Frequently Asked Questions

Please read the VET Application Process carefully including the RTO Application and Enrolment Process information.

The IMVC VET Expressions of Interest open on Monday 1st August and the IMVC Portal will close on Friday 16th September for Round 1 applications.

Expressions of Interest will re-open from Monday 26th September for Round 2 applications (students can apply where there are still places available). The portal closed for Expressions of Interest Friday 11th November and late applications from schools will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

VETDSS stands for Vocational Education and Training Delivered to Secondary Students, which is sometimes shortened to VDSS. It enables secondary school students to study a nationally recognised qualification as part of their secondary schooling, which can contribute credit towards their senior secondary certificate.

Please also see About VET page including What is VET? and Why Choose VET? sections for more information.

IMVC has been facilitating and brokering VDSS programs for almost 25 years and has built a collaborative model between well-recognised Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), host schools and delivers its own VDSS training programs. IMVC provides access to a wide range of VET courses and secures IMVC-exclusive places with VET providers. You can find more information about IMVC here.

Demand for VET has increased year on year and supply of VET places across the industry has been impacted by factors external to IMVC, including a shortage of qualified VET trainers. IMVC partners with a range of highly-regarded RTOs to enable access to a variety of VET courses across metropolitan Melbourne for our cluster schools.

Due to the Senior Secondary Certificate Reforms IMVC has worked with VET providers to secure additional places and delivery times in priority industries and courses of high demand for 2023. While IMVC has increased its available VET places, we cannot guarantee a place for every student who submits an application.

You can find a list of providers which facilitate VET programs through IMVC here.

IMVC encourages students and parents to discuss the VET options available with their school VET coordinator or careers adviser to find out which courses are best suited to a student’s strengths and interests. Students must complete an IMVC Endorsement form before submitting an Expression of Interest.

Some courses have prerequisites or screening assessments to determine whether a student is suited to a course. Where a course is denoted as having limited places students are encouraged to only apply if they are committed to enrolling and completing the course.

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) is the regulating body that approves which qualifications are suitable to be delivered to VETDSS students in Victoria. VCAA consult with industry professionals and VET trainers to ensure VETDSS courses are appropriate and industry relevant.

Some certificates are deemed too intensive to be delivered during secondary school years, while other certificates contain units of competency (UoC) which are not appropriate to be delivered to school-aged students. Where a course is denoted as “partial completion” students will complete units towards a qualification. Students will receive a statement of attainment for units successfully completed, however, will not receive a certificate.

Students may choose to complete their certificate as adult learners and may receive credit towards a higher certificate in the same qualification.

Pre-apprenticeships and pre-vocational VETDSS courses serve as an introduction to certain industries to help students determine whether they want to undertake an apprenticeship or further studies in a particular vocation or career pathway.

Pre-apprenticeships aim to provide learners with basic industry specific skills and knowledge to enable transition into a range of apprenticeships within an industry at the Certificate III level.

Example: The 22338VIC Certificate II in Building and Construction (Carpentry) (Pre-apprenticeship) (Partial Completion) course includes a range of units that introduce the learner to the application of specific materials, tools and equipment, and techniques used in specific trade sectors that underpin the Certificate III qualifications in the Carpentry and Building sectors.

Pre-vocational courses prepare students with the basic skills required to enter a specific vocation or industry.

Example: The 22499VIC Certificate II in Electrotechnology Studies (Pre-vocational) course prepares students to enter the Electrotechnology industry. It covers competencies at work entry-level providing a grounding in safety and basic skills and knowledge for work in many electrotechnology disciplines.

IMVC encourages schools to discuss the available days and times with their students to determine which day and time works best with their senior secondary program. The VCE VM offerings are the same as regular VET classes, however, are available on alternative delivery days or times for high demand courses. These classes are open to VCE, VCAL, Vocational Major and VPC students who can attend on the alternative delivery days.

To find out more about the changes to the Victorian Senior Secondary Certificate Reform please visit the VCAA website.

Course availability will be updated regularly with the relevant status to provide a general indication of place availability. Your school VET Coordinator will be able to check specific course availability with IMVC.

Units 1 & 2 classes typically have more demand than Unit 3 & 4 classes, the status in this course guide is designed to provide an indication of availability in the first year classes only.

• Places Available means there is availability at one or more of the VET providers
• Limited Places means there are less than 10 places available at a provider (some courses will only offer limited places from the beginning and are listed in the guide)
• Waiting List means the number of applications is higher than the places available

Most VETDSS courses are delivered over 2 years, Units 1 & 2 and Units 3 & 4, therefore, students who begin VET in Year 11 have 2 years to start and complete their course. See the About VET page to understand the VET course structure. Due to the duration of courses VET providers may choose to limit which students can apply for a course, for example a first year course may be limited to Year 11 applicants only, moving Year 10 applicants to the waiting list who may need to apply in the following year.

IMVC supports a fair and equitable allocation of places for IMVC delivered courses. Where there are waiting lists, IMVC distributes places between IMVC schools. Equal priority is given to Year 11 students who are undertaking VET as part of VCE, VCAL, VCE Vocational Major or VPC.

For courses delivered by other RTOs the VET provider may determine and confirm which students secure a place based on many factors in no particular order, including the completeness of their application, whether they have provided a valid USI (Unique Student Identifier), whether they have completed all required steps or the time of their application. VET places for next year are confirmed towards the end of Term 4, official enrolment may take place at the beginning of the following year or in the first class.

There may be students who miss a place and require a VET course, if this situation does arise it will be discussed directly with your school. Schools will work with students to determine whether there is an alternate VET option available within the cluster offerings or whether to apply directly with a VET provider outside of the IMVC process.