‘I’d like to earn while I learn.’
Vocational Education and Training (VET) gives you versatile hands-on skills for a wide range of roles and industries, with a rock solid understanding of the theory behind those skills. The great news about VET is its flexibility. You can start a VET course as soon as you finish your SACE or after you’ve been working for a while. Even better is that now you can start a VET course while still at school.
Study through VET and you’ll earn a nationally accredited qualification, which can be put towards a university degree later on. The major provider of VET in SA is TAFE. Find out
more here.
So how do I do a VET course?
There are two ways that you can undertake a VET course while still at school:
- While carrying on with your studies you can start an apprenticeship, which means you get paid while you learn. ‘School to Work’ Apprenticeship Brokers, based at each of the Department of Education and Children’s Services’ . Trade School for the Future can help advise you on the best way to get underway and connect you with local industry and business. They work to increase the number of apprenticeships and skilled job opportunities available and are really good people to chat with if you want to find out more.You can undertake specific training in job skills towards a recognised certificate in a range of areas.One of the really big ones at the moment is engineering in areas such as:
- Automotive
- Computer Aided Drafting
- Electronics
- Machining and Toolmaking
- Robotics
- Incorporate some VET subjects into your SACE and gain accreditation. This means that if you have an idea of what you’d like to do, there are some VET subjects you can start studying as part of your SACE, then when you finish and go to, say, a TAFE institute, university or private provider, you have the chance to get some accreditation up front. Start studying earlier, finish studying earlier!
Next Steps
If you’re interested in the possibilities VET can offer, or if you want to get some more info on what VET is all about you can:
- Talk to your school career counsellor about the VET in schools programs or even get in touch with TAFE who might be able to give you some advice
- Find out about apprenticeships in the engineering sector industry in SA
- Check out a Technical College