Senior Pathways
St Columba’s College supports our senior students in a variety of ways to complete their secondary schooling.
Students can complete the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) ATAR Major, VCE Major or VCE Vocational Major with the option to add Vocational Education and Training (VET) subjects to either certificate.
Our Pathways Advisors will work with you and your child to determine a future direction and plan a senior program that will help achieve career goals.
Pathways Advisors can be accessed in our Pathways Centre. Our Pathways Centre is open throughout the week and is available for your child to visit and obtain advice, access information regarding tertiary institutions and the various tertiary study options available.
VCE ATAR Major
St Columba’s College offers a comprehensive and diverse range of VCE ATAR Major Units. Your child will have the opportunity to select her own Units, and develop a tailored program to fulfil her interests and future study options. Your daughter must complete a minimum of 16 units, and can commence some VCE Units from Year 10. For a full list of VCE Units available at St Columba’s College, click here.
VCE Major
Year 12 students will have the option of applying to undertake the VCE Major. The VCE Major prepares students to achieve their VCE without being assessed for levels of achievement in all graded assessments. Students are required to complete all coursework to attain a Satisfactory result as determined by VCAA. Students who undertake the VCE Major pathway would not be required to sit any formal examinations during Term 4. Students will also have the opportunity to participate in micro-credential units offered by TAFE and Higher Education providers throughout Terms 1-3. VCE Units available at St Columba’s College, click here.
VCE Vocational Major
The VCE Vocational Major certificate is for students in Year 11 and 12 who would benefit from an applied learning approach to teaching and assessment. Students have the flexibility to combine Structured Workplace Learning or a School Based Apprenticeship or Traineeship into their senior school program. The VCE Vocational Major is for students who are not requiring a direct pathway to university via an ATAR. VCE Units available at St Columba’s College, click here.
VET
Students have the option to undertake one or more VET studies as part of their VCE program. St Columba’s is a member of the Inner Melbourne VET cluster, a group of 100 secondary schools that share resources in the organisation and delivery of a wide range of VET Certificates. Your child may use the cluster, the College or local TAFEs to access VET Subjects.
St Columba’s College offers the following VET programs onsite:
- Certificate III Allied Health Assistance
- Certificate III Sports and Recreation
- Certificate III Events Management
VTAC
The Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC), handles student applications for tertiary courses and processes offers made by tertiary institutions. VTAC does not make any selections or decide who will be offered a position within a course but passes on information to students from participating educational institutions. VTAC calculates and issues ATAR scores for VCE students, publishes a guide of available tertiary courses and administers the application process. State and National Privacy legislation restricts the release of the ATAR and VTAC course application to the individual student.
VTAC Preference Counselling
Every Year 12 student meets twice a year with one of the Pathways Advisors. The meeting may include a discussion of their tertiary preferences, the importance of ATAR scores, Early Entry Programs, SEAS applications, prerequisites and additional requirements.