Vocational Education & Training Delivered to Secondary Students (VDSS)

Vocational Education and Training Delivered to Secondary Students (VDSS) allows secondary students to gain practical skills in a specific industry while undertaking the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) including the Vocational Major (VCE VM).

Programs are typically completed over two years and provide students with a qualification or partial completion of a nationally recognised certificate.

VU has delivered VDSS for more than 12 years in partnership with 150 secondary schools in Melbourne’s west.

Our programs are taught by industry-experienced practitioners in world-class training facilities, and often include a workplace-learning component.

Benefits

VDSS programs contribute directly to the VCE/VCE VM and can contribute towards the ATAR score.

Other advantages for students who take part in our program include:

gaining industry experience and employability skills
creating a pathway to further study (certificate, diploma qualifications) at TAFE
opportunities to develop effective relationships with industry employers
enhancing knowledge of employer and workplace expectations
developing the capacity for teamwork and leadership.

Our strong connections with industry, award-winning learning model, state-of-the-art facilities and specialised course content mean you’ll graduate with real-world experience.

Our class sizes are designed for students to easily get to know their classmates, learn in a variety of ways and receive support from industry-current trainers.

Enrol

To enrol into one of Victoria University's VDSS courses, you must be currently registered with a Victorian secondary school.

All expressions of interest in our VDSS programs must be made by the secondary schools on your behalf by contacting us.

If you are a student, and are interested in one or more of our VDSS programs, please speak to the VET coordinator/careers and pathways leader at your school.

Programs offered in 2024

Certificate III in Beauty Services SHB30121 (partial completion) (PDF, 1.45 MB)

Certificate II in Civil Construction RII20720 (PDF, 2.21 MB)

Certificate II in Cookery SIT20421 (PDF, 1.86 MB)

Certificate III in Early Childhood Education & Care CHC30121 (partial completion) (PDF, 3.94 MB)

Certificate II in Electrotechnology (Pre-vocational) 22499VIC (PDF, 415.31 KB)

Certificate III in Emerging Technologies 22589VIC (PDF, 1.89 MB)

Certificate II in Hospitality SIT20322 (PDF, 2.45 MB)

Certificate II in Plumbing (Pre-Apprenticeship) 22569VIC (PDF, 2.58 MB)

Programs offered to students continuing from 2023

Certificate II in Building and Construction Pre-apprenticeship (Carpentry) 22338VIC (PDF, 684.79 KB)

Certificate II in Building and Construction Pre-apprenticeship (Bricklaying) 22338VIC (PDF, 746.73 KB)

Certificate III in Beauty Services SHB30121 (partial completion) (PDF, 1.45 MB)

Certificate II Engineering Studies 22470VIC (PDF, 1.11 MB)

Certificate III in Make-Up SHB30221 (PDF, 2.63 MB)

Program details

VDSS programs are run over two years, part time, generally requiring a one day a week commitment over the two school years. To complete a qualification you need to successfully complete all units of competency in the two years.

If you don’t successfully complete all units of competency in the program you will still receive a Statement of Attainment (SOA) which will list the units you have achieved. These can then be used to apply for credit in future studies in the same area or simply add to your employability skills.

: Students can start in VDSS programs from Year 9 onwards, although in many of our programs we don’t recommend starting that early due to the level of content and expectation.

If you start a VDSS program in Year 10, it will be counted as one of your electives at school.

Most students undertake VDSS in their final two years of secondary studies. VDSS can be undertaken in both VCE and VCE VM streams.

In VCE VM, study is broken into blocks. For every 90 hour block, you get one VCE VM unit credit.

In VCE, a VDSS program can contribute in two ways:

In an unscored VDSS program, VDSS studies will contribute through block credit recognition. If you undertake an unscored VDSS program as part of VCE, the VDSS program cannot contribute directl to your ATAR however it can contribute a 10% increment of your top 4 average subject study scores towards your ATAR.

Please note that Victoria University does not currently offer scored VDSS programs.

If you need further guidance or information on how VDSS fits in with your study plans please talk to your secondary school careers coordinator, visit the VCAA website or contact us.

Students must be fall into one of the below citizenship/residency categories in order to be eligible for a VDSS course:

Australian Citizen

Permanent Resident

New Zealand Citizen living in Australia

Permanent Humanitarian Visa Holder (unsure TBC)

Temporary Resident Visa Holder

Asylum Seeker (unsure TBC)
: Each week of the program you will attend a full day of work on campus. You will also have homework and revision to complete at home.

Being in an adult setting your trainers will expect you to demonstrate responsibility and a mature approach to your studies. You are required to meet a minimum of 90% attendance. As the programs are fast paced, missing classes will jeopardise your ability to enjoy the program and make progress as required.

Your program will consist of units of competency which means you will need to demonstrate that you have understood and mastered the skills expected. You will be assessed on your performance however it is not like an exam, instead it is an ongoing process.

VDSS is a great start to TAFE studies, as the trainers in VDSS are the same trainers you will have if your continue to study with us after you leave school.
: VDSS material and tuition fees are aligned with the bands provided by the Department of Education & Training (DET).

Victoria University do not charge any fees to students or their parents/guardians directly to undertake VDSS with us.

Victoria University invoices the secondary schools directly for all VDSS-related fees.

Public government schools cannot pass any of these fees onto their students or the parents/guardians.

Please note that independent and private schools may charge their students and parents/guardians as a part of their school fees.

For any further information regarding costs, please contact [email protected] .
: Although VDSS programs are intended for a two year commitment, we understand that sometimes circumstances change. It is important to communicate with your secondary school and with us if you feel you wish to discontinue your studies or change programs.

VDSS programs only have one intake per year, so you cannot change courses mid-year and will not be able to commence a new course until the following calendar year.

If you wish to discontinue your VDSS program at any stage, you will receive a Statement of Attainment for any units of competency successfully passed.

If you discontinue your original VDSS course and commence a new VDSS course, you will begin the new program at a Year One level and can apply for a credit transfer if applicable.

If all units of competency are not successfully completed via VDSS course study, the student will be able to enrol through our mainstream VET programs and complete outstanding units after their exit from secondary school.