Getting into VET courses
What will you need to get into a VET course? In VET courses, unlike degrees, the big determiner of difficulty will be the qualification and field you want to study, rather than the institution. Overall, VET is easier to get into than university, although there are exceptions.
Some VET certificates (only I, II and III) have no entry requirements. However, if you want to start your career with a diploma or advanced diploma, particularly at TAFE, you will need to complete Year 12 and apply through the Tertiary Admissions Centre in your state or territory, just like university students. Sometimes other selection tools are used, including interviews and folio presentation.
Different ways of getting in
Although many students will finish school and go directly into a VET course, this is not always the case. Plus, some courses are competitive so just completing Year 12 might not be enough to get you in.
There are a number of different ways to ensure that you get into courses in the VET sector. Overall, VET is more flexible at recognising prior learning and experience, and it has organised pathways. Consider the following, especially if you think you might not succeed in getting into your preferred course.
- Work your way up the qualifications ladder using VET pathways — check out Pathways into tertiary study . VET qualifications in the same field are designed to lead directly from one to another; so, a certificate IV will give you entry with credit for a diploma, and so on up the qualifications ladder. So if you won’t make it straight into a diploma, try a certificate to start with and you’ll zoom up the list of qualifications sooner than you know. Remember also that if you’re choosing school subjects, you could opt for a VET in Schools unit, which will give you a head start on a certificate.
- Try to use your work and other experience. The VET sector is designed to ensure that the prior experience and education of prospective students are recognised. For example, you might be able to have work experience taken into consideration if you have not completed Year 12 or a related VET entry qualification. Many VET courses are competency based, which means that they are awarded when a student has reached a certain level of skill and knowledge in an area, regardless of the time it has taken them. Because of this, if a student would ordinarily need to have completed a diploma in a certain subject before moving on to an advanced diploma, they might nevertheless be able to demonstrate the required level of competency through their work to get them in a more advanced level.
- Investigate the alternative selection criteria or special entry schemes. Some special entry criteria are available to students if they do not quite meet entry requirements. For example, if you have suffered any financial, social or other hardship or been disadvantaged in your studies, then the institution will take this into consideration.
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