Course Summary

Vocational Major Personal Development Skills (PDS) takes an active approach to personal development, self-realisation and citizenship by exploring interrelationships between individuals and communities. PDS focuses on health, wellbeing, community engagement and social sciences, and provides a framework through which students seek to understand and optimise their potential as individuals and as members of their community.

This study provides opportunities for students to explore influences on identity, set and achieve personal goals, interact positively with diverse communities, and identify and respond to challenges. Students will develop skills in self-knowledge and care, accessing reliable information, teamwork, and identifying their goals and future pathways.

PDS explores concepts of effective leadership, self-management, project planning and teamwork to support students to engage in their work, community and personal environments.

Through self-reflection, independent research, critical and creative thinking and collaborative action, students will extend their capacity to understand and connect with the world they live in, and build their potential to be resilient, capable citizens.

Students must complete Units 1 and 2 to be eligible to attain the Vocational Major certificate 

VCE: Unit 1, 2, 3 & 4 sequence available

Learning Activities & Assessment

• Use a game like City Guesser to guess different locations in the world. After the game, debrief how students applied their understanding of community and the characteristics of community to make their guesses. Multiplayer options are available 
• Conduct an excursion in the local community. This may include a visit to the local council, local community centre or another community-based organisation. Explore the characteristics that influence how community is formed and the different groups of people that exist with the community 
• Visit the Australian of the Year website and develop a profile of an inspiring Australian of the Year. Detail how the person has engaged with the community and explore the impact the person has had on others, including any strategies they have used to promote community engagement and participation for others 

Course Summary

Vocational Major Work Related Skills (WRS) examines a range of skills, knowledge and capabilities relevant to achieving individual career and educational goals. Students will develop a broad understanding of workplace environments and the future of work and education, in order to engage in theoretical and practical planning and decision-making for a successful transition to their desired pathway. The study considers four key areas: the future of work; workplace skills and capabilities; industrial relations and the workplace environment and practice; and the development of a personal portfolio. Students will have the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills gained from this study in the classroom environment and through Structured Workplace Learning (SWL). 

Students must complete Units 1 and 2 to be eligible to attain the Vocational Major certificate 

VCE: Unit 1, 2, 3 & 4 sequence available

Learning Activities & Assessment

• Engage in critical thinking relating to the changing nature of work using a PMI table (plus, minus interesting/implication) to respond to the key ideas presented in work-related online videos, for example, TED Talks
• Conduct research to list the top 10 strategies to improve career prospects individually or in small groups. Present findings to the class and justify the reasoning for the rankings allocated
• As a class, create a word wall relating to personal skills and capabilities to identify, define and clarify the meaning of these key terms