Vocational Education and Training (VET)

Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses enable students to study courses that are relevant to industry needs and have clear links to post-school destinations. These courses allow students to gain both HSC qualifications, counting towards the ATAR and accreditation with industry and the workplace as part of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). This national framework is recognised across Australia and helps students to move easily between the various education and training sectors and employment. These courses each have a specific workplace component and a minimum number of hours students must spend in the workplace. At the end of their HSC students receive documentation showing the competencies gained during the course.

We offer a second-to-none VET program with a very broad range of hands-on technologies, and our students excel in this area consistently; for numerous years Chevalier students have been awarded the Southern Highlands VET Student of the Year, and our students are frequent award-winners at country shows and agricultural events across the State.

Vocational Education and Training courses currently being offered at the college include:

• Business Services – Certificate II in Business
• Construction – Certificate II in Construction Pathways
• Hospitality – Food and Beverage – Certificate II in Hospitality
• Hospitality – Kitchen Operations – Certificate II in Kitchen Operations
• Primary Industries – Certificate II in Agriculture

VET in Action:

A prime example is Jules Café.  This is a fully-functioning café run by VET students where all aspects of the hospitality course and training are located here on site, including the industrial scale kitchen and food and beverage preparation areas, right through to the café floor itself where students and staff can purchase food and drinks for lunch and during breaks.

Another example is our Trade Centre, the home of our construction, primary industries and agriculture VET courses in the heart of our beautiful 100 acre site, where students gain a genuinely hands-on experience without having to leave the grounds.  The college has a year-round supply of eggs and produce, and our prize-winning cattle and sheep enjoy a contented existence as students learn about and care for them.

Looking ahead to the future, as students move into their senior years we are also fully supportive of SBAT (School-Based Apprentice Training) and External VET courses, where students can explore courses offered outside the school environment in collaboration with TAFE.