When Annameike Cozens was in Year 10 she found herself at a crossroads, unsure what she wanted to do for a career.
That is until she discovered the VCE Vocational Major (VM).
This pathway is designed to give students greater choice and flexibility to pursue their strengths and interests and develop the skills and capabilities needed to succeed in further education, work and life.
For Annameike, the 2-year applied learning program allowed her to learn in a real-world environment through hands-on experiences that suited her aspirations.
VM students study at least 16 units over 2 years, including the core units of Literacy, Numeracy, Work Related Skills and Personal Development Skills. Students have the flexibility to choose VCE units or gain credit through Structured Workplace Learning Recognition for on-the-job training or work placements.
‘Doing the VCE VM definitely helped me,’ Annameike said.
‘It’s really hard to get a placement at a vet clinic down here. I wouldn’t have gotten my placement for vet nursing if I hadn’t stayed on.’
Now splitting her time between studying vet nursing at TAFE, her placement and working on the family farm, Annameike said the VM was ‘the best thing she could have done.’
'I loved the VCE VM. I had all these amazing experiences, practiced my leadership, got a taste of the real world.'
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