of Year 11 and 12 students from the 2004 - 2007 cohorts (see Figure 6). It was considerably less prominent within the non government school sector, accounting for only 18% of Year 11 and 12 students over the same period.
Interview responses revealed the VETiS program was often at the core of the senior secondary program for students in this pathway, particularly amongst the government schools. It was often grouped with workplace learning and career education programs, which were seen to complement, support and extend the learning opportunities and objectives of students’ VETiS
program. In addition, many schools ran this pathway ‘off-grid’ (ie. on a separate timetable from the rest of the school), which reportedly enabled schools to:
• ensure students in the pathway undertaking off-site programs (including workplace learning and VETiS at a local RTO) did not miss classes, as well as minimise the disruption to the classes of students who were not undertaking VETiS; and
• provide better, more targeted support for students in this pathway.
Although schools widely acknowledged that this method segregates some students from the rest of their cohort, they often perceived that the positives outweighed the negatives and implemented a range of strategies to overcome the potential negative consequences on the students and the broader school community. Such strategies included using a small team of teachers to teach all subjects; greater use of more practical (ie. hands-on), cross-curricula and project-based teaching strategies; and a generally more holistic approach to students’ social, emotional and academic needs. The teachers who were given these duties were often reportedly hand-picked for their supportive interpersonal nature and their ability to create a supportive and respectful environment amongst the students in the classes.
The ‘VETiS-focused’ pathway often comprised students undertaking school-based apprenticeships or traineeships, as well as a smaller group of students (particularly in government schools but less so non government schools) whose focus was on obtaining an apprenticeship or traineeship contract or full-time employment prior to the completion of Year 11 or 12. However, most of the students who participated in this pathway reportedly did not want to leave school prior to completing Years 11 and 12 or pursue a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship. They instead reportedly preferred to use the VETiS program and the accompanying work-based learning program as a means of strengthening their chances of obtaining (and possibly receiving credit towards) a post-school apprenticeship, employment or continuation of their VET studies. Within this context, VETiS programs were reportedly highly valued because they reportedly:
• were better understood and respected by employers than the WACE, especially in some industry areas and occupations;
• enabled students to gain valuable technical skills and knowledge, and possibly credit towards their future post-school endeavours;
• facilitated the development and improvement of students’ general, so-called ‘employability skills’, particularly through exposure to non-school learning and work environments where they had to deal with a range of customers, colleagues and issues; • gave students insight into, and exposure to, various VET-related occupations and
industries, enabling them to make better informed decisions about their future career and study choices; and
• gave students valuable exposure to how the VET system and adult-learning environments operate, facilitating a smoother transition from school to post-school VET studies.
The final senior secondary pathway to emerge from the data analyses and interview responses was a ‘VETiS supplementary’ pathway. This pathway was similar to the ‘traditional TEE-focused’ and ‘non-TEE’ pathways but included the addition of a small quantity of VETiS units of competency. Consequently, this pathway comprised students from the ‘4TEE<4UoCs’, ‘1- 3TEE<4UoC’ and ‘NoTEE<4UoC’ student sub-groups, as well as those in the ‘4TEE+4UoCs’ sub-group, for whom the VETiS program was reportedly secondary to their main focus on TEE subjects (or equivalent). As shown in Figure 6, this pathway accounted for 17% of Year 11 and 12 government school students from the 2004 - 2007 cohorts, but only 9% of the corresponding cohort in non government schools.