Information on Vocational Education and Training (VET) and apprenticeships.

There are fears that some Victorian schools may have to axe the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) option for Year 11 and 12 students.

Victoria's $57 million maths and sciences coaches program will be discontinued at the end of the year as part of the $441 million in cuts to be made to the education budget over the next four years.

Almost all schools use Years 7 to 10 to give their students a solid grounding in the most important areas of learning and a chance to find out what they like and are good at before they specialise.

Not all school leavers go on to university-level courses. Entry to apprenticeships, or certificate-level courses in a multitude of fields, from apparel manufacture to secretarial studies, does not require an ATAR.

If your child really wants to pursue a course at TAFE or university but they are worried about missing out, there are other pathways which will boost their chances of getting in.

Without a doubt, the best way to start the search is to give some thought to your child?s potential to succeed at different things and in different environments.