Senior secondary pathway reforms

Senior secondary education is about developing and realising every student’s potential.

We are reforming senior secondary schooling to better engage and inspire Victoria's students.

The Victorian Government has invested nearly $775 million in reform to senior secondary education since 2018.

Our reforms will build the aspirations and skills of young people. This is setting them up for new kinds of careers and the needs of the modern economy. The recommendations in John Firth’s Review into vocational and applied learning pathways in senior secondary schooling (Firth review) provide a roadmap for this reform.

Career exploration and advice

Effective career education starts early, connects to work and supports students to understand their interests, skills and goals to make informed career decisions.

It is essential to learning and wellbeing, supporting students’ engagement and motivation and building their confidence about the future.

Key reform initiatives include providing career diagnostic testing, enhancing career exploration activities for students in priority cohorts, delivering vocational career experiences, and providing professional learning opportunities to career practitioners, guiding schools toward whole-school strong practice.

To learn more visit:

For parents and carers: Career and course exploration with your child
For schools: Career education

More than 460 career practitioners in government schools have completed a Graduate Certificate in Career Development since 2019.

All Year 9 students in government schools, and all students over 15 years old in specialist and alternative education settings, have access to My Career Insights. This program supports students to complete Morrisby, a comprehensive online career discovery and diagnostic tool.
Once they have completed their Morrisby assessment, students can unpack their Morrisby profile and report during a one-on-one interview with an external accredited career practitioner.
A pilot of an Enhanced My Career Insights program is also currently underway. This initiative provides extra support for students in priority cohorts through additional 1:1 career guidance sessions to explore their interests and strengths.
To learn more visit:
- For parents: My Career Insights
- For schools: My Career Insights
In 2025, 89% of Year 9s in government schools completed a Morrisby assessment through My Career Insights.

Work-based learning

Work-based learning activities help school students explore career options and get them work-ready. Key activities include:

group industry experience activities
work experience
structured workplace learning
vocational tasters

Work-based learning requires partnerships between schools and employers or community organisations. This direct industry exposure supports students to set goals and make informed decisions about their career path which align with their aspirations.

Key reform initiatives include the School to Work program for place-based support and digitising arrangement forms with the Work-Based Learning Application.

We are working to support 10,000 additional work experience placements in renewable energy and other priority industries by 2027.

To learn more visit: Work-based learning

Students are supported to access the above work-based learning opportunities through the School to Work program, helping them develop employability skills and make informed career choices.
The program is delivered by Local Learning and Employment Networks (LLENs) who connect employers, local education and training providers, businesses, industry groups and community agencies with schools to provide students more work-based learning opportunities.
Learn more about School to Work at: School to Work
Trade & Tech Fit is a career expo for female and gender diverse school students to experience exciting career opportunities in traditionally male fields.
Each year, thousands of students explore trade and technology careers at the expo.
To learn more visit: Trade & Tech Fit career expo
In 2024, female and gender diverse student enrolment in trade and technology VCE VET increased by 16.1% at government schools that brought students to the 2023 expo.

Vocational and applied learning in senior secondary

Senior secondary education in Victoria is changing.

Whatever their passions and talents, students can choose a VCE to suit their world.

This will give all students the learning opportunities they need to develop skills and capabilities for success in further education, work and life.

To learn more visit:

For parents and carers: Your world. Your VCE.
For schools: Senior secondary certificate reform | VCAA

The proportion of Year 12 students successfully completing a senior secondary certificate has increased from 91.7% in 2021 to 97.5% in 2024.

The VCE Vocational Major is a 2-year vocational and applied learning program within the VCE. The program equips students with the skills, knowledge, confidence and agency needed to prepare for work and further education and training.
The VCE Vocational Major prepares students to transition successfully into apprenticeships, traineeships, further education and training, university, or directly into employment. It supports them to develop knowledge, confidence and skills for work and life.
The VCE Vocational Major replaced the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) at the Intermediate and Senior levels in 2023.
To learn more visit: About the VCE Vocational Major
26,611 students were enrolled in the VCE Vocational Major across 477 schools in 2024. Compared with Intermediate and Senior VCAL in 2022, this was 26% more students and 58 more schools.
The Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) is a flexible foundation secondary course that meets the needs of the minority of Year 11 and 12 students not able or ready to complete a certificate at the VCE level.
The VPC provides students with a standards-based certificate that has been developed to be flexible, without a mandated period in which a student must complete the certificate. This allows students to complete it in a timeframe that suits their capability.
It provides an enriched curriculum and excellent support for students to develop the skills, capabilities and qualities for success in personal and civic life.
The VPC supports students to transition to the VCE (which could be the VCE Vocational Major), entry level VET or employment. The VPC replaced Foundation VCAL in 2023.
To learn more visit: About the Victorian Pathways Certificate
4,387 students were enrolled in the VPC in 2024, which was 10% more than in 2023.
We are helping schools improve students’ access to a range of high-quality VCE VET subjects. This is helping young people gain skills that support their goals and get the jobs they want in Victoria’s growing economy.
Key reform initiatives include supporting clusters of schools to plan local VET access, student transport to participate in VET, developing the VET workforce in schools, and reducing cost barriers for students participating in VET.
Enrolment in VCE VET subjects is growing in areas like: building and construction, health, and community services, early childhood education, renewable energy and digital technology.
To learn more visit:
- For parents and carers: Discover VCE VET subjects
- For schools: Vocational Education and Training Delivered to School Students
Victoria has recorded 4 consecutive years of growth in school students’ enrolment in VET, rising by 7% to 57,853 students in 2024. More than half of VCE VET subject enrolment is in priority industry areas.
Apprentices who have completed Year 12 are significantly more likely to complete their apprenticeship than those who have only completed Year 10.
School-based apprentices and trainees complete their schooling while spending time in paid employment, developing the vocational skills that prepare them for successful career pathways after senior secondary school.
The Head Start program provides wrap-around support to school-based apprentices and trainees and their employers. Head Start is available to students in every government secondary school in Victoria, providing more opportunities to undertake an apprenticeship or traineeship in an in-demand sector while completing school.
To learn more, visit:
- For parents and carers: Head Start apprenticeships and traineeships
- For schools: School-based apprenticeships and traineeships
1,686 students were supported by Head Start in 2024, and 317 government schools had one or more active school-based apprentices or trainees in June 2025.

Support for early school leavers

Young people who leave school without completing Year 12 can access support to set career goals and continue learning.

The Victorian Early Leaver Connection Initiative (VELCI) is providing guidance on options for study and work, and opportunities to complete Year 12 or equivalent qualifications at TAFE.

Extra mentoring and other support is available for Koorie young people and young people with disabilities who leave school early.

To learn more, visit:

Contact information

To get in touch about Senior Secondary Pathways Reform at the Department of Education, contact: Pathways.reform@education.vic.gov.au

For inquiries about updates to the Senior Secondary curriculum, contact: vcaa.seniorsecondaryreform@education.vic.gov.au

Education

Updated 14 November 2025