Senior Pathways
The school employs a Leading Teacher with the exclusive role as Head of Pathways and Student Supports. Our Leading Teacher ensures that our students are able to develop the skills and access employment opportunities to the best of their ability and interests.
The Lake Colac School Senior Pathways Program aims to assist students to improve their skills and capabilities, promoting opportunities for hands-on meaningful learning activities, along with gaining confidence to equip them with the necessary skills to function as productively and independently as possible in their post-school life. The program seeks to foster an understanding of the importance of the continuous process of managing life, learning and work-related skills. This may include further education, employment (open and supported), day support services, recreation activities, and home and community living environments.
The program is based on the school’s vision;
To provide authentic learning opportunities that empower all students to achieve their academic and personal best.
It focuses on the individual needs and the priorities of students as they make the transition from schooling into adulthood.
The program continues to develop student’s literacy and numeracy skills. It is project based through the Enterprise Education program and aligned with the Victorian Curriculum, with an emphasis on improving and consolidating functional skills. This includes an important focus on enhancing student’s wellbeing through developing personal and interpersonal capabilities.
Generally, the program is delivered in the last four years of a student’s enrolment at the school. Some areas of the program may be introduced at an earlier stage, with individual student needs and abilities taken into consideration. It requires a flexible approach to meet the needs of each individual student.
The Senior Pathways Program has three core areas
- Independent Living – This area is a focus for all senior students based on the core fundamentals of living life as independently as they can. These essential skills and knowledge build the foundation for all transitioning options.
- Career Education – Most students will focus on and develop necessary skills and behaviours related to various forms of paid or unpaid work. Where possible, this area will include Work Experience and Work Placement, exposing students to a range of career options. Students participate in work readiness programs at school through the Enterprise Education program, running micro businesses to develop their skills and knowledge through the whole process, including project proposals, product design, budgeting/invoicing, problem solving and continual evaluation of the process. Students also undertake work-related and OH&S skill development programs including A Job Well Done, Safe @ Work and the Passport 2 Employment, amongst a variety of other training tailored to individual students needs and interests (ie. White Card, Food Handling, Barista course, etc).
- Further Education – Some students will explore various post-secondary educational settings to gain qualifications related to a specific career path. This may also include School-Based Traineeships (SBATs) or another certificate-based course (ie. Certificate II in Hospitality).
Within each learning area the essential knowledge, skills and behaviours are organised into categories.
This framework is designed to give an overview of the skills and areas that are concentrated on throughout the senior years of schooling at Lake Colac School. It is not written as a prescribed program; it is a framework, illustrating the areas of importance and focus in the secondary years.
Enterprise Education
Senior school students develop enterprise (micro-business) projects related to the industry they are studying. They follow a set of processes to develop their Enterprise in order to plan, produce, promote and reflect on the effectiveness and success of their business. Through the enterprise process, the students engage in meaningful, hands-on projects such as running a café where they make and sell coffee to staff, building functional and decorative structures such as planter boxes, or creating highly sought-after gifts for stalls and fetes. Through these simulated workplaces, students develop transferable work skills. The school also operates a Mini-Woolies program.
Enterprise Education makes learning real and exciting with the focus on the achievement of curriculum outcomes. The goal of Enterprise Education is to achieve a learning culture, which results in the students being able to successfully manage personal, business, work and community opportunities. Through the use of Enterprise Education, students achieve learning outcomes from a wide range of learning areas. The Enterprise approach allows for integration of the delivery and assessment of the Victorian Curriculum with Vocational Education areas, work-related skills and school developed functional literacy, numeracy and life skills programs. It also requires the students to focus on the important life and employment skills to prepare them for life beyond school, with a particular emphasis on self-help, confidence, communication and financial capability.
Enterprise Education also provides opportunities for students to develop community partnerships. Students partner with the school and local services to support school and community events. Lake Colac School aspires to continue to develop these community partnerships to allow our students to demonstrate work and life skills in a variety of contexts while also helping to see how the students can make a valuable contribution to the community.
Victorian Pathways Certificate
The Victorian Pathways Certificate (VPC) is an inclusive and flexible certificate. It offers an engaging curriculum and additional support for you to develop the work-related skills and capabilities you need to succeed.
The VPC is normally completed in the final two years of schooling, but it is flexible so it can be started earlier or finished over a longer period than 2 years (usually the final three years of schooling at Lake Colac School). The coursework is designed and delivered at a more accessible level than the VCE and VCE Vocational Major. You can study the VPC at your own pace and your teachers will assess your progress through a range of classroom learning activities.
VPC is an applied learning program. This means students achieve learning outcomes by completing practical tasks in meaningful contexts. Students must demonstrate that they have achieved learning outcomes, over time in a variety of contexts, which may include other elements of the schools Senior Pathways Program (including work experience and/or Enterprise Education). Students demonstrate their learning by compiling a student portfolio. Parents and staff will collaborate to assess whether the student meets the necessary criteria to enrol in this course of study. Students at LCS have individual programs to meet their interests and develop their strengths. Students will only be enrolled in VPC units if it is deemed that the student can achieve the learning outcomes for that unit. In some cases, students may benefit from participating VPC units but will not be expected to meet the requirements of the VPC certificate.
Lake Colac School (LCS) may allow you to start the VPC at any time during the school year. The time you take to finish the VPC is flexible. You should discuss the VPC’s suitability for you with your school and your family.
Your VPC may include:
- VPC Literacy
- VPC Numeracy
- VPC Work Related Skills
- VPC Personal Development Skills
- VPC Art and Design
- Any other units that are released by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) deemed appropriate for the school at that time.
At this stage, all of our units are delivered on-site at and by LCS staff. Teachers must ensure all units delivered are only the currently accredited VPC curriculum designs, as per VCAA website. Some units under Industry Specific Skills are delivered off site by one of our preferred RTOs including arrangements with Head Start, SBAT training facilities, TAFE institutions or specialist schools within our local network.
In consultation with parents/carers, students at LCS may commence VPC units in their final 3 years of schooling. All students must complete a minimum of 12 units to achieve the complete certificate, including at least:
- 2 units of VPC Literacy
- 2 units of VPC Numeracy
- 2 VPC Work Related Skills units
- 2 VPC Personal Development Skills units
Many students will undertake more than 12 units in their VPC.
Our VPC Policy can be found here: https://hail.to/lake-colac-school/a/ri1Gtg4
