Harry Graafsma, Outstanding VCE Vocational Major Student:
Who doesn't love flying, you know? It's getting up there, just looking down. You know, being up there by yourself is pretty... pretty impressive and pretty cool to see.
Annameike Cozens, Outstanding VCE Vocational Major Student:
Ah, it's awesome. The days go so quick on the farm. I love the cattle, love small animals. I love everything about it. There’s something really rewarding about seeing them grow from calves to time to sell them.
Harry Graafsma:
I did a VCE Vocational Major and a part of that I started my Diploma of Aviation. So, that involved coming down to Moorabbin Airport twice a week. Flying, doing a bit of ground theory. Then I was also working down here for work placement in maintenance. So, yeah, that was good. Worked out well. Come down here, work and then after work, come fly.
Annameike Cozens:
I think the ‘hands-on’ was just so much easier to learn. For me and everyone else in the class I think. Everything we did was hands-on. We did projects for nearly every subject. Our maths one was... I think we did how the farm runs and what your costs are and what your profit is and everything, which was helpful for here too.
Harry Graafsma:
So, yeah, I started my apprenticeship in February with Qantas. So that's involved a lot of theory, TAFE. I’ve been in the evacuation systems shop. So, working on all the escape slides and yeah... It’s pretty cool to be a part of that. Yeah.
Annameike Cozens:
It was amazing. I loved the VCE VM. It was the best thing I could have done. Year 10, I didn't know what to do. I didn't know whether to drop out or keep going and finish Year 12. And I'm so glad I did because I got all those amazing experiences, met all those people, practiced my leadership, got me a taste of the real world as well but I wouldn't have gotten my work placement for my nursing if I hadn't stayed.
Harry Graafsma:
Not many people have the opportunity to go straight into a job like this, straight after Year 12. But I feel the VCE Vocational Major program and the Diploma of Aviation definitely contributed to me getting my foot in to where I am now.
Annameike Cozens:
So, at the moment I'm doing two days at TAFE studying the Vet Nursing and then two days placement at the vet clinic. And then the other three days is on the dairy or at home on the farm. Doing the VCE VM definitely helped me. It's really hard to get placement at a vet clinic down here. So, it was very handy that I did my work placement and then, you know, it just sort of happened that I started my nursing.
Harry Graafsma:
If you have a passion, go for it. And if there is a pathway for you in the Vocational Major program, just go for it. I’d say.
[On-screen text: Education State – Victoria State Government – Department of Education logo – Authorised by the Victorian Government, Melbourne]
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