VCE trade alternative comes up trumps

A NON-ACADEMIC alternative to the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) has slashed absenteeism at a Dandenong school.
Lyndale Secondary College staff had more than one reason to be proud their graduating year 12 students this week.
Not only did the school’s VCE students perform well, with the top mark an ENTER score of 99.4, but its Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) students successfully completed their courses, armed with skills vital to obtaining apprenticeships in various trades.
School principal Russel Davies said VCAL offered an alternative for students wanting to practise trades and stay in school.
“It has cut absenteeism,” he said.
“One girl was 100 days absent when in year nine, and the next year she was absent for 70 days,” he said.
But the VCAL course helped the student regain interest in school, Mr Davies said.
“In year 11 she was absent for only 30 days, and in year 12 she was absent for just five days thanks to the VCAL program,” he said. Mr Davies said the course engaged students with projects in electronics, engineering and carpentry, and still ensured they pursued maths, literacy and physical education.
The course is a popular choice among those who would rather leave school, he said.
“This year we ran a vocational program for kids at risk in year 10,” he said.
“There were 18 students, and one got an apprenticeship, two decided to go into VCE, while the others have all gone into VCAL.”
The VCAL program at Lyndale won a Premier’s Award earlier this year for its curriculum.
Mr Davies said one of the activities involved students visiting an aged care home, talking to its residents and documenting their stories.
“It was great … those stories were often the history of Dandenong,” he said.
Mr Davies said the school also had a proud history of all of its leaving students being placed in either tertiary education or employment within the following year.