South Australian students are set to benefit from new Vocational Education and Training (VET) pathways that will give them a greater head start on their career while still at school.
Flexible Industry Pathways are a new way of approaching the delivery of VET in schools, mapping out a student's journey through secondary school to employment in 26 key growth industries in South Australia.
The pathways will form a key pillar of the Marshall Liberal Government's VET for School Students policy, which aims to restore the value and true purpose of VET pathways by recalibrating courses to match industry need and the potential for long-term employment.
Developed in consultation with Industry Skills Councils and designed to meet the needs of industry and employers, Flexible Industry Pathways group any number of VET qualifications at Certificate I to III level that a specific industry considers will lead to real jobs for students.
The sectors with new Flexible Industry Pathways are:
Education Minister John Gardner said the new pathways will help reposition and raise the profile of VET in schools, leading to more meaningful job outcomes.
"This is the biggest overhaul of VET in schools in a generation," said Minister Gardner.
"Flexible Industry Pathways have been designed with industry, for industry, providing students with more certainty that they are learning the skills required to pursue their future career goals.
"It is vital that our education system is preparing students to take advantage of local job opportunities, and we know that many growing and emerging industries all require workers with vocational qualifications.
"We are ensuring that VET in schools is high quality, accessible and links to skilled careers where there are job opportunities right here in South Australia.
"These pathways not only prepare students for the world of work, they provide a pipeline of skilled workers for South Australian employers.
"We don't expect that all Year 10 students to know what career they want to follow, but we can help guide them on the right path to industries with long-term growth potential.
"These pathways have been embraced by local industry with overwhelmingly positive feedback, and we are confident that both employers and job seekers will benefit for years to come."
To find out more about Flexible Industry Pathways visit education.sa.gov.au.
