accreditation

The Commonwealth Government has a well-established policy to encourage Vocational Education and Training (VET) in schools. The policy is known as VET in Schools and is administered by the Ministers of Education in all States and Territories of Australia.

The purpose of this important government initiative is to expand the career options and subject choices made available to young people while they are studying in Years 11 and 12 at school. A wide range of accredited vocational courses are available from various providers in many industry areas. Creative visualisation for design applications is a relatively new area to become available under the VET in Schools initiative.

The Whitehouse Institute has been offering VET in Schools since 2001. Whitehouse is an independent Registered Training Organisation (RTO), recognised by the NSW Department of Education & Training as an experienced provider of vocational education and training for the creative industries.

The Whitehouse Institute is offering three (3) Board of Studies (BOS) endorsed specialist Certificate II level VET in Schools programs for students studying in Years 11 and 12 who have an interest in pursuing a creative career path. These courses are VETAB accredited and have been specially designed to provide industry relevant knowledge and skills. The Certificate II programs are delivered in conjunction with schools to increase opportunities and pathways for students seeking access to a career in the fields of fashion, interior decoration or styling. These VET in Schools programs build on and enhance concurrent in-school study of subjects such as Textiles & Design, Design & Technology, Visual Art or perhaps even Computer Studies.

Following is an overview of the three Certificate II VETAB accredited programs available at the Whitehouse Institute of Design, Australia. An Expression of Interest Form available for students to complete and send to Whitehouse to find out more about how to participate in our VET in Schools program in Visualisation, while also completing Years 11 and 12 HSC studies at school. A schedule of fees and enrolment forms are available on submission of the Expressions of Interest Form.

Whitehouse Institute is pleased to participate in the VET in Schools initiative. We look forward to hearing from enthusiastic young people who are prepared to take the first concrete step toward improving their visual literacy and personally striving toward a rewarding career in the creative industries.

description and purpose:

Three (3) VETAB accredited design-related visualisation courses are available. Fashion or Interior Decoration or Style Visualisation target a specific range of industry-orientated competency-based VET outcomes. Each 2 Unit Certificate II course consists of 240 hours and complements existing HSC subjects. Year 11 Preliminary 2 Unit Statement of Attainment programs are included. VET in Schools courses are offered to Year 11 & 12 students from a variety of schools, who attend the Whitehouse Institute in blocks at holiday times to utilise our facilities. Modest fees are calculated on the viability of optimum class numbers per course per year. VET in Schools subsidies are available through high schools to offset fees paid to Whitehouse for Certificate II participation.

benefits to students:

VET in Schools provides an opportunity to complete the HSC at school with a good range of subjects while concurrently studying a BOS approved course with the Whitehouse Institute. Completion of a VETAB accredited Certificate II course under the Australian Quality Training Framework is now encouraged in Years 11 & 12. Students prepare an industry relevant professional portfolio suitable for gaining competitive entry on creative merit into various public or private vocational and higher education courses in design.

On successful completion of VET in Schools design courses delivered by Whitehouse, students will be eligible to continue their education in design at the Whitehouse Institute (subject to normal terms & conditions of entry).

complementary HSC subjects:

The Whitehouse Institute VET in Schools programs have been designed to complement existing HSC subjects particularly,

• Textiles and Design
• Design and Technology
• Visual Art

Overlapping content has been avoided to enable talented students with a commitment to a creative career the opportunity to study the Whitehouse Institute VET in Schools programs in addition to the HSC subjects listed. Hence the creative and practical knowledge and skills acquired can be used more broadly to build confidence and directly enhance individual creative performance in the HSC.

future expansion and revision of the programs:

The Whitehouse Institute considers the VET in Schools program as collaborative ventures with interested high schools. Now successfully established, the opportunity remains open for ongoing expansion of the programs. Teachers are invited to monitor progress and make suggestions on the VET in Schools offerings to best meet current and future student needs.